Caribbean Public Health Agency

What Caribbean Public Health Agency does

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) is an intergovernmental public health agency legally established by an Inter-Governmental Agreement signed by Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member States in July 2011 and operational since January 2013. Headquartered in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, with regional campuses in Kingston, Jamaica and Castries, Saint Lucia, CARPHA serves 26 Caribbean Member States with a combined population of approximately 17 million. The agency was formed by consolidating five predecessor Caribbean Regional Health Institutes (CEHI, CAREC, CFNI, CHRC, CRDTL) into a single regional body governed by CARICOM Heads of Government and the Council of Ministers of Health (COHSOD).

CARPHA's product portfolio spans disease surveillance, reference laboratory services, medicines regulation, emergency response, field epidemiology training, and health information systems. Core platforms include the Caribbean Regulatory System (CRS) for pharmaceutical market authorization recommendations, the VigiCarib pharmacovigilance system feeding into the WHO Uppsala Monitoring Centre, the Caribbean Public Health Laboratory Network (CariPHLN), the Tourism and Health Information System (THiS), the IARC Regional Hub for Cancer Registration (Caribbean), and the three-tiered Caribbean Regional Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (CR-FELTP). Laboratory capabilities include bacteriology, virology, parasitology, molecular biology, immunoserology, mycology, antibiotic resistance testing, and clinical chemistry, with the Environmental Health Laboratory holding ISO 17025 accreditation via the Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation (CALA). The agency has recommended over 250 pharmaceuticals for CARICOM markets since April 2017.

The business model is that of a publicly funded intergovernmental agency rather than a commercial enterprise. Core funding derives from quota contributions by CARICOM Member States, supplemented by project grants from development partners including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (CRS funding 2015–2025), the U.S. CDC (multiple programmes 2015–2026), the European Union (11th EDF and digital surveillance programmes 2020–2024), the World Bank, PAHO/WHO, the Global Fund via PANCAP, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Caribbean Development Bank, and GIZ. Transactional revenue is limited to CRS application fees ($300 per manufacturer application, $150 per local importer application). A disclosed cost-benefit analysis indicated US$33M in operations averted US$756M in losses over a three-year period, implying a 22:1 benefit-to-cost ratio. Distribution is direct-to-government via the three campuses, in-country technical missions, virtual training, and digital platforms such as THiS, VigiCarib, the EvIDeNCe Portal, and the CRS Registry.

Name

Caribbean Public Health Agency

Legal name

The Caribbean Public Health Agency

Website

https://carpha.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) is an intergovernmental public health agency established by CARICOM in 2011, serving 26 Caribbean Member States. It delivers disease surveillance, reference laboratory services, medicines regulation, emergency response, field epidemiology training, and regional health information systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Services

akta.pro primary industry

Sanitary & Phytosanitary (SPS) & Food Safety Regulatory Cooperation (BPADANAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pharmacovigilance, Risk Management & Medical Affairs CROs (HLAGAAAH), Pharmacovigilance Quality & Compliance (PV audits, QPPV support, PSMF) (HLAGAKAH), Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA) / Emergency Social Assistance (BPADADAI)

Keywords

• Public health surveillance
• Disease prevention services
• Pharmaceutical regulation
• Laboratory testing services
• Health emergency response

Headquarters

HQ city

Port-of-spain

HQ country

Trinidad & Tobago

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CARPHA is the single regional public health agency for the Caribbean Community, delivering disease surveillance, emergency response coordination, ISO 17025-accredited laboratory reference and testing services, pharmaceutical regulation through the Caribbean Regulatory System (CRS), pharmacovigilance via VigiCarib, field epidemiology training (CR-FELTP), and health information systems to 26 Caribbean Member States. Its services are delivered through three campuses in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and St. Lucia, supported by proprietary digital platforms such as the Tourism and Health Information System (THiS) and the EvIDeNCe Portal.

Product overview

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) operates as a single regional public health agency serving 26 Caribbean member states, combining the functions of five former regional health institutes into a unified platform. The organisation offers a comprehensive portfolio of public health products and services organised around core thematic areas: the Caribbean Regulatory System (CRS) provides pharmaceutical regulatory functions including market authorization recommendations and pharmacovigilance through VigiCarib; Laboratory Services encompasses medical microbiology, medicines quality control, and environmental health testing; CR-FELTP delivers field epidemiology training across three competency levels; Health Information Systems provide disease surveillance and the EvIDeNCe portal; and the Tourism and Health Information System (THiS) supports real-time monitoring for the tourism sector. Additional services include Communicable Diseases surveillance, Vector Borne Diseases control, Emergency Response coordination, Chronic Disease prevention, and specialised networks including CariPHLN (laboratory network), CANREC (research ethics), CariVecNet (vector diseases), and RHCN (health communications). The recently launched IARC Regional Hub for Cancer Registration and the Antimicrobial Resistance Regional Reference Laboratory in Jamaica extend the agency's analytical and reference capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Caribbean Regulatory System (CRS): Regulatory system managed within CARPHA providing recommendations for market authorization, rational use, and quality and safety monitoring of medical products in the Caribbean.
• CR-FELTP

Products and services

• Caribbean Regulatory System (CRS)
• VigiCarib Pharmacovigilance System
• Caribbean Regional Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (CR-FELTP)
• Laboratory Services (Medical Microbiology, Medicines Quality Control, Environmental Health)
• Health Information System / Disease Surveillance Information
• Tourism and Health Information System (THiS)
• Caribbean Public Health Laboratory Network (CariPHLN)
• Communicable Diseases Surveillance and Response
• Emergency Response Services
• Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Programme
• Caribbean Network of Research Ethics Committees (CANREC)
• Caribbean Vector Borne Diseases Network (CariVecNet)
• Regional Health Communications Network (RHCN)
• EvIDeNCe Portal
• IARC Regional Hub for Cancer Registration (Caribbean)
• Antimicrobial Resistance Regional Reference Laboratory (Jamaica)

Quantifiable outcome

• Averted annual losses estimated at US$253 million
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• PAHO/WHO (Pan American Health Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 February 2026Landmark 2026-2030 Framework Agreement formalizing continued partnership to advance public health priorities across the Caribbean. Provides operational framework for strategic collaboration supporting member states in strengthening health systems, improving preparedness, and reducing duplication. Both agencies committed to jointly developing regional strategies and implementing health programmes.
• University of the West Indies (The UWI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 December 2025Collaboration on infectious disease diagnostics, genomic surveillance, and scientific research. Bringing together veterinary and public health officers, laboratory professionals, and academic researchers from approximately 10 Caribbean countries. Plans for UWI Centre of Excellence for One Health molecular epidemiology and genomics.
• IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenewed commitment to building healthier and more resilient Caribbean communities through public health collaboration.
• CDEMA (Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenewed partnership to advance regional disaster management and public health resilience. Coordinating health input for emergency situations including natural disasters.
• OECS (Organization of Eastern Caribbean States)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenewed partnership to strengthen travellers' health for a more resilient, economically sustainable Eastern Caribbean.
• WHO TDR (Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport for Regional Network on Surveillance, Diagnosis, Research and Control of Vector-Borne Emerging Diseases in the Caribbean (2015-2017).
• UNICEFsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCOVID-19 Vaccine Rollout in Eastern Caribbean (2022-2023).
• TEPHINET (Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport for Field Epidemiology Training Programme including Frontline FETP (2017) and Regional Laboratory Strategy Development for Zika (2017).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC): PHAC is a national-level public health agency responsible for disease prevention, emergency preparedness, and health promotion in Canada — comparable in function but serving a single sovereign state rather than a regional bloc.
• Pan American Health Organization (PAHO): PAHO is the WHO regional office for the Americas and CARPHA's largest strategic partner. It serves as a broader incumbent that coordinates regional health policy across 35 countries, with CARPHA operating as a more specialized sub-regional extension.
• WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO): WHO AFRO coordinates WHO's work across 47 African countries; together with Africa CDC it forms a comparable regional architecture to the PAHO-CARPHA partnership in the Caribbean.
• Robert Koch Institute (RKI): RKI is Germany's federal public health institute, providing disease surveillance, epidemiology, laboratory services, and health research — comparable in technical depth and function to CARPHA's surveillance and lab portfolio.
• UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA): UKHSA is the UK's national public health and infectious disease agency, responsible for health protection, surveillance, and laboratory services — operating similar functions to CARPHA at a national scope.
• Fiocruz (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz): Fiocruz is Brazil's leading public health research and laboratory institution, operating surveillance, vaccine production, and reference-lab services across Latin America — comparable in scientific and laboratory capabilities.

Regional players

• Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission: OECS Commission coordinates health policy and programmes across Eastern Caribbean states, overlapping with CARPHA's mandate in the sub-region. CARPHA and OECS have a renewed partnership for traveller's health.
• Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA): CDEMA is the Caribbean regional intergovernmental agency for disaster management, coordinating emergency response across CARICOM states. It is a sister intergovernmental institution operating in adjacent disaster risk reduction territory.

Direct peers

• Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC): Africa CDC is the continental public health agency of the African Union, coordinating disease surveillance, emergency response, and laboratory networks across AU member states — directly analogous to CARPHA's regional public health mandate in the Caribbean.
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC): ECDC is an EU agency strengthening Europe's defenses against infectious diseases through surveillance, scientific advice, and public health capacity building — a direct counterpart to CARPHA's regional surveillance and response role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CARPHA1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CARPHACampus
• Facebookfacebook.com/carpha1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caribbean-public-health-agency

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Caribbean Public Health Agency