Environmental Health Department Hosts Workshop to Strengthen Port Health Compliance

From left – Chief Environmental Officer Trefa Hinds, Deputy Governor Her Excellency Anya Williams; Minister of Health Hon. Shaun Malcolm; Minister of Education, Youth and Sport Hon. Rachel Taylor; and Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development Hon. Jamell Robinson share a photo op with participants of the Port Health Workshop.

In an effort to bolster health compliance by importers at all ports in the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Environmental Health Department has organized a five-day workshop to bring its officers up to speed.

Trefa Hinds, the Chief Environmental Officer for the Turks and Caicos Islands explained that the primary objective of the workshop is to provide further education to its officers on how to detect malpractices and other deficiencies at the ports and ensure adherence to International Health Regulations (IHR) in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hinds emphasized the country's vulnerability at the ports during the pandemic and stressed the need for implementing measures to fortify the Port Health Unit and ensure compliance with health regulations.

In response to this need, he said the government initiated a program that introduced 12 temporary port health officers, noting that currently, 11 of these positions have been filled, marking progress in strengthening the port health workforce.

He said the workshop is a collaborative effort between the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), and the Ministry of Health and Human Services, and was being lectured by Technical Advisor of PAHO, Colin Browne.

“Mr. Browne, a port health specialist and consultant for PAHO, is leading the training program as the main lecturer,” Hinds informed.

The scope of the initiative extends beyond just covering international airports. It also includes marinas, seaports, and other entry points to the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“The focus is not solely on health declaration clearances, but also on other crucial aspects such as quality control and regulations for various types of vessels, including cruise ships and pleasure crafts. The initiative aims to guide and regulate ship sanitation requirements and address potential importation issues, all of which fall under the umbrella of port health,” Hinds further noted.

He said one of the key outcomes of the training is the identification of a potential opportunity for collaboration with Barbados College.

“The college offers a diploma course for port health, and the Environmental Health Department is considering engaging in this program. The intention is to assess the current level of expertise among local staff through the ongoing training and then selectively send a few officers for certification through the Barbados College program. This step would help further enhance the capacity and expertise within the department,” Hinds emphasized.

He said the workshop participants consisted of port health officers, vector control officers, and environmental officers.

“With a total of 30 participants, the training aims to build a more comprehensive and capable team to effectively handle all aspects of port health and environmental health in the Turks and Caicos Islands,” Hinds further noted

He added: “The initiative demonstrates the government's commitment to ensuring the health and safety of its citizens and visitors and further strengthening the country's ability to respond to public health challenges at its ports and entry points.”

Deputy Governor and Head of the Civil Service, Her Excellency Anya Williams, who addressed the opening of the session on Monday, July 17, lauded Hinds for endeavoring to ensure that training for officers was big on his agenda.

He also encouraged the officers to ensure that they have an idea of what they wanted to take away from the workshop.

For his part, Minister of Health Hon. Shaun Malcolm stated that it was imperative that the officers gather as much as they were able to, since their knowledge would depend on whether port health sinks or swims.

“I believe that the information gathered from this workshop is critical, therefore, I urge all the participants present to embrace this workshop and gain knowledge on strategies to strengthen the Port Health Regulations in these Turks and Caicos Islands,” Health Minister Malcolm urged.

Malcolm reminded the officers of the pivotal role they played at the ports and thereby stressed the need for cohesiveness to strengthen surveillance at the points of entry.

“I want to emphasize the importance of working collaboratively, and I want to urge you to adopt a more coordinated team approach between the various agencies, to ensure that whatever we are doing is effective as well as very timely,” Malcolm said