TCI News
Cardiology Services with innovative technology now available at TCI Hospital
#Providenciales, March 12, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital officially announced the commencement of Cardiology services under the Visiting Consultant Program during a press conference on Friday 8th March 2019. The new development will provide in-country access to Cardiology medical care that was previously only available under the Treatment Abroad Program (TAP).
Under the Visiting Consultant Program, medical expertise from all-over the world in various specialties visit the island on a periodic basis to deliver services in outpatient clinics and operative procedures, which are not permanently available in-country.
Visiting Consultant Cardiologist, Himanshu Shukla, M.D. will deliver adult cardiology non-invasive programs, specifically, echocardiography rhythm monitoring and consultations at a tertiary care level. Based on statistics, Cardiology and Ophthalmology are the two most frequently required medical services under the Treatment Abroad Program (TAP). Hence, the introduction of on-shore Cardiology services will provide high quality and comprehensive care to patients, which reduces government expenditure and the need for patients to travel abroad.
Patients who require Cardiology services will be identified by TCI Hospital’s Internal Medicine Physician to ensure the referral is clinically necessary and to promote best use of resources. The service will be delivered on a quarterly basis with clinics ranging from 7-10 days based on patient volumes.
An innovative technology has been introduced under the program as an alternative to the a traditional Holter monitor that measures and records a patient’s heart activity (ECG). The stick-on Zio patch empowers patients to maintain a clean, uninterrupted signal with minimal effort or disruption to their lifestyle. The miniature device also gives the assurance of reliable data with a clear and comprehensive look into a patient’s heart rhythm over longer periods for more appropriate diagnosis. There are also no wires to manage, batteries to charge or leads to reconnect. Cindy Durham, a cardiology patient and nurse at the hospital was used to demonstrate the technology.
The inaugural visiting consultant cardiology clinic was held last week with overwhelming positive feedback from patients. Dr. Shukla stressed that the technology is also more customized to the patient population, suitable for local climatic conditions, more cost- effective and has minimal hardware. A portal ultrasound has also been used during the consultant visits, which is another innovative expansion to the hospital’s current capacity.
During the press conference, Dr Shukla also stated that building a cardiology program is advantageous to the country. Based on population demographics and steady growth, persons may experience a cardiology issue at some point. It is an unfortunate, but a realistic statistic. An increase in diabetes and renal health-related conditions across the community can precipitate heart related issues for persons. Therefore, appropriate screening, management and counselling for patients early in the process is invaluable. Dr Shukla also believes the transition and growth of the program will be successful in the long-term since the infrastructure and platform has already been provided.
Chief Executive Officer of InterHealth Canada – TCI Hospital, Daniel Carriere stated: “It is great that we can bring this type of talent to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Dr. Shukla’s credentials, experience and qualifications are impeccable and we are very fortunate to have a person of this caliber providing services. This is another example of bringing services close to home, which is always great for the patient and their families. We are always open and willing to work with Ministry of Health – TCI Government in exploring avenues that will ease the burden on government budgets. We recognize that health care is expensive by nature, and anything that the organization can do to lessen the cost and continue to improve services for our patients is something we are interested in doing.”
Chief of Medical Services of InterHealth Canada – TCI Hospital, Dr. Denise Braithwaite-Tennant stated: “Cardiovascular disease is prevalent in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is very important for us to support primary health care in preventive measures to reduce the impact on secondary and tertiary care interventions. The Zio technology is new to the country, and Dr. Shukla has also graciously funded 10 Zio patches for local patients at the onset. We are very appreciative of health care providers who view their expertise as a means of delivering a philanthropic service, as opposed to strictly focusing on the bottom line. The introduction of pediatric patients to the cardiology program requires the creation of a business case, which is currently under creation. Our next iteration is to include pediatric patients. Dr. Shukla’s first clinic visit was held on Providenciales due to patient numbers, but this does not eliminate the prospects for future visits to Grand Turk.”
Minister of Health, Agriculture, Sports and Human Services, Honorable Edwin Astwood stated: “The launch of the program is very pleasing to all of us. We have heard that Cardiac and Heart Disease are the number one complaint in the Turks and Caicos Islands. To be able to better monitor and control these diseases can go a far way in dealing with the local population… It was also fitting to see the process that is taking place, whereby we are moving one step closer to the ideal situation that we envisioned this facility to be. The introduction of the program is very commendable as we are moving in the right direction. We are extremely happy to see this state-of-the-art technology being introduced in the Turks and Caicos Islands…”
Interim Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Board, Dr Terese Maitland stated:” To date the majority of patients who require cardiology tests and procedures, ranging from non-urgent to life-threatening emergencies, are treated outside of the TCI under the auspices of the Treatment Abroad Program, which is managed by the National Health Insurance Plan. Indeed, cardiology-related referrals, rank second in the total number and accounts for approximately 12% of treatment abroad referrals and a substantially larger percentage in terms of cost. Today officially marks the on-boarding of some of these services. This is expected to provide TCI residents with in country access to a broader range of cardiology related medical procedures…NHIP is excited about this endeavor, which is anticipated to be more accessible to a broader cross-section of our valuable clients and beneficiaries, facilitate prevention and early detection whilst simultaneously being cost effective and allowing us to stretch our health care dollars…”
TCI Government (TCIG) Acting Contract Performance Manager, Florinda Talbot delivered remarks on behalf of the Government’s Contract Management Unit, which oversees the partnership agreement between TCIG and InterHealth Canada. Talbot stated that the introduction of cardiology services supports both standards and service development of the hospital.
Press Release: InterHealth Canada
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 20 February 2026 — The Informal Settlements Unit (ISU), in collaboration with key
government agencies, coordinated a multi-agency enforcement exercise on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at Block and Parcel 60609/33 in the Five Cays area.
The exercise was led by the Crown Land Unit, pursuant to its statutory mandate under the Crown Land Ordinance to prevent squatting and encroachment on Crown land. The ISU coordinated the operation, with support provided by the Planning Department and the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force, while the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force ensured security throughout the activity.
The enforcement action followed a series of inspections conducted by the Crown Land Unit throughout Five Cays, which identified several illegally constructed buildings made of concrete and timber on sections of the subject parcel. In keeping with the provisions of the Crown Land Ordinance, occupied structures were served Letters of Illegal Occupation, delivered by hand to occupants and
posted on structures where individuals were absent. Incomplete and unoccupied structures were served Notices of Unauthorized Occupation pursuant to section 22 of the Ordinance. A total of ten (10) Letters of Illegal Occupation and three (3) Notices of Unauthorized Occupation were issued during the exercise.
The Informal Settlements Unit reiterates that these coordinated enforcement exercises form part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to uphold the law, protect Crown land, and manage informal settlements in a structured and lawful manner. Members of the public are reminded that unauthorised occupation and development on Crown land is unlawful and subject to enforcement action.
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.
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