Tobago Health Division Clarifies Hansen’s Disease Surveillance

August 10, 2026 — The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Division of Health, Wellness and Social Protection has issued a comprehensive statement clarifying how Hansen’s disease (leprosy) is monitored across the island, noting that recent remarks from national Chief Medical Officer (CMO) fail to accurately capture the reality of Tobago’s decentralized public health framework.

The Division reaffirmed that while Tobago does not maintain a stand-alone Hansen’s Disease Unit like the Ministry of Health in Trinidad, the island operates an active, integrated communicable disease surveillance system that effectively manages monitoring, early detection, and patient care while optimizing public health resources. Integrated Disease Control & Inter-Agency Collaboration

The Health Division detailed the operational workflow that governs disease surveillance on the island:

Commitment to National Dialogue: The Division expressed its willingness to engage with the Ministry of Health and the CMO’s office to foster greater consultative alignment and ensure national authorities fully understand the systems effectively operating on the ground in Tobago.

Centralized CMOH Oversight: Surveillance is systematically directed through the Office of the County Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) Tobago, which receives direct clinical reports from the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA).

Epidemiology and Contact Tracing: Dedicated teams within the CMOH analyse epidemiological data, conduct thorough case investigations, manage contact tracing, and deliver targeted public health education across communities.

Resource Efficiency: The Division explained that Tobago’s consistently low case numbers do not warrant a dedicated, single-disease vertical unit. Embedding Hansen’s disease tracking into the broader communicable disease framework ensures rapid response capacity without creating redundant administrative overhead.