TCI News
TCI Hospital restructures the Emergency Department Triage Process
#Providenciales, January 10, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital has restructured the process for triage in the Emergency Department to create faster access to medical care for patients and more efficient use of resources.
The restructured approach features a moderate adjustment to the current process whereby a clinician will be a patient’s first point of contact. Walk-in patients will be required to undergo triage prior to visiting the Patient Services desk. The new process is scheduled to commence at Cheshire Hall Medical Centre and Cockburn Town Medical Centre on January 11, 2019 and February 4, 2019, respectively.
Patients will be called by a triage nurse in the order of arrival and clinically assessed. Patient verification and registration will also be conducted during the triage assessment. Each patient is assigned a CTAS triage score, which may range from Level 1 to 5. The Canadian Triage Acuity Scale (CTAS) is a five level scale with Level 1 (Resuscitation) representing the most critical patients and Level 5 (Non urgent) representing the least ill.
Any patient requiring urgent intervention (CTAS 1 and 2) will be accompanied to an assessment room or the Rhesus room and treatment initiated immediately. These patients will be registered during treatment. Other patients will continue to be prioritized and seen by a doctor based on the severity of their condition (CTAS Score). The triage nurse will direct ambulatory patients (CTAS 3) to the Patient Services desk to complete the NHIP-eligibility verification and payment process, and then wait to be seen by an emergency doctor.
Non-urgent patients (CTAS 4 and 5) may be transferred to the Outpatient Department or Ministry of Health Primary Health Care clinic, which is located on the hospital property. The clinical transfer is also dependent upon the type of resources required to treat the condition. As a result, some non-urgent cases may remain in the Emergency Department.
Once the Ministry of Health clinics are closed, all patients will be registered and treated in the Emergency Department or Outpatient Department in accordance with their triage score and a payment (co-pay fee or private fees) shall be applied. Payment also applies to any patient transferred to the hospital’s Outpatient Department.
The Emergency Department at Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital treats cases of various acuity levels, including benign conditions that can be treated by a primary care doctor. Patients are therefore encouraged to consider the seriousness of an illness or injury in advance and determine the most beneficial and appropriate place for care, where possible. Primary care clinics operated by the TCI Government Ministry of Health are primarily free of 
charge and are open during extended hours.
Medical conditions suitable for treatment at a primary care clinic include common illnesses, such as colds, the flu, earaches, sore throats, migraines, low-grade fevers, prescription refills and limited rashes. Minor injuries, such as sprains, back pain, minor cuts and burns, minor broken bones, or minor eye injuries. Patients are encouraged to visit the Primary Health Clinics directly during their opening hours.
Patients should visit the emergency department for emergency and urgent complaints such as: Trouble breathing; Unresponsive and not breathing; Suddenly not able to speak, see, walk, or move; Suddenly weak or drooping on one side of the body; Sudden confusion; Heavy bleeding; Severe allergic reaction with trouble breathing, swelling, hives; High fever with headache and stiff neck; High fever that does not get better with medicine; Poisoning or overdose of drug or alcohol and Seizure. The symptoms above are not a complete, specific listing, but rather guidelines.
Press Release: InterHealth Canada
Almost two million visitors recorded in 2025
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS – The Turks and Caicos Islands saw an increase in stayover arrivals in December, seven percent higher than the corresponding period in 2024.
Preliminary data suggests that stay over arrivals by air for the month of December was 66,427 in comparison to 62,610 in December 2024.
From January to December 2025, preliminary visitor arrival numbers totalled 640,754; on par with the number recorded for the same period of 2024.
Stay Over Arrivals YTD December 2024/2025
The first quarter of the calendar year attracted the largest number of arrivals with visitor arrivals three percent higher than the first quarter of 2024. Reduced airlift from the United Kingdom and the United States, most notably the Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue services, was however felt from the second quarter (April to June). As a result, visitor arrivals dropped three percent in the second quarter.
By the third quarter of this year (July to September), geopolitical and economic conditions in the key source markets, namely the United States, led to further contraction of arrivals. In the last quarter of 2025, arrivals were impacted in October due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa but additional airlift from the USA and Canada resulted in an increase in arrivals in November and December.
Mr. Paul Pennicook, Interim CEO Consultant of Experience Turks and Caicos, said December’s increase in stayover arrivals is an encouraging indicator of the sustained interest in the Turks and Caicos Islands as a premier destination.
“While we note and continue to monitor geopolitical shifts that affect us, Experience Turks and Caicos is focused on increasing marketing initiatives in our primary source markets. We have spent the last two years investing in groundwork such as crucial travel advisor training to assist them in selling the destination more effectively. In the next fiscal, we will be building on those initiatives with co-op activities with partners as well as out of home advertising to increase visitation to our destination,” he said.
In Cruise, the preliminary count of passenger arrivals for the month of December 2025 was 129,346, a 22 percent increase over last December. This growth follows the berthing of 11 additional ships in Grand Turk this month.
From January to December, the cruise sector continued to outperform the same period last year, as the 1.3 million total cruise passengers recorded, marks a five percent Year-on-Year increase. 
The cruise sector experienced significant growth in the first quarter of 2025, with passenger arrivals surpassing last quarter by 53 percent. In the second and third quarter however, several cruise lines adjusted their itineraries as vessels were pulled from the fleet or from the Caribbean region, which resulted in fewer passengers.
Arrivals dropped seven percent and 10 percent in the second and third quarters, respectively. Double digit growth was recorded in the last two months of Quarter 4. This growth however, was not sufficient to outweigh the drop in arrivals experienced in October, following the cancellation of cruise calls due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Despite the late-quarter rebound, arrivals for the final quarter of 2025 closed six percent below the same period in 2024.
News
The Department of Trade, Industry & Fair Competition to Host Export Readiness Workshop Under the theme “Empowering TCI Businesses for Local Growth and Global Markets.”
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Wednesday, 11 February 2026: The Informal Settlements Unit (ISU) coordinated a multi-agency enforcement operation on Thursday, 29 January 2026, led by the Planning Department, with support from the Crown Land
Unit, the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force, and security provided by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. The operation, carried out at three different locations in Providenciales, formed part of ongoing government efforts to address unauthorised development and illegal occupation of land in accordance with governing legislation.
The operation commenced in Blue Hills, where five Section 58 Enforcement Notices were issued on unauthorised structures identified on Block and Parcel 60502/48.
Enforcement activity then moved to a second location off the Leeward Highway near Caicos Lodge, where six Section 58 Enforcement Notices were issued on additional unauthorised structures on Block and Parcel 60802/66.
The final phase of the operation took place in The Bight, where three unauthorised structures were removed, with all debris cleared from the site in keeping with established safety and environmental protocols.
The Informal Settlements Unit remains committed to working alongside its partner agencies to support lawful development, protect public and private land, and ensure that planning regulations are enforced in a coordinated and transparent manner across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Similar joint operations will continue as part of the Government’s wider strategy to address unauthorised development and informal settlement activity.
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