NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (March 11, 2021) – – The Ministry of Health in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) has received a grant from the Government of Japan to acquire a PCR machine so that testing for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases can be done at the Alexandra Hospital laboratory.

During a virtual signing ceremony for the Project for the improvement of medical equipment in Nevis on March 11, 2021, Premier Hon. Mark Brantley, Senior Minister of Health in the NIA and Minister of Foreign Affairs for St. Kitts and Nevis, recorded his appreciation to His Excellency Tatsuo Hirayama, Ambassador of Japan to St. Kitts and Nevis, as well as the Government and people of Japan for the timely grant.

“Testing as you know is part of the critical response to COVID-19 and… it has proven very expensive and very time-consuming.

“For Nevis to continue to have send tests to St. Kitts or sometimes farther overseas in order to get results which sometimes takes from 24 hours to a few days…there really is an inherent danger of having to wait too long to be able to access testing results.

“And so this donation is timely; this donation will move us forward in a significant way on the island of Nevis to offer testing which is rapid and which can allow our people to know what their status is at a much earlier stage, and therefore help us in the health community to treat, to isolate where necessary, and so prevent the dreaded community spread,” he said.

Hon. Hazel Brandy Williams, Junior Minister of Health in the NIA, also thanked the Japanese government for providing US $65,774 to procure a Cepheid GeneXpert machine for PCR testing to be done on Nevis.

“As we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, I must assure you that this bit of equipment will greatly improve our testing capacity here on Nevis.

“I am told that our monthly testing bill ranges from $17,000 up to $22,000…and so you see the addition of this very timely gift will not only enhance our testing capacity, but it also lessens our financial burden.

“I want to say how grateful we are as a government, how grateful we are as a people for your continued support,” she said.

Ms. Shelisa Martin Clarke, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Gender Affairs in the NIA, explained that the procurement of a PCR machine translates into an increase in the services offered to the Nevisian public at the Alexandra Hospital laboratory.

“It would be a great investment for the lab staff as well as the people of Nevis in that it can further be utilized for other tests such as HIV viral loads and Tuberculosis, both of which are sent overseas for analysis,” she said.

Also present at the ceremony held at the Alexandra Hospital were Dr. Judy Nisbett, Chief Mecical Officer; Mr. Gary Pemberton, Public Health Administrator at the Alexandra Hospital and several other senior hospital employees.