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Popular broadcaster calls for justice; frightening allegations levelled at TCI Hospitals and NHIB

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#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – October 2, 2020 – Usually Crissy Pratt is a strong woman with an unapologetic posture.  Two nights ago, Crissy Pratt was something else completely.  In a live social media broadcast from her hospital bed at the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre, Chrissy appeared fractured and frightened and fed up.

“I need justice, that’s what I need!”

It was a repeated refrain throughout the hour long broadcast on Facebook, where Crissy cried, Crissy vowed to make her experiences known and where Crissy called on Turks and Caicos people to stand with her.

Criticisms of the health care system in the Turks and Caicos Islands are legendary and have spawned from US Travel alerts which have labelled local medical care as inadequate, to visitors and national health insurance contributors who have penned comments exposing slow and cold service, to residents who have lost loved ones, when they believe those family members could have been saved. 

The TCI Hospitals has been a main figure in the steady stream of concerns since it opened in 2010 and has elicited such disquiet that its operations and cost to the public have been fuel for political platforms and party manifestos.    

“How much of y’all gatta go down in a body bag before this stops.  How much of us pay our contributions to this government and you still gatta beg for help!  Don’t be fooled, this ain’t right, this ain’t right.  This is not right!  You hold me hostage.”

Griselda Pratt or Crissy is a popular local radio personality who informs that she is both Bahamian and Turks and Caicos Islander.  Her radio joc name is Crazy Crissy because her energy is crazy high and her comments are crazy bold and her wit is crazy funny.  Now Crissy, in her Facebook broadcast is fighting for her life after she alleges she was denied help from the TCI Hospitals and the National Health Insurance Board.

“After Dr. Menzies told you serve me.  Then, I went to the Dominican Republic on my own and those same doctors wrote again and said serve this woman and you bypass that and I write 75 letters to Edwin Astwood (TCI Minister of Health), 75 I write to you.  Eddie you know, you is a fair person, you answered me day and night fighting to help me and they never listened!” Amidst tears, Ms. Pratt continued with: “I have been begging for help. I called this hospital.  I called Denise Braithwaite, you, yes I called you I went to your office I sit down and give you a letter from not one doctor, not two doctors I give you from three doctors telling you ‘help this woman!’

Denise Braithwaite is currently the acting CEO of the TCI Hospitals.  Magnetic Media reached out to the InterHealth Canada run TCI Hospitals for a response to the allegations; a reply came yesterday, October 1.

“Due to respect for patient confidentiality, the specific details of the complainant’s medical care will not be disclosed. Our team of dedicated and highly trained health professionals have been, and continues to offer her care in accordance with evidence-based guidelines.

The hospital vehemently denies all allegations of ill-treatment made by Ms Pratt.”

Also fingered by Ms. Pratt is another, often heavily criticised health care entity, the National Health Insurance Board. 

“I went to NHIP, you know what they did. They discontinued my treatment.”

There is reportedly a law suit, filed by Griselda ‘Crissy’ Pratt against the NHIB, which today – October 2- replied with a brief statement.

“While the National Health Insurance Board (NHIB) is aware of allegations made against the Organisation by Ms. Griselda Pratt, we cannot offer a response at this time due to patient confidentiality, and a pending legal matter involving Ms. Pratt and the NHIB. We do, however, wish to reiterate that the NHIB remains committed to providing access to high quality healthcare options to all our valued National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP) registrants.”

Crissy claims at the time she was ejected from the NHIB system, her condition was critical and she was over-medicated.  Crissy also believes that the so called ‘sins’ of the health care system – chiefly the two named entities – have continued for so long because residents are silently accepting the low standard of service.

“What are we paying for? What are we paying for?  You paying for somebody to kill you?  Yeah, my hands may be in the lion’s mouth because I in these people place, but I have faith and I know for sure that I am coming out of this but when I come out of this, I ga leave footprints in the sand for people like you all who are afraid to speak out and afraid to speak for your rights.”

Nearly nine thousand people have viewed the video post and close to 1,000 comments were made largely in support of Crissy and offering prayers for recovery of the popular broadcaster who said she was misdiagnosed three times and that at least one machine at the hospital is faulty.

“The hospital has been in extensive discussions with the complainant in relation to specific historical claims made by her. To date these claims have not been substantiated by her. We certainly empathize and understand that this is a challenging time for Ms Pratt, as it is for all patients hospitalized at this time. Our dedicated and highly trained medical team is ever mindful of these challenges, and has and shall continue to do their utmost to support Ms Pratt.”

Ms. Pratt has promised to post the evidence of her claims to social media.  At the time of this report, those items were not yet uploaded.

For many though, the believability of Crissy Pratt’s harrowing experience which she says has dragged on for a year is not why this issue has captured so much attention. It is seeing Crissy so shaken by her ordeal coupled with the frequency of similar reports from so many unrelated patients who come from all walks of life which is again raising eyebrows and red flags about the quality of public funded health care, which is costing the people of this UK overseas territory at least $5 million a month.

Magnetic Media is a Telly Award winning multi-media company specializing in creating compelling and socially uplifting TV and Radio broadcast programming as a means for advertising and public relations exposure for its clients.

News

Experience Turks and Caicos Hosts Two-Day Workshop on Product Development and Vendor Excellence in Grand Turk

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PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS  – Experience Turks and Caicos hosted a successful two-day workshop on October 18th and 19th, 2024, with tour operators and vendors, equipping them with the tools and knowledge to enhance their product offerings and guest experiences.

The workshops were held in collaboration with the Aquila Centre for Cruise Excellence with facilitators Ms. Marie Berthe Hatt and Ms. Melanie Colpitts leading the discussions. Experience Turks and Caicos and Aquila are Platinum Partners with the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA).

The workshops took place at the Yellowman and Sons auditorium in Grand Turk and focused on two critical areas: Product Development and Vendor Excellence, with an emphasis on creating and delivering innovative experiences that respond to today’s travel trends.

As cruise destinations continuously evolve to stay competitive, the Product Development Workshop provided participants with a roadmap to ensure their destination remains fresh and appealing to both cruise lines with the theme: “What’s New in Your Destination?” Key topics included identifying market opportunities and emerging trends, crafting unique and memorable guest experiences, marketing strategies to get experiences noticed and ensuring product sustainability.

The Vendor Excellence workshop, held on the second day, highlighted the pivotal role vendors play in shaping the overall cruise guest experience. This half-day workshop was designed to empower vendors with the skills and knowledge necessary to provide exceptional service, improve sales, and enhance their contribution to the destination’s success. Key topics covered during the Vendor Excellence workshop included understanding the critical role of vendors in the success of cruise tourism, optimising products and services for maximum impact, sales mastery and improving revenue-generating capabilities and developing a guest-centric approach to service

Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Josephine Connolly, applauded the Product Development Team, led by Product Development Manager Mrs. Candesha Mills, for creating an opportunity for tour operators and vendors to enhance their offerings.

“Developing our products to increase visitation and spend on island is a very important aspect of the work of Experience Turks and Caicos. These workshops will go a long way to spark new ideas and new businesses, to improve the way business is conducted, enhance the product development on the island and to affirm our commitment to ensuring that everyone across the Turks and Caicos Islands benefit from the tourism industry. I applaud the team for this initiative and I thank everyone who attended and participated in these workshops,” the Minister said.

Mrs Mills said: “The two-day workshop was incredibly informative and facilitated great discussions among the participants. Tour operators and vendors walked away with a wealth of knowledge on how to enhance their existing products and services and were inspired to create new ones based on current market trends. This training equipped them with the tools they need to stay competitive and continue delivering exceptional experiences to our cruise guests.”

Ms. Berthe Hatt, shared her enthusiasm following the two-day workshops: “Grand Turk is such a special community, and Melanie and I are so grateful to Experience Turks and Caicos for this opportunity to work with the tour operators and vendors here. Over the last two days, we’ve had such engaged participants and great discussions around new product ideas and raising the level of service. We’re excited and cheering you on.”

Each attendee received a certificate of completion, symbolising their readiness to contribute to the success of the Turks and Caicos Islands as a premier cruise destination.

Experience Turks and Caicos continues to lead efforts in enhancing the destination’s offerings and empowering local stakeholders, ensuring the islands remain a top choice for cruise lines and their guests.

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News

Voter Registration for the 2025/2026 Electors Register Underway

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GRAND TURK, TCI: The Supervisor of Elections, Mr. Dudley Lewis has announced that the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Register of Electors is currently undergoing updates, with a new Register set to be released on March 31, 2025.

While registration for the Elector’s Register is continuous, as per the Elections Ordinance, an updated Register is mandated annually by March 31. The Supervisor encourages new applicants, particularly those aged seventeen (17) and older, as well as individuals aged eighteen (18) and above who were not included in the new Register of Electors have until November 30, 2025, to visit the Election Office with the necessary documentation for registration.

In a statement Mr. Lewis emphasized that “Eligible voters on the current Register of Electors are not required to reapply for inclusion in the 2025/2026 Register; they will be automatically enrolled unless they inform the Elections Office of any name or address changes, or if they no longer meet the eligibility criteria, including residency in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) for at least 12 out of 24 months (about 2 years).”

Individuals wishing to register must have a TCI Status Card or apply for one through the Ministry of Border Control. Those without a card and who have not yet applied are strongly encouraged to do so.

Voter Registration Application Forms for inclusion in the TCI Register of Electors for 2025/2026 are available at the Elections Office on Pond Street, Grand Turk Pond Street, Providenciales #17 Caribbean Place on the Leeward Highway, and the District Commissioner’s Office in Salt Cay, South Caicos, Middle Caicos (Conch Bar), and North Caicos (Bottle Creek).

For further information on the voter registration process, individuals are advised to contact the Elections Office in Grand Turk on telephone numbers 649-338-2304 or 649-338-2301 and email: electionsdept@gov.tc or Providenciales Elections Office at telephone number 649-338 4681.

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Crime

Unidentified Homicide Victim Found in Five Cays

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Wilkie Arthur

Eagle Legal News

 

Turks and Caicos Islands (Wednesday, 6th November 2024) – Authorities are still trying to identify the man shot dead three nights ago behind a house in the Five Cays/South Dock area. Despite images of the victim’s bloodied body circulating on social media, no one has come forward with information about his identity.

Eyewitnesses in the neighborhood reported hearing multiple gunshots—some say five, others six, and one resident described hearing “plenty, plenty” shots. The sound sent residents scrambling to hide, and it was only after a pause in the gunfire that they dared to look outside. They discovered the body of a man lying on the ground, positioned between a green fence and a small house.

Fearful that the shooter(s) might still be nearby, residents hesitated to approach the scene. Eventually, someone called the police, and officers soon arrived, bringing a measure of security. As the investigation began, residents cautiously emerged from hiding, though they kept their distance from the crime scene.

Details about the man remain sparse. Up until Tuesday, November 5th, authorities had yet to receive any identification for him.

The victim marks the 41st murder in Turks and Caicos Islands this year. Disturbingly, a 42nd homicide followed the next evening, claiming the life of Aiesha Williams.

According to Eagle Legal News, this brings the year’s toll to 40 male and two female victims in TCI.

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