The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), will host a one-day consultation designed to focus on the development of a National Strategy for Universal Health Coverage today, Monday 23rd June 2014, beginning at 9:00 a.m., at the Methodist Church Hall in Kingstown.

The objectives of the consultation are:

• To present and discuss the draft strategy document on Universal Health Coverage,

• To identify the country’s position with respect to the four strategic lines that are being proposed to achieve progress towards UHC, and

• To incorporate the country’s position and experiences into a written report.

Remarks will be delivered during the opening ceremony by Mr. Luis DeShong, Permanent Secretary; Dr. Simone Keizer Beache, Chief Medical Officer; and Mr. Reginald Thomas; Executive Director, National Insurance Services; with the keynote presentation delivered by Anneke Wilson, PAHO Country Programme Specialist.

An invitation has been extended to a range of professionals from the public and private sectors, as well as financial institutions and insurance companies, to participate in the consultation.