Deputy Premier & Minister for Health and Human Services, Hon. E. Jay Saunders commenced an all-island tour of the Primary Health Care facilities and other health departments across the Turks and Caicos on Monday, May 17th, 2021.
Beginning on North Caicos at 10:00am, Deputy Premier Saunders and his team from the Ministry visited the Primary Health Care clinics, Environmental Health Department and dumpsites. On May 27th, 2021 the team conducted similar visits on South Caicos.
The Deputy Premier was accompanied on the tour by Mrs. Desiree Lewis, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Human Services, Dr. Nadia Astwood -Chief Medical Officer, Chief Dental Officer, Dr. Janice Baron, Chief Environmental Officer, Mr. Kenrick Neely, Primary Health Care Manager, Nurse Alrisa Gardiner, Deputy CMO, Dr Jeremy Myers, Director for Health Disaster Education & Training, Ms. Charlene Higgs, Ms. Renessa Williams, Head of Secretariat and Ms. Lareesa Robinson, Executive Administrator.
The delegation met with staff, assessed the progress made in respect to COVID-19 response, evaluated the readiness of facilities for the 2021 Hurricane Season and assessed any challenges staff currently face to ensure that plans are in place to provide the resources necessary for them to operate efficiently and effectively.
Commenting on the recent visits, the Deputy Premier said, “I am always happy when I get an opportunity to meet our team in person, particularly at their place of work. These visits allow me to hear their concerns and see firsthand the conditions that they’re working under. The Ministry of Health will ensure that our officers have the relevant resources and infrastructure to carry out their functions. It is important to me as Deputy Premier and Minister for Health that the needs of our healthcare professionals are always met and that they are given the tools to do their jobs at the highest level.”
