News

Turks and Caicos Post Cabinet Meetings Statement

Published

9 years ago

February 3, 2018

#TurksandCaicos, February 3, 2018 – Providenciales – His Excellency the Governor, Dr John Freeman, chaired the meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday, 31 January 2018, at the Hon. Hilly Ewing Building on Providenciales. All Ministers were present.

At this meeting Cabinet:

Received a presentation on the review of the statutory bodies by Mr Stephen Turnbull. Cabinet agreed to consider and review the recommendations in Mr Turnbull’s consolidated report at its next meeting;

Noted the financial performance of the TCI Government for the period October – December 2017 as reported by the Accountant General in the 3^rdQuarter Financial Report 2017/18 submitted in accordance with Section 36 of the Public Finance Management Ordinance 2012;

Received a presentation by the Hon. Attorney General on a bill to amend the Firearms Ordinance which would be finalised for referral to the House of Assembly;

Advised His Excellency the Governor to grant a licence, subject to certain conditions being met, to Digicel (Turks and Caicos) Limited to install underground telecommunications fibre optic network cables along sections of road reserves in Providenciales and Grand Turk to enable the company to repair and improve its telecommunications infrastructure in TCI following damage caused by September’s hurricanes;

Advised His Excellency the Governor to approve an Immigration and Labour Protocol between TCIG and the Desarollos Hotelco TCI Ltd in relation to the development of a luxury branded hotel at Grace Bay on Providenciales;

Approved the Alternative Education Policy paper as the official document to govern alternative education for students in TCI who are deemed “at risk” or who have behavioural difficulties subject to the provision of resources to implement the policy;

Rejected a submission by Charisma University to use the Accreditation Commission for Colleges on Medicine (ACCM) to conduct the accreditation of the Charisma School of Medicine in TCI and endorsed the established procedure to be followed for licensing and accreditation of medical schools in TCI;

Noted additional international awards that have been granted to students who were initially denied scholarships due to insufficient funding being available but who are now eligible for awards following additional funds being identified;

Approved amending the Community College Ordinance to enable the granting of Bachelor Degrees by the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College;

Approved a proposal for a peppercorn lease agreement for ROM Group, Higgs Plaza, to provide free temporary accommodation for three months for the Bottle Creek Clinic on North Caicos whose original property was severely damaged following Hurricane Irma;

Received a presentation by the Hon. Minister for Tourism, Environment, Culture, Heritage and Gaming on a proposed draft Gaming Control Bill. Cabinet sought clarification on certain aspects of the draft Bill and agreed that that draft Bill should be put out to public consultation following which it would be returned to Cabinet for further consideration;

Received an information paper from the Hon. Minister of Finance, Investment and Trade updating Cabinet on progress on the Vision 2040 Document and the Medium Term Development Strategy project;

Noted the recommendations of the Procurement Board to award a contract in line with the Public Procurement Ordinance 2012 as follows – TR17/10 Police vehicles; TR17/13 K9 vehicle for the police; TR17/20 Electronic teaching aids and software; TR17/27 Fencing project, South Dock, Providenciales;

Received an up-date by the Hon. Minister of Health, Agriculture, Sport and Human Services on progress to recruit a Chief Executive Officer and a Chief Financial Officer of the National Health Insurance Board (NHIB). Cabinet discussed the continuing problems at the NHIB and called for a paper in advance of the next meeting of Cabinet setting out options to address the management of the NHIB;

Her Excellency the Deputy Governor informed Cabinet of the process and deadlines for ITTs and tenders to be submitted by departments. She further up-dated Cabinet on recent public service appointments and the latest job recruitments that are underway. The Deputy Governor also raised the critical situation of public service buildings which were badly damaged during the September hurricanes and which remain unsuitable for continued public service operations. The Deputy Governor undertook to circulate to Cabinet a list of government departments affected and that had been displaced as a result of the hurricanes;

Welcomed the news from the Hon. Minister of Finance, that banking services would resume on South Caicos once certain matters were addressed;

Received a report from the Hon. Minister of Finance, regarding the management of government accounts.

Further information on these matters will be provided by Ministers in due course.

Header: File photo

News

ELECTRICITY BILL SHOCKER: PELICAN ENERGY WARNED GOV’T

Published

2 days ago

August 10, 2026

Deandrea Hamilton

TCIG knew from April that fuel factor could surge almost 80%; Minister says $500 cost-of-living payment was part of Government’s response

PROVIDENCIALES — The Turks and Caicos Government knew months before July’s shocking electricity bills that consumers faced a potentially massive increase in the fuel factor.

Minister of Information Technology and Energy E. Jay Saunders revealed Friday that Pelican Energy warned his Ministry in April that generation fuel costs were projected to rise from $3.09 per gallon in May to $4.79 in June and July.

That translated into a projected fuel factor jump from about 17.5 cents to 31 cents per kilowatt-hour — an increase of almost 80%.

Saunders said he personally advised Cabinet of the projected increase and presented options for cushioning the impact.

He characterised Government’s $500 cost-of-living payment as its “initial response” to rising fuel costs, before a separate fuel-factor subsidy was approved.

Cabinet records show Government agreed on June 24 to provide funding to mitigate the fuel-factor impact, with the relief programme approved July 8.

Eligible residential customers — those averaging less than $1,500 monthly over the previous three bills — are capped at 22 cents per kWh from July through October.

Pelican confirmed Friday that Government’s contribution was already applied to July bills, meaning the bills now triggering widespread public outrage would have been even higher without the subsidy.

Saunders did not disclose the programme’s total cost.

His admission that Government knew since April, however, raises another question amid the backlash: why were consumers not directly warned by Government about the scale of the approaching increase?

Bahamas News

More Bahamians Accessing HIV, STI Care Through NHI

Published

2 days ago

August 10, 2026

Deandrea Hamilton

NASSAU, Bahamas — More Bahamians are accessing HIV and sexually transmitted infection-related healthcare through National Health Insurance, a trend the NHI Authority says should be viewed positively.

NHIA stressed in an August 6 statement that its 2025 figures measure healthcare utilisation, not newly diagnosed infections. They include beneficiaries screened, treated, monitored or receiving follow-up care, including people diagnosed previously.

“Increased utilisation of these services should be viewed as a positive development,” NHIA said.

The Authority pointed to “greater enrolment and use of NHI, improved access to screening and testing, continued treatment and monitoring of existing conditions, and increased willingness to seek medical care.”

The development comes amid a mixed three-year HIV picture. New diagnoses rose from 130 in 2023 to 156 in 2024, before declining to 142 in 2025.

NHIA said increased utilisation demonstrates that more beneficiaries are accessing needed healthcare and actively managing their health, reinforcing the importance of screening, early diagnosis and continued treatment.

Health

47,459 MEASLES CASES, 44 DEATHS ACROSS AMERICAS

Published

2 days ago

August 10, 2026

Deandrea Hamilton

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Americas has recorded 47,459 confirmed measles cases and 44 deaths in 2026, the region’s highest case count in 22 years, prompting the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to urge stronger vaccination, surveillance and rapid outbreak response.

As of July 18, cases were already more than triple the 15,011 recorded during all of 2025. Guatemala, Mexico, the United States and Peru account for 95% of confirmed cases. Guatemala leads with 30,371 cases and 26 deaths, followed by Mexico with 12,255 cases and 17 deaths.

PAHO classifies the regional public health risk as very high, citing active outbreaks, immunity gaps, international travel and populations with inadequate vaccination coverage.

The organization says prevention starts with vaccination. Countries are being urged to achieve and maintain at least 95% coverage with two doses of measles-containing vaccine, particularly protecting children and under-vaccinated communities.

Measles spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. Symptoms can include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash.

PAHO is urging health authorities to detect suspected cases early and respond rapidly to stop transmission. Unvaccinated and under-vaccinated people, young children and communities with limited healthcare access face increased risk of severe illness and death.