Health
TCI: A Vaccination Story
#TurksandCaicos, April 2, 2021 – Mr. Speaker, I can proudly stand here and say that I am fully vaccinated and I want to put it on record my gratitude to all those that have made the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine so readily available on our shores and who have been working tirelessly in its distribution.
Today I want to tell a short story.
I was recently a fly on the wall as I listened to my wife explain to my daughter, Maya what it will take for us to get back to “normal” in the TCI. She put the idea of 80% of the population being vaccinated into practical terms and highlighted that as a mother there are a lot of fears that she doesn’t have to take on that parents in the early 20th century or even as recently as 40 years ago had to take on.
One hundred years ago prior to MMR vaccines i.e. (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) there were millions of deaths of children yearly, and in 1918 about 5% of the world’s population was killed due to the Spanish flu Pandemic. We don’t have to worry about diseases like Polio because our children are vaccinated and in the rare occasion when they are not, the majority of the population has been vaccinated, which keeps them safe.
Just for a bit of context Mr. Speaker, I’m sure that the majority of us in this chamber and throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands have had the MMR, Polio and other vaccines during our childhood. We all can recall vaccination day at our schools where nurses would come in from the hospital to give us our shot and we all have the little scar on our shoulders to prove it.
Mr. Speaker, We have been kept safe from many diseases because our parents and our grandparents did what they needed to do. Although this strain of COVID-19 is new, vaccinations are not.
Research on flu vaccines were being conducted before COVID hit and its rapid engineering was made possible because the world came to a standstill. There has never been the amount of resources devoted to any other vaccine development in such a short period of time ever, and that’s why we have the vaccine.
The WHO tells us that next to clean water, nothing has a bigger impact on saving lives than vaccines. Vaccines use our body’s natural defenses to build resistance to specific infections and make our immune system stronger.
So Turks and Caicos Islanders and all that call these beautiful by nature islands their home, please get vaccinated.
I am overjoyed to be part of the government that brought such joys with a stimulus, but know that the only way we can really and truly stimulate our economy, get our kids back to regular learning full-time, live freely is by getting our population vaccinated.
Mr. Speaker, waiting and seeing will not get us there. Waiting and seeing will delay progress and put not only ourselves at risk, but all those we love and care about so deeply.
Thank you Mr. Speaker
From sunrise meditation to sunset sails, Wymara invites guests to reconnect through a holistic schedule grounded in movement, mindfulness, and place
Wymara is redefining the wellness resort experience in the Caribbean. With a bold focus on movement, mindfulness, nutrition, and nature, the resort pairs luxurious amenities with purposeful programming designed to reset body and mind. This season, a new daily wellness schedule deepens Wymara’s commitment, offering guests unlimited complimentary classes that encourage reconnection, restoration, and real results.
Designed around the resort’s natural rhythm, the new schedule transitions effortlessly from dynamic activity to intentional stillness. Guests can take part in Stand-Up Paddleboard Yoga in the Caribbean’s only in-ocean pool, Revitalizing Sunset Yoga, Sound Bath Meditation, HIIT Workouts, and Mat Pilates, all grounded in a philosophy of space, setting, and connection.
“We see wellness not as an amenity, but as a defining part of the Wymara experience,” says Sarinah Sari, Spa Director. “We aim to create
experiences that restore, rebalance, and stay with you, long after you leave the island.”
Classes are led by a team of experienced practitioners like Deep Singh, whose background spans therapeutic yoga, Ayurvedic bodywork, and energy-based healing. His experience includes time at acclaimed wellness retreats across the Maldives and India, reinforcing Wymara’s commitment to cultivating one of the most compelling in-house wellness teams in the Caribbean. Private sessions are also available by request, allowing guests to personalize their wellness journey with one-on-one instruction in yoga, meditation, breathwork, and energy healing. For a more immersive approach, curated itineraries are available to align movement, nutrition, and mindfulness into a stay designed for lasting impact.
Wymara approaches wellness as a 360° experience, aligning expert-led programming, best-in-class spa treatments, and curated experiences across land and sea. The resort continues to set the pace for integrative wellbeing in Turks and Caicos through:
- At the heart of Wymara’s spa experience are results-driven treatments by 111SKIN, the science-led luxury skincare brand. This fall, two exclusive 111SKIN treatment rooms will launch at the Villas, elevating the partnership even further.
- Sunset Cove Beach Club, an expansive wellness destination featuring a 25-metre lap pool, full fitness centre, sauna and steam room, Jacuzzi, and courts for tennis, pickleball, basketball, and bocce.
- Wymara’s recent Green Globe Certificationsignals its ongoing commitment to sustainability as an essential pillar of the resort’s integrative wellness ethos.
- A plant-forward culinary program, praised for its creativity and balance. Specialized vegan and vegetarian menus are integrated across restaurants, in-villa dining, and custom menus.
- Complimentary ocean experiences, including reef snorkelling, stand-up paddleboarding, and clear-bottom kayaking, just steps from the sand.
- Anewly launched Wymara Experience Book, featuring curated recommendations across wellness, adventure, cuisine, and culture to help guests shape their ideal stay.
Health
TCI receives six (6) additional Certificates of Analyses for commonly prescribed antidiabetic medicine
Press Release
From the ministry of health and human services
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 24 June 2025 – The Pharmacy Unit within the Ministry of Health and Human Services (MoHHS) is pleased to report that it has received six (6) additional certificates of analyses following the testing and analyses of six (6) samples of the commonly prescribed antidiabetic medicine, metformin. This brings to a total of 11 samples following the receipt of five (5) certificates of analyses earlier this year. The samples – which have been confirmed as achieving the required quality standard – were selected from batches that have been utilised on the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) market.
A Certificate of Analysis is a legal document that certifies the quality of a medicine and/or its ingredients known as excipients. The certificate demonstrates that the batch/ sample tested meets all the required quality control standards which confirms product quality and safety.
The Unit continues to partner with the Medicines Quality Control and Surveillance Department (MQCSD) of the Caribbean Public Health
Agency (CARPHA) as a part of their risk-based Post-Market Surveillance (PMS) Programme for medicines to conduct these tests and analyses. The TCI’s involvement in the PMS Programme continues to strengthen and support the effectiveness of its medicines regulatory system by:
- Providing data and information that will better inform the government on the appropriate and effective regulatory actions and strategies to implement (that will improve the availability of safe and essential good quality medicines), and
- Identifying in a timely manner, possible substandard and falsified products/medicines on the TCI market.
Importantly, the Minister of Health and Human Services – Honourable Kyle R. Knowles declared that “it is essential to improve fair access to safe, effective and quality medicines as these are hallmarks of effective disease management/treatment.” As such Hon. Knowles notes that “the MoHHS and by extension, the Pharmacy Unit, will continue to strengthen the systems and capacities required to improve the effective monitoring of drug/patient safety.”
The MoHHS will continue to ensure that the health and wellbeing of all TCI residents are positively impacted by actively monitoring and regulating all medicines used within the TCI. The MoHHS is also encouraging persons to utilise the Adverse Drug Reaction Form – found at https://gov.tc/docs/ADR.pdf – to report any suspected:
- adverse events – suffered from the use of medicines and/or
- substandard or falsified medicines.
These reports are paramount as they aid in determining whether medicines will be submitted for analysis and testing.
For further information, please contact André Morgan, National Pharmacist at: (649)338-3072 or amorgan@gov.tc and visit the Ministry of Health’s Facebook page on https://www.facebook.com/tciministryofhealth.
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