Health Minister Hon. Jamell Robinson has indicated that a great deal has been achieved in the health sector at the one-year anniversary of the Progressive National Party taking the reins of power.
In a video message to highlight his ministry’s achievement over the period, in the face of deadly strains unleashed by the novel Coronavirus, scientifically known as COVID-19, Minister Robinson said the challenges were faced head-on, and the ministry has prevailed, insisting the improvements could be seen and felt.
“Over the last year the Turks and Caicos has faced many challenges in the health sector. Today, I am here to report that we have faced them all head-on, and improvements can be seen and felt across the board,” he said.
The minister stated that his government managed to stave off the unbridled waves, which resulted the administration being able to reopen the economy, which turbocharged into unprecedented tourism arrivals.
“We faced, and effectively managed three waves of COVID-19 positive case surges, notably the Delta and Omicron variants, all whilst successfully reopening our economy and recording record-breaking visitor arrivals during the summer months…not to mention the hard work by ‘Team Health’, to ensure a safe restarting of the cruise industry in the nation’s capital of Grand Turk,” Minister Robinson said.
He pointed out that the partnership established between government and the private sector resulted in a return to safe working environments.
“As promised, we have partnered with the private sector, to encourage safe work environments for our people. We have rolled out an aggressive education campaign, (with) personal responsibility (being) key,” said, pointing out that in the face of the pandemic, were able to offer duty-free concession to Turks and Caicos Islanders.
“We have and continue to offer duty-free concessions on cleaning hygiene and sanitization items. We have returned schools to face-to-face learning through monitoring and safety protocols, to ensure that the environment remains safe,” the health minister continued.
He added: “We are weeks away from the completion of upgrades to the National Public Health Laboratory. We have installed new dental equipment on the family islands, including new delivery systems, furniture, and other equipment, to ensure all Turks and Caicos Islanders have access to dental care.
“We have made significant strides in strengthening the national information systems for health. We are in the final stages of updating the four-year National Strategic Health Sector Plan.”
He pointed out also that the 80-plus vaccinated goal set was achieved.
“Turks and Caicos, this is only the tip of the iceberg. E have just completed the first quarter with three more to go. We are just warming up, as more promises and commitments will be fulfilled in the years to come. Stay safe and blessed, TCI,” the minister concluded.
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