News
InterHealth Canada awarded $17.1 Million; former Health Ministers explain why
Deandrea Hamilton
Editor
Turks and Caicos, March 28, 2025 – Five ministers of health have served while a lingering legal matter got dusty and went unrectified; now the Turks and Caicos Islands Government will pay InterHealth Canada $17.1 million; a negotiated settlement engineered by the Washington Misick Administration.
The dispute escalated to litigation in the Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson Administration, when Edwin Astwood was the Minister of Health and Human Services.
Former minister Astwood, now the Leader of the Opposition, explained to Magnetic Media, the government of that day believed there was a contractual quandary. On the one hand, the TCIG had signed on to incrementally increase its clinical services payment to InterHealth Canada to the tune of $1.5 million per month. On the other hand, the government then believed full services in the management of hospital were never delivered by IHC.
“Mr. Speaker if we feel that InterHealth Canada wasn’t doing something right by the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, why shouldn’t
we go and question what they’re doing legally,” explained Edwin Astwood, Leader of the Opposition, after being chastised for the litigation started under the PDM Administration.
“I don’t know what happened in the four years, why we lost that case. I wasn’t there for the last four, five years so maybe why did we lose the case, why didn’t we win that? It was a clear shut case that we had.”
Former Minister of Health, Shaun Malcolm had earlier expressed outrage at the question related to the payout; chiding Astwood for feigning ignorance of the matter.
Malcolm explained how the government arrived at the payout sum.
“One of his questions, in relation to the $17.1million claim against government; he asked a question: what is this about? So, Mr. Speaker, I think its important to clarify for the public, those who are listening in the public …. The leader of the opposition was a member of that very same committee (Public Accounts Committee), Mr. Speaker and I recall having the Ministry of Health before that committee and the Ministry of Health was being questioned about the relationship of the Hospital and its contractual agreement.
Mr. Speaker, it came forward that the Ministry of Health could not answer many of our questions at that time because there was an arbitration, that we learned at that time, was in-train. And what was the reason? The TCIG was in a dispute with the InterHealth Canada.
Mr. Speaker, people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, because under the former minister of health, which was on the committee, that happened to be the Leader of the Opposition, there was no reconciliation for a number of years, under him and because there was no reconciliation done and they couldn’t come to a resolution on how much needed to be paid, Interhealth Canada took the government to court on his watch,” said Shaun Malcolm, now the Minister of Home Affairs.
“Thank God for the prudency of this government and our actions we took in our last term, it would have been much more!
We worked diligently, we recruited experts to navigate the very complicated contract and because of the move we made, we have saved this country – this good progressive PNP government – has saved this country a colossal amount of money.”
Minister Malcolm called it the price of “bad management” of the PDM.
“The prudent action to take is to bring expertise, people in, so that we could right the institution.”
The Opposition Leader corrected a point, that it was the PDM which brought the matter to arbitration and not the other way around. He also believes the Turks and Caicos Islands Government should have won the matter, not agreed to the enormous settlement.
“What happened in the last four years and four ministers of health that brought us to this point and I do believe they need to address that,” said Astwood. In a November statement from the Government, the public got a glimpse into the protracted case, where the PNP Administration expressed similar reasons for discontent with the InterHealth Canada contract.
From the TCIG Statement: “… TCIG believes it has established areas of non-compliance that could result in TCIG being able to pursue various remedies under the contract. Whilst IHC have disputed this, the last few months have seen greater dialogue in which a settlement of outstanding issues was sought. However, IHC has been unable to provide adequate assurances to the Cabinet of future performance and we have not been able to reach a satisfactory agreement.
As a result, the Cabinet has decided to continue to enforce TCIG’s contractual rights and invoke the appropriate remedies available to TCI which would include the levy of financial deductions, the ability to require service improvement plans, the ability for TCI to step in to provide the services, and/ or the termination of the contract entirely.”
The spat over the $17.1 million settlement erupted in a March 18, 2025 meeting of the House of Assembly, where a fourth Budget Supplementary of $40.5 million was passed.
The Bahamas, August 27, 2026 – The Royal Bahamas Police Force wishes to inform members of the public that several individuals are scheduled to appear before the Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 27th August 2026, at 12:00 noon.
The individuals and charges are as follows:
An 18-year-old female is scheduled to be arraigned on the following charges:
Three (3) counts of Murder
Three (3) counts of Attempted Murder
Three (3) counts of Possession of a Firearm with Intent to Endanger Life
Three (3) counts of Possession of an Unlicensed Firearm
Two (2) counts of Possession of Ammunition
Armed Robbery
Abetment to Armed Robbery
Stealing
Receiving
The charges stem from three separate shooting incidents and an armed robbery that occurred on Friday, 21st August 2026, and Saturday, 22nd August 2026.
The first shooting occurred in the area of Soldier Road and Baillou Hill Road, resulting in the death of a 51-year-old male.
The second shooting occurred in the area of Joe Farrington Road, resulting in the death of a 52-year-old male.
The third shooting occurred in the area of Gladstone Road, resulting in the death of a 36-year-old male.
The armed robbery occurred at a business establishment in the area of Carmichael Road and Baillou Hill Road.
A 21-year-old male is scheduled to be arraigned on one charge of:
- Murder
The charge stems from a shooting incident that occurred on Tuesday, 21st July 2026, in the area of Samson Street, Nassau Village, which resulted in the death of a 28-year-old male.
A 32-year-old male is scheduled to be arraigned on the following charges:
- Murder
- Attempted Murder
These charges stem from a shooting incident that occurred on Wednesday, 24th December 2025, in the area of Graham Drive, Yellow Elder, which resulted in the death of a 25-year-old male.
RBPF, PACD
by Deandrea Hamilton | Editor
PROVIDENCIALES, TCI — In a country where government press conferences are virtually non-existent, ministers are often difficult for
journalists to access and regular broadcast television news has disappeared, TCI Innovation, Technology and Energy Minister E. Jay Saunders has challenged Caribbean media to become “impossible to ignore.”
Speaking at the Caribbean Broadcasting Union gathering, Saunders argued that the Caribbean does not have a relevance problem but a “discoverability and positioning problem.”
Discoverability is precisely the issue in Saunders’ home country. Even Government’s own attempts at video news broadcasting have struggled against the realities of consistently producing a daily, weekly or even monthly newscast.
The difficulties confronting TCI media extend well beyond algorithms: limited advertising revenue, underfunding, shortages of trained professionals and insufficient human capacity leave newsrooms struggling for both staff and stamina.
Then there is the reality of operating in one of the region’s smallest societies. Politicians, journalists, advertisers, businesses and the subjects of stories often exist within the same tight economic and social circles. A controversial report that might create a ripple elsewhere can produce a tsunami in TCI, intensifying concerns among journalists about commercial and professional victimisation.
Saunders believes AI can help.
He urged Caribbean media to use the technology to transform one original story into television, radio, web, podcast, social and translated content without multiplying newsroom workload.
He also wants regional journalism structured so AI systems can find, understand and trust Caribbean sources, moving media beyond traditional SEO into Answer Engine Optimisation.
His ultimate message was emphatic: “Use AI not to make Caribbean media more artificial — but to make Caribbean voices more visible.”
For Turks and Caicos media, however, becoming visible may require more than technology. It requires an environment in which journalism can survive.
That last sentence is where I think we land the plane. It acknowledges that EJ actually has some us
Bahamas News
Bahama Brass Band Invitation Sparks Heritage Debate Ahead of TCI Constitutional Holiday
Turks and Caicos, August 20, 2026 – The planned participation of the Bahama Brass Band in the Turks and Caicos Islands’ inaugural Constitutional Holiday celebrations on August 30 has sparked public debate over culture, heritage and the historical contributions of Turks and Caicos Islanders abroad.
Organizers defended the invitation, saying the band’s inclusion is intended to highlight the deep historical ties between the two countries
and honor Turks and Caicos men who helped establish and develop the institution in Grand Bahama.
According to the organizers, the Bahama Brass Band began in 1955 in Pine Ridge, Freeport, with Turks and Caicos Islanders, including the late Deacon Reuben Hall Sr. of Middle Caicos and Jenkins Williams and Mervin Hendfield of North Caicos, among those who helped build its foundation. The band eventually grew to more than 50 men.
The organizers also pointed to the participation of Turks and Caicos men in The Bahamas’ Independence celebrations on July 10, 1973, arguing that their contributions became part of Bahamian history while maintaining strong connections to their homeland.
Supporters say bringing the band home represents an opportunity to honor those pioneers, showcase their regional influence and expose younger generations to an important part of Turks and Caicos history.
However, concerns raised publicly described the invitation as potentially disrespectful to local culture and heritage. Organizers acknowledged those concerns, apologizing to anyone who felt overlooked or offended, while maintaining that no disrespect was intended.
The committee said the event should ultimately unite rather than divide, presenting the band’s history as evidence of the reach and resilience of Turks and Caicos heritage.
PHOTO CREDIT: Bahamas Brass Band
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