Nevis Health Minister welcomes three tri-ambulettes for better health care delivery
Deputy Premier of Nevis and Minister of Health Hon. Mark Brantley gets his blood pressure checked in a tri-ambulette by Matron at the Alexandra Hospital Aldris Dias while Public Health Nurse Ermine Jeffers looks on moments after the handing over ceremony of three tri-ambulettes from Dubai, United Arab Emirates through the Federal Government concluded at the grounds of the Alexandra Hospital on February 24, 2014
NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (February 25, 2014) — Health care on Nevis got a much needed boost with the addition of three tri-ambulettes on February 24, 2014, a gift from Dubai, United Arab Emirates to the Federal Government of St. Kitts and Nevis two weeks ago.
At the handing-over ceremony which took place on the grounds of the Alexandra Hospital, Deputy Premier of Nevis and Minister of Health Hon. Mark Brantley thanked the Federal Government for its cooperation within the Ministry of Health.
“I want to go on record as thanking the Federal Government because this is testimony to the cooperation within the Ministry of Health that we have had and that we have tried to foster with the Ministry of Health on St. Kitts. There were 13 of these vehicles donated and that we were able to obtain three of them for the use in Nevis,” he said.
According to Mr. Brantley, although the tri-ambulettes were new to the culture of Nevis it was a timely and welcome addition.
“This is a welcome addition, these machines…They are perhaps unusual, perhaps new to our culture but it is my hope that at our sporting and other events around the island that they will be deployed effectively. They are not substitute ambulances.
“We continue to have our large ambulances to which we are accustom but these are, I believe, vehicles where people can be quickly stabilized. We can get to people quickly, even in crowded situations and as I say, especially with sports time coming up, I feel that they have come at a very good time for the island so that we can deploy them and people will see them around,” he said.
The Health Minister also noted that health officials and practioners on Nevis embraced the tri-ambulettes for better delivery of the island’s health care services.
“The reality is that we are embracing new things, new vehicles, new looking tri-ambulettes and it’s something that’s new to us but certainly what we ought to focus on, is the purpose of it and the purpose of it, is to assist our healthcare professionals in delivering better healthcare to the people of Nevis. That’s what it’s about. That’s what we work towards and that’s what we will continue to do,” he said.
The Health Minister said the areas in which the tri-ambulettes would be utilised would be in line with the Ministry of Health’s focus on public health.
“You will notice on the signage on them one says ‘Alexandra Hospital,’ the other two say ‘Public Health’ and that too is significant and important because it demonstrates the particular focus of the Ministry of Health at this juncture.
“With very limited resources, we are trying to focus more on public health, on education and on continuing to insist that our people take responsibility for their own healthcare, that they do the necessary things, they exercise, they eat right, they take advantage of the various tests and procedures that we have available, many of them for free at our health clinics and at our hospital,” he said.
Mr. Brantley also used the opportunity to thank persons involved in Health care on Nevis in particular Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Nicole Slack-Liburd and others.“It falls to me this morning as Minister of Health to thank everyone, the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Nicole Slack-Liburd who continues to work exceedingly hard to do a lot of the behind the scenes things in healthcare.
“We continue to strive valiantly, all of us, those at the Ministry level, but also the healthcare professionals who operate, Dr. Essien…we have Mrs. Matron and those who are here as healthcare professionals, nursing and doctor fields, so to speak but the reality is that, we continue to work extremely hard. Now this is yet another demonstration of that commitment,” he said.