#TurksandCaicos, November 8, 2017 – Providenicales – The Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services (MOHAHS) continues to receive assistance and support from Public Health England (PHE) in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
In response to an invitation from Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services (MOHAS), Dr. Autilia Newton was part of the team of technical experts PHE dispatched to TCI during October 2017 to support the local health team in assessing Public Health needs and also to design short, medium and long term interventions to meet these needs.
Dr. Newton, the leader of the PHE Team sent to TCI, is a Consultant in Communicable Disease Control (CCDC) with PHE. She has more than 7 years of experience working overseas and recently returned from a 2-year assignment in Sierra Leone. There she collaborated with the Chief Medical Officer to oversee the transition from the extraordinary response to Ebola Virus to the return to normal responsibilities for emergency planning and response within the local Ministry of Health.
Dr. Newton is currently the Technical Adviser to the PHE United Kingdom’s Overseas Territories (UKOTs) International Health Regulations (IHR) Compliance Program, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Security Fund.
As part of this program, Dr. Newton and the UKOT team, had already established a working relationship with the TCI’s Public Health Team, led by Dr. Nadia Astwood, Director of Health Services and Dr. Terese Maitland, National Epidemiologist and Head of the National Epidemiology and Research Unit (NERU) team.
The MOHAHS is grateful to the team at PHE for providing assistance at this critical time and looks forward to ongoing support and collaboration in the coming months. Additional details will be provided by the Ministry moving forward.
Press Release: TCIG
