Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has disclosed that the Government of Dominica has decided to accord the late Dr. Carissa Etienne an official funeral.
Dr. Etienne who was a public health expert and former head of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) passed away in the United States (US) on Friday, December 1, 2023.
In again expressing condolences to the family and friends of the late Dr. Etienne during a press conference on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit disclosed that “The Government of Dominica has been in contact with Dr. Etienne’s family informing them of a Cabinet decision to grant her an official funeral in honour of her outstanding contribution to Dominica and the world.
According to him, the details of this (the official funeral) will be shared with the public at a later date.
In paying tribute to Dr. Etienne, PM Skerrit described her as “a monumental figure in public healthcare here in Dominica, in the region and globally who made her mark as Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for two terms and served also in key leadership roles to the World Health Organization (WHO).”
Skerrit also stated that “as an advocate for universal health coverage she (Dr. Etienne) was particularly effective and inspiring for her work in reducing health inequalities and caring for people, as well as for leading PAHO’s response to the Covid-19 Pandemic and the Zika and Chikungunya epidemics.”
“Dr. Etienne led Dominica to a place of distinction in the provision of primary health care to our citizens… she was very much involved in the primary healthcare programme and, among Dominicans, I think she will be remembered best for her work at the local level as a physician and public health administrator and certainly for her kindness, warmth, and love for people,” he stated.
“On behalf of the Government and the people of Dominica, I want to once again express sincere condolences to the family of the late Dr. Carissa Etienne.”
Dr. Carissa F. Etienne was 71 at the time of her passing. She recently retired after 10 years at the helm of PAHO and was declared Director-Emeritus on September 30, 2022. From 2008-2012, she served as Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Services at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Before that, she served as Assistant Director of PAHO from 2003-2008, where she led five technical areas: Health Systems and Services; Technology, Health Care and Research; Health Surveillance and Disease Management; Family and Community Health; and Sustainable Development and Environmental Health.