TCI News
TCI Hospital hosts Medical Ethics Symposium on ‘Informed Consent’
#Providenciales, September 19, 2018 – Turks and Caicos – InterHealth Canada – Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital hosted a Medical Ethics 
Symposium for nearly 70 health care professionals at the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre on September 14th, 2018 under the theme “Informed Consent – Recommended Best Practices.”
Informed consent is based on the moral and legal premise of patient autonomy and their right to make decisions about a particular treatment or test with an understanding of the risks and benefits. The symposium was developed to exchange knowledge on the latest best practices, common challenges and pitfalls associated with soliciting informed consent from patients.
Claire Horner, a Clinical Ethicist, Lawyer and Assistant Professor at the Centre for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine gave a keynote presentation. Horner stressed that informed consent is a process and not simply a form. This process involves several critical elements including disclosure of information, effective documentation, a patient’s right to refuse treatment and exceptions to the informed consent rule in cases of emergency, incapacity, waiver or therapeutic privilege.
The presentation provided an overview of the ethics of informed consent, shared decision-making, cognitive biases, decision aids, the difficulties associated with hard cases and what health care professionals should avoid. Other speakers based at the medical facility included Dr. Henry Blythe, General Practitioner who provided a regional perspective in partnership with Dr. Dionne Ranglin-Robinson, Anesthesiologist, who evaluated several key findings from a unique study on informed consent. The event was chaired by TCI Hospital Chief of Medical Services, Dr. Denise Braithwaite-Tennant.
Advance healthcare directives, or a living will that pre-documents a patient’s wishes concerning medical treatments at the end of life or incapacitation is a growing practice in many jurisdictions. Persons are encouraged to make decisions ahead of time so their care is aligned with their preferences and/or nominate a relative or friend to be their alternate decision maker in cases where informed consent is required.
During the visit to the medical facility, Horner also conducted a special CME session and reviewed the hospital’s current policies and standards of practice related to informed consent. The expert’s recommendations will be used to further strengthen the existing framework. Other areas examined included practices related to Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Orders and the withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Care. The symposium is held every two years, and is extended to health care practitioners from across the country to promote standardized practices across community medical facilities to benefit the patient’s continuum of care.
Commenting on the symposium, Chairman of the Medical Ethics Committee at TCI Hospital, Dr. Henry Blythe said: “Informed consent represents one of the major tenets of medical ethics. This consent may be in the form of a consent document, verbal or implied. There are some cases that require written consent such as invasive procedures. It is important for our staff to be knowledgeable of the different scenarios where each of these cases apply. As part of our quality improvement, we want patients to become more involved in their care. It is okay to ask why, or disagree with a proposed treatment. It is important to require full disclosure. Medical care should no longer be approached in a paternalistic manner and patients have the right to question their care.”
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, May 9, 2024 – PNP Administration says the 2024/25 budget is one for the people and Washington Misick, TCI Premier laid out the $485 million allocation detailing what will directly benefit each island from Grand Turk to Providenciales. Another $19.7 million in new spending was allocated to the total budget of 63 million for capital projects.
Big ticket items to be completed this year under the capital expenditure umbrella include the National Identification System and the Digitalization of Border Services with allocations of $3.7 million and $12.6 million respectively.
The $12.6 million allocation for Border Services will be split over three budget cycles
“We have ensured that the capital program brings some improvement to each island,” the Premier maintained.
The promises may not hold as much weight for some with the government consistently failing to spend its allocations for capital projects. In 2023/24 only $29 million of the $57 million allocated was spent
Misick sought to explain this “The Public Sector Investment Programme for 24/25 includes projects that started in the last financial year. For some of these projects, there was no tender take-up and for others, the tenders received did not satisfy the evaluation criteria.”
The Capital Projects the Premier listed include:
Grand Turk and Salt Cay
- Construction of West Road and Pond Street Bridges – $650,000
- Construction of drains and site work at the Helena Jones Robinson High School and remediation works on the Ponds. – $3.6 Million
- Upgrading of roads, bridges, and ponds such as Mission Folly and West Road $3 Million
- Grand Turk Market and Welcome Centre – $1 Million
- Matthew Canal works, Salt Cay – $800,000
Several of these including Pond Street works are longstanding projects
South Caicos
- Improvements to Cockburn Harbour – $500,000
- Solar Street Lights – $250,000
- Redevelopment of the Conch Ground Facility $1.5 Million
- Redevelop Regatta Village -$1 Million
- Community Road Repairs – $3.5 Million
North and Middle Caicos
- Renovation of the Bambara Beach Vendor Market – $750,000
- Solar street lights – $250,000
- Whitby Roads – $1.1 Million
- Renovate and refurbish the Horse Stable Beach Community Park – $500,000
- Bottle Creek Community Centre -$1.5 million
Nearly all of these projects have been budgeted for before notably, Bambara and Horse Stable Beach Projects.
Providenciales
- New drainage and other improvement work -$3.4 Million
- Pave and repair roads – $4.9 million
- Upgrade recreational parks in Blue Hills, Kew Town, Five Cays, and the Bight – $500,000
- Leeward and Long Bay community roads and solar lights – $500,000
- Community Centre for the Bight – $1.5 million
- Solar streetlights for the Bight – $250,000
- Refurbishing of the Gustavus Lightbourne Sports Complex roof and floor- $800,000
- Road works in Kew Town, including pedestrian crossing – $350,000
- Solar street lights for Kew Town – $250,000
- Way finder signage for Blue Hills – $150,000
- Solar street lights for Blue Hills – $250,000
- Mobile Clinic for Blue Hills – $300,000
- Solar street lights for Sapodilla Bay – $250,000
- Paving of roads in Wheeland – $500,000
- Solar street lights and recreational pavilion for Wheeland– $750,000
In tabling these projects, Misick admitted that the government has a serious issue with delivering large-scale projects.
“We have a capacity problem. We are facing tremendous challenges in developing and implementing big-ticket projects. Public servants are working hard, but the onerous processes, insufficient resources, inadequate technology, outdated laws, an unwillingness to adapt by some, and bureaucracy are frustrating delivery.
That must change.”
The Premier revealed that $300,000 has been set aside in an effort to make the procurement process smoother. Another $1.8 million will be spent on project initiation and project development plans. Misick says that this will allow the government to plan projects a year in advance, speeding up delivery.
With this being the final budget before elections the government has one financial year to complete the projects that they have not been able to pin down since 2021.
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, May 9, 2024 – With over 50 percent of rooms sold, the Arc Providenciales has officially been greenlit for construction.
The Arc is part of the South Bank development set on the south coast of Providenciales which in total has already sold $ 250,000,000 worth of real estate.
The project offers four different neighborhoods, complete with a private lagoon and man-made islands, which are all selling fast, The Arc, Ocean Estates, which are nearly sold out all clocking between $4 and $14 million in sales, Boat Houses with 34 out of 38 sold and Lagoon Villas which start at $2 million up. 
Described as the heart of the South Bank project, The Arc, named after the gently curving design of the building, will be the Turks and Caicos’ most iconic property according to developers.
In a May 2 webinar attended by Magnetic Media, developers revealed that the building will sport a 150-foot-long pool alongside a man-made beach protected by a concrete sea wall but still connected to the open ocean.
The beach is due for completion by November with groundbreaking for the Arc set for the second quarter of this year. The Arc, like many newer TCI properties, will be part residential, part hotel. It’s the last property in the development and the feather in the cap of developer Ingo Reckhon.
Included in the sky villas, which are the most exclusive of the rooms on the Arc, will be indoor-outdoor kitchens, hot tubs, pools, outside gardens, boat slips, and the Turks and Caicos’ first-ever boat concierge service.
It is to be managed by Grace Bay Resorts.
“Both of us are Turks and Caicos companies operating here for over 30 years. We both believe in our people and we hire local employees,” said a representative from Grace Bay Resorts during the meeting. In attendance were dozens of homeowners who have bought into the TCI dream ’live South Bank.’
New construction is a major contributor to stamp duties in the Turks and Caicos and enriches the real estate market in which resale properties are few and far between. The government expects that it will collect over US$50 million in stamp duty taxes from land sale transactions in the 2024/25 financial year.
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 9 May 2024 – The Integrity Commission wishes to inform the public and, in particular, to remind the Specified Persons in Public Life (Declarants), as set out below and in Schedule 1, that they must file their Declarations of Income, Assets and Liabilities, as required by Section 39 of the TCI Integrity Commission Ordinance.
The filing of declarations will take place, on an on-going basis, during the months of May and June 2024.
All Declarants are required to deliver their completed Declaration forms, along with the relevant supporting documents, in person, at an office of the Commission, BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.
Declarants will be contacted individually, with a specific date, time and location, for delivery of declaration forms.
Specified Persons in Public Life include the following:
- All Specified Persons in Public Life who made their last filing on or before 30th June 2022.
- All persons who are appointed to Statutory Boards, effective 1st April 2024, or thereafter.
- All Specified Persons in Public Life who are appointed, within the TCIG Government, effective 1st April 2024, or thereafter.
- All persons who are no longer sitting members of Statutory Boards, as at 31st March 2024.
- All persons who have resigned their posts, or whose contracts have not been renewed, within the TCIG Government, are required to file within 90 days of the end of their tenure.
- All other persons who are considered Specified Persons in Public Life, but who would not have been aware of their obligation to file, under section 39 the Integrity Commission Ordinance.
Declaration Forms are available on the Commission’s website at: www.integritycommission.tc.
For any inquiries about an appointment, please call 946-1941 or 941-7847 or send an email to info@integritycommission.tc
For those declarants who fail to attend their scheduled appointment, please be mindful of the following:
A failure, without reasonable cause, to file a Declaration is a criminal offence, punishable with imprisonment for 1 year, or a fine of $15,000, or both. In addition, the Commission is, among other things, obligated to publish the fact of such failure in the Gazette.
All Declarations are confidential documents. Please DO NOT submit your completed Declaration form through a third party, or via electronic or surface mail.
Persons who have filed a Declaration during the calendar year 2023 and, were required to do so at that time as per regular filing cycle, will NOT be required to file in 2024.
Schedule 1 below details all Specified Persons in Public Life (Declarants) who are required to file a declaration.
SCHEDULE 1
(Section 2)
SPECIFIED PERSONS IN PUBLIC LIFE
- Members of the House of Assembly
- Members of Cabinet
- Deputy Governor
- Permanent Secretaries
- Under Secretaries/Deputies Secretaries (or post of equivalent rank)
- Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the House of Assembly
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chief Auditor
- Accountant General
- Complaints Commissioner
- Chief Economist
- Chief Statistician
- Chief Medical Officer
- Heads of Department
- Director and Deputy Director of Planning
- Director and Deputy Director of Surveys and Mapping
- Registrar and Deputy Registrar of Deeds
- Registrar and Deputy Registrar of Lands
- Director and Deputy Director of Education
- Director and Deputy Director of Immigration
- Collector and Deputy Collector of Customs
- Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Lands
- Chief and Deputy Chief Valuation Officer
- Deputy Heads of Departments, where the Head of Department is not called a Director
- Deputy Attorney General
- Crown Counsel
- Clerk of Courts
- Registrar and of Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court
- Supervisor of Elections
- Members of the Public Service Commission
- Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioner and Officers at or above the rank of Superintendent
- Special Advisers (Inserted by L.N. 64/2012)
- Members and Staff Members of the Integrity Commission
- Chairman, Executive Officers, Directors, Deputy Directors and Members of any body referred to in paragraph (d) of the definition of “public body” in the Ordinance
- Any person who has a statutory duty to record the minutes of meetings of a commission, statutory board, public authority or other body referred to in item 34 who signs the entity’s books and is involved in its business and affairs
- Any person who acts in an office referred to in this Schedule for a continuous period of six months or more.
(Amended by Ord. 1 of 2009 and 15 of 2010, L.Ns. 7/2012, 29/2012 and 64/2012 and s. 6(1) Turks and Caicos Constitution Order 2011)
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