Saint Lucia is faced with limited capacity and fiscal space, as well as high levels of exposure to economic
and weather shocks. The country has had limited success in adequately preparing for public health
emergencies. Recent extreme weather events such as Hurricanes Irma and Maria (2017) and regional
outbreaks of Chikungunya (2014), Zika (2016) and more recently COVID-19, have highlighted
weaknesses in the preparedness of health systems in the Eastern Caribbean region to manage public
health emergencies with Saint Lucia being no exception.