Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis: Prime Minister of the Federation, Dr Terrance Drew, who also serves as the Minister of Health, met with the representatives from the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) at the St Kitts Marriott Resort on March 8, 2023. PM Drew joined by the other senior health officials of St Kitts and Nevis and other stakeholders.
According to the update shared by the government of St Kitts and Nevis, the meeting’s agenda emphasised the theme ‘Transforming the Health system of St Kitts and Nevis with a focus on Health Financing.’ In addition, the building of the new smart hospital and Universal Health Insurance were the two important topics discussed by the authorities.
Dr Amalia Del Riego, PAHO/WHO Representative (PWR) to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Office, also attended the meeting. PWR Riego paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew on March 7, 2023 (Tuesday). She was accompanied by Anneke Wilson, Country Program Specialist, and the meeting was also attended by Dr Hazel Laws, Chief Medical Officer and Dr Sharon Archibald, Permanent Secretary in the Health Ministry.
The other attendees of the event were Dr Guillermo Sandoval, Advisor, Health Economics and Financing Office of the Subregional Program Coordination, Caribbean PAHO – WHO; Special Adviser to the Health Ministry, Dr Patrick Martin; Chief Medical Officer (CMO); Dr Hazel Laws; Senator with ministerial responsibility for Health for the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), Jahnel Nisbett; Permanent Secretary (Ag) in the Ministry of Health, Director of Health Institutions, Dr Jenson Morton; Dr Sharon Archibald; Permanent Secretary (Ag) in the Social Development and Gender Affairs Ministry, Azilla Clarke; and other senior health officials and stakeholders.
The efforts of the government of St Kitts and Nevis continued to reform the health sector. After attending the event, PM Dr Terrance Drew met with the nursing fraternity for frank and open discussions on several matters critical to the advancement of the nursing profession.
The meeting, which was convened at the Joseph N. France General Hospital classroom, was fruitful and productive. The PM looked forward to the rollout of several key initiatives within the healthcare sector.
