PROVIDENCIALE, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS — The Indian Association of Turks and Caicos Islands (IATCI) is proud to announce the successful completion of its 2026 Back-to-School Supplies Initiative, distributing essential backpacks and educational materials to local students and families across the community.

With the new academic year underway, this annual drive was designed to alleviate the financial burden on families while equipping local youth with the necessary tools for academic success.

Education is an investment in a better generation and a brighter future. We are grateful to all our generous donors and supporters whose contributions helped make this initiative possible.

The initiative’s success was made possible through the collaboration and contributions of local corporate partners and community members. IATCI extends its sincere appreciation to the following sponsors for their support and commitment:

• Mayaa Ltd, Ayavue Enterprises, Provo Café, Sunny Foods, Gold Smith, Charlie’s, Kishco / Kostco, Citrusbuy Ltd.

Through partnerships like these, IATCI continues its commitment to fostering community growth, supporting educational development, and making a lasting positive impact across the Turks and Caicos Islands.

About the Indian Association of Turks and Caicos Islands (IATCI)

The Indian Association of Turks and Caicos Islands is a non-profit community organization dedicated to cultural enrichment, community service, and supporting educational and social initiatives throughout the islands.

Indian Association of Turks and Caicos Islands (IATCI)

“Empowering Pharmacists for Healthier Futures”

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands — September 23, 2026; TCI Hospital joined healthcare organisations around the world in celebrating World Pharmacy Day from September 21-25, 2026, recognising the vital contribution pharmacists and pharmacy technicians make to patient safety, quality care and stronger healthcare systems.

Under the theme “Empowering Pharmacists for Healthier Futures,” this year’s observance highlighted the importance of enabling pharmacy professionals to use their knowledge, skills and expertise to their fullest potential in improving health outcomes and supporting patients throughout their healthcare journey.

As part of World Pharmacy Week, September 19–25, TCI Hospital celebrated its Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians while engaging patients, students and the wider community in activities focused on medication safety, pharmacy careers and the expanding role of pharmacy professionals in healthcare.

More Than Preparing Medications

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are integral members of the multidisciplinary healthcare team at TCI Hospital. While pharmacy is often associated with dispensing and preparing medicines, the work of pharmacy professionals extends far beyond the pharmacy counter.

The hospital’s pharmacy team works collaboratively with physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals to support the safe and appropriate use of medications throughout the patient journey. Their work includes medication preparation and management, medication reconciliation and review, patient education, and processes designed to identify and reduce medication-related risks.

Their specialised knowledge is particularly important in clinical areas such as the Neonatal Unit, Oncology and Dialysis services, where medication management requires precision, careful calculation, specialised preparation and close attention to individual patient needs.

For TCI Hospital, World Pharmacy Day therefore provides an opportunity not only to celebrate pharmacy professionals, but also to increase public understanding of their important contribution to safe, effective and patient-centred care.

Inspiring the Next Generation

An important part of TCI Hospital’s 2026 observance was engaging young people and introducing them to the diverse opportunities available within the pharmacy profession.

Students from Maranatha Academy in Providenciales and HJ Robinson High School in Grand Turk, participated in an exposition designed to provide insight into the work of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and their contribution to patient care and medication safety.

Students explored how medications moved through the healthcare system, the safeguards used to help prevent medication errors, and the importance of medication reconciliation in identifying and resolving potential medication-related concerns.

The sessions also featured practical demonstrations of selected tools and processes used by pharmacy professionals, giving students an opportunity to experience aspects of the profession beyond the traditional image of dispensing medicines.

Through this engagement, TCI Hospital hoped to encourage more young people in the Turks and Caicos Islands to consider careers in pharmacy and the wider healthcare sector.

Taking Pharmacy Education into The Community

TCI Hospital extended the conversation beyond the hospital through a special TCI Hospital House Call Talk Show episode featuring pharmacy professionals and a patient.

The programme explored the role of pharmacists from both the healthcare professional and patient perspectives, including how pharmacy professionals contributed to safe medication use and how patients could become active partners in their own medication safety.

The discussion encouraged patients to know the medications they were taking, provide healthcare professionals with accurate and up-to-date information about their medicines, follow medication instructions carefully, and ask questions whenever they were uncertain about their treatment.

The programme also highlighted pharmacy as a rewarding healthcare career and encouraged young people to explore educational and professional opportunities in the field.

Medication Safety is a Shared Responsibility

World Pharmacy Day also provides an important reminder that medication safety is a shared responsibility involving healthcare organisations, healthcare professionals, patients and families.

Patients can contribute to safer care by maintaining an accurate list of their medications, including prescription and non-prescription medicines; informing healthcare professionals about medications they are taking; following instructions for safe medication use; and asking questions when they do not understand why or how a medicine should be taken.

Healthcare organisations and professionals, in turn, have a responsibility to maintain systems that support safe medication practices and enable pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to contribute their expertise across the continuum of care.

TCI Hospital remains committed to strengthening medication safety, supporting its pharmacy workforce, educating patients and promoting effective collaboration across the multidisciplinary healthcare team.

Celebrating the People Behind Safe Medication Use

Chief Executive Officer of TCI Hospital, Dr Denise Braithwaite-Tennant, said World Pharmacy Day is an important opportunity to recognise the expertise and dedication of the hospital’s pharmacy professionals.

Chief of Allied Services, Eleanor Hall, highlighted the importance of recognising pharmacy as an integral clinical service and supporting the continued professional development of the pharmacy workforce.

Pharmacy Manager Kennita Myers said the theme reflects both the responsibility carried by pharmacy professionals and the opportunities available to further strengthen their contribution to patient care.

Thank You to Our Pharmacy Professionals

Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital extends its sincere appreciation to its pharmacists and pharmacy technicians for their professionalism, expertise and commitment to patient safety.

Whether preparing specialised medications, supporting clinical teams, educating patients, reviewing medication therapy or strengthening medication-safety processes, pharmacy professionals play an important role at every stage of the patient journey.

Their work embodies the message of World Pharmacy Day 2026: “Empowering Pharmacists for Healthier Futures.”

To all of our Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians, thank you for helping to keep our patients safe, supporting our healthcare teams and contributing every day to healthier futures for the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“PNP Healthcare Ministers Carrying on Tradition”

By Randy Ewing

There are several areas that are critical to the everyday quality of life and standard of living in any civilized country: healthcare, economic development, adequate infrastructure, public safety, and education. Yet, as Sabrina Green highlighted in her recent article, there remains a troubling reality in the Turks and Caicos Islands: too often, our own people—particularly qualified Turks and Caicos Islanders—are marginalized when decisions are being made about the future of our country.

I want to focus specifically on healthcare.

Under the current PNP administration, several ministers have held responsibility for the healthcare portfolio, including Hon. Jay Saunders, Hon. Shawn Malcolm, and now Hon. Kyle Knowles, who is also my cousin.

I am not writing this because I expect anything to be handed to me. I am writing as a Turks and Caicos Islander and as a healthcare professional who has spent more than 26 years working in the healthcare industry.

My efforts to offer my expertise to the government were never motivated by money, political ambition, or the expectation of special treatment. They were motivated by something much simpler: giving back to the country that produced me.

I am from the soil.

I am from Blue Hills, Providenciales. I know our people. I know our culture. I understand our eating habits, the history and circumstances behind those habits, the foods that are locally available, and the realities that many families face when healthier food choices are more expensive or less accessible.

Professionally, I bring more than two decades of healthcare leadership and consulting experience. I hold an MBA with a concentration in Health Administration. I am a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with a healthcare concentration and a change-management specialist with healthcare experience. Over the course of my career, I have held leadership positions and worked with organizations including Memorial Hospital, Aetna Health, and Blue Cross Blue Shield, as well as within the U.S. federal government. I have also provided consulting services to healthcare organizations, municipalities, cities, states, and organizations throughout the Caribbean.

I share this not to boast about my credentials, but to make a simple point:

There are Turks and Caicos Islanders who have spent decades acquiring knowledge and expertise that could be valuable to the development of our country.

Why aren’t we listening to them?

I understand that the government has engaged outside consultants to provide advice and expertise. There is certainly a place for specialized external expertise. But I believe we must also ask an equally important question: What measurable improvements have these investments produced for the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands?

Our healthcare challenges remain.

Our people continue to face serious health issues. People still have to travel overseas to obtain medical treatment. Families continue to worry about whether the healthcare system will be there when they need it. And many residents remain concerned about whether they are receiving the quality, accessibility, and affordability of healthcare they deserve.

So I ask our leaders: Where are the measurable outcomes?

Where is the long-term strategy?

What is the plan for developing sustainable healthcare capacity within the Turks and Caicos Islands?

And, perhaps most importantly, why aren’t more qualified Turks and Caicos Islanders being brought to the table?

This is not an argument against outside expertise. It is an argument for including our own people alongside it.

We know our communities in ways that an outside consultant cannot immediately know. We understand our history. We understand our culture. We understand the socioeconomic realities that influence health. We understand what people eat, what they can afford, what resources are available locally, and the barriers that prevent people from living healthier lives.

That knowledge matters.

Healthcare policy cannot exist only on paper. It has to work for the people who actually live here.

As the Turks and Caicos Islands continue to grow and prosper economically, we must also ask whether that prosperity is translating into better health outcomes and a better quality of life for our people.

Economic growth means little if our people cannot access adequate healthcare.

Infrastructure means little if our healthcare infrastructure cannot meet the needs of our population.

And progress means little if our people continue to believe that they must leave their own country to receive the care they need.

Minister Knowles, I respectfully ask you—and every minister and policymaker responsible for healthcare—to listen to the Turks and Caicos Islanders who have spent decades developing expertise in healthcare.

Listen to the professionals who have returned home with knowledge.

Listen to the people who understand our communities.

Listen to those who are offering their expertise not because they want something from the country, but because they want to give something back to it.

I have made that offer.

My experience, my education, and my professional knowledge are not simply credentials on a résumé. They represent more than 26 years of learning, leading, solving problems, and working to improve healthcare systems.

And I believe that expertise should have a place in the conversation about the future of healthcare in my homeland.

The Turks and Caicos Islands belong to all of us.

Our healthcare system belongs to all of us.

And our people deserve a healthcare system designed around their needs, informed by evidence, strengthened by expertise, and built with meaningful participation from the very people who call these islands home.

It is time to stop asking whether our people are qualified enough to contribute.

It is time to start asking what we are losing by not listening to them.

Our people deserve better.

And those of us who have the knowledge, experience, and willingness to help should not stop offering it.

Marvin Martin, MBA, LBBH, CMS

(STOCK PHOTO)