Belize Strengthens Post-Market Surveillance of Medicines and Vaccines with PAHO Support

Belize City, Belize, 13 August 2026.- The Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW) of Belize advanced the operationalization of the National Post-Market Surveillance System for medicines and vaccines with support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) in a three-day workshop that brought together officials from government agencies, health facilities representatives, academia, private-sector specialists and patient organizations.

The mission aimed on strengthening Belize's capacity to detect, assess, investigate, communicate, and respond to safety and quality concerns related to medicines and vaccines, contributing to a stronger regulatory system and safer use of medical products across the country.

These efforts build on important progress made by Belize in strengthening its national regulatory system as it recently became a full member of the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring (PIDM) and has advanced the use of pharmacovigilance tools, including VigiFlow and VigiMobile, as well as the development of national reporting forms and reporting pathways.

With the support of PAHO, Belize is working on establishing an integrated approach to post-market surveillance by combining monitoring of medicine and vaccine safety with the detection and management of product-quality issues, suspected substandard and falsified medical products, and unregistered products. This approach seeks to maximize existing resources while ensuring timely and appropriate public health and regulatory responses.

Participants and stakeholders examined the proposed Terms of Reference for the National Post-Market Surveillance System, including its mandate, scope, functions, and coordination mechanisms and explored the flow of safety and quality reports through the national system, from detection and reporting to assessment, investigation, regulatory action, risk communication, and international reporting when appropriate.

As an outcome authorities emphasized that an effective post-market surveillance system depends not only on the availability of reporting tools, but also on clearly defined responsibilities, good-quality reports, timely feedback to reporters, coordination across institutions, and the capacity to translate information into appropriate regulatory and public health action.