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Declaration of Nassau, closing Immunization Gaps

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Rashaed Esson & Deandrea Hamilton

 

 

#TheBahamas, May 5, 2023 – A pledge to close the growing immunization gaps was signed by Caribbean country leaders during the staging of the 29th Special Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) held last week  in Nassau Bahamas; it’s being called:   The Declaration of Nassau.

“We commit ourselves to the pursuit of initiatives and targets to be implemented to achieve an improved health status of our populations within the next five years, emphasizing leadership, strategic planning, management, implementation and resource mobilisation in the context of health sector reform processes that are underway,” says Article 1 of the Declaration.

There are seven articles in all.

The Declaration of Nassau devotes Governments to make efforts to fortify the national immunization programs with evidence-informed interventions, which includes prioritizing immunity gaps among children (which was worsened by COVID-19), elderly people, pregnant women, persons with pre-existing conditions, health workers and those living in situations that makes them vulnerable to contracting certain illnesses.

Additionally, it calls on and encourages countries to keep strong the regional targets for the control and elimination of measles, polio, Hepatitis B, rubella, tetanus, bacterial meningitis and cervical cancer, and proffers the development of policies and strategies to address vaccine hesitancy and infodemics (misinformation and false information).

The Governments under the Declaration, signed on Thursday April 27th, 2023, are committed to ensuring that Immunization is paramount on the health policy agendas in the political eye and for long-term sustainable financing.

These actions are evidently necessary for the region as pointed out by Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO Director in his address at the meeting.

He said, there is “great risk” of the re-emergence of diseases which had already been eliminated from our region,” due to the decline in “Immunization coverage,” as further expressed by Dr. Karen Broome, Immunization Advisor for the Caribbean Subregion at PAHO.

To support the initiatives outlined on the Declaration, Barbosa referred to a collaboration between PAHO and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), to use refunds from COVAX ( the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools [ACT] Accelerator,  a global collaboration to accelerate the development, production and equitable access to COVID19 tests, treatments and vaccines), to support routine vaccination for Member States.

Bahamas News

GBPA’S STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO THE ADDRESS OF PRIME MINISTER PHILIP DAVIS AT THE G.B. CHAMBER’S BUSINESS MEETING ON MONDAY, MAY 6TH, 2024

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The Grand Bahama Port Authority has taken note of calls from our licensees, the residents of Grand Bahama and several current investors for a response to Monday’s address by Prime Minister Davis.

We take this opportunity to once again reassure these valued stakeholders that GBPA remains laser-focused on the task at hand. We are working every day to deliver the $2B-plus of investments which the GBPA Group of Companies, through its affiliates, either initiated, is invested in, or is contractually involved in creating, and was instrumental in bringing the investors to the table.

At the same time, it is important that GBPA corrects any inaccurate, incomplete or selective representations regarding matters that impact our stakeholders. In the near future, therefore, GBPA intends to host a live event with its stakeholders to ensure that all the matters discussed in the public domain are placed in their proper context and the historical record is set straight.

In the meantime, we encourage our stakeholders to remain confident in the resilience and potential of Freeport, and in our pledge to continue working diligently to see a prosperous future for Grand Bahama.

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Bahamas News

Bahamas economic growth

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

The Bahamas’ economy is in good standing according to reports from the Bahamas National Statistical Institute which released the Quarterly Gross Domestic Product Series. They indicate that quarterly GDP trends for 2023 saw increases compared to 2022, a sign of recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic.

The most significant increase was 9.9 percent in the first quarter of 2023, and the industries responsible for the growth include Accommodations and food, construction and Arts.

 

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Bahamas News

RBC appoints new Country Manager and Area Vice President for Turks & Caicos 

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RBC Royal Bank (Bahamas) Limited (“RBC”) is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Kerryl-Lyn King-Henry as Country Manager and Area Vice President (“AVP”), Personal and Commercial Banking, Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI).

In her new role as Country Manager and AVP, King-Henry will take on full responsibility for the bank’s operations, strategy, and development in the TCI market, with a strong focus on solidifying partnerships with the Government, regulatory bodies, and the local community.

King-Henry brings to the role a dynamism influenced by nearly 25 years of industry experience. Prior to her new appointment, she served as AVP of Business Banking in Trinidad and Tobago. She has held progressively senior roles within both personal and commercial banking, as well as various functional units.

King-Henry holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, with a specialization in Leadership, FinTech and Big Data Analysis, in addition to a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Further enriching her professional profile, Kerryl-Lyn is a certified John C. Maxwell Coach, Trainer, Teacher, and Speaker. Her passion for leadership and development is matched by her commitment to community service, as she actively volunteers her time and leverages her professional expertise to mentor and support others. “

Kerryl-Lyn’s extensive experience and proven leadership capabilities make her the perfect choice to lead our operations in the Turks & Caicos Islands,” said Ericka Rolle, RBC’s Managing Director and Vice President, Personal Banking, The Bahamas and TCI.

“Her commitment to excellence, combined with a genuine passion for community engagement, aligns perfectly with our Bank’s purpose of helping clients thrive and communities prosper. We are excited to see the positive impact she will undoubtedly bring to her new role,” she added.

 

 

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