Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, May 20, 2024 – The Turks and Caicos is attempting to optimize the tens of millions it spends on healthcare each year with a new National Health Sector Strategic Plan to guide how money is allocated and increase efficiency in healthcare and increase health equity.

Shaun Malcolm, Minister of Health presented the theme ‘Building a Strong Resilient and Sustainable Healthcare System for Future Generations Brick by Brick’.

Desiree Lewis, Permanent Secretary of Health explained that the document “identifies and prioritizes key health issues and challenges facing the population allowing resources to be allocated efficiently to address those priorities.”

In doing so the plan is also supposed to promote collaboration between the various stakeholders in the Health industry including policy makers, legislators, doctors and other healthcare professionals on the ground; giving them an outlined set of objectives to work on in their various spheres, for a specific collective outcome.

”This will facilitate a more unified approach to addressing health challenges and leveraging resources effectively,” Lewis explains.

Modeled to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal number 3 which is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, the plan was developed during COVID-19 and presented by Lynrod Brooks, Director of Health Policy and Planning in the Ministry of Health and Human Services.

The plan maintains that in order to attain a healthier and empowered people there are three key actions necessary: protecting health gain, already achieved in the country; addressing past deficiencies; and identifying and implementing interventions to address new health challenges.

In order to achieve the goals set out, in addition to the three key actions there are six Strategic Directions that health stakeholders will follow

• SD1 Strengthen Leadership, Governance and Administration: ‘Ensuring entities transform resources into results,’
• SD2 Protect and Improve Universal Health Coverage (UHC): ‘Provide people of all ages and all health needs with health services.’
• SD3 Address Health Security: ‘Identify outbreaks and other health threats.’
• SD4 Promote Healthy Populations: ‘Support the creation of a conducive environment to support well-being, healthy living,’
• SD5 Invest in Health: ‘Ensure appropriate resources are available and efficiently used.’
• SD6 Improve Data for Impact: Increase the availability, quality and use of timely and accurate health information

Some of the priority areas under the health plan that these six Strategic Directions seek to address include, pandemic prevention; increased mental and behavioral healthcare; Strengthened national capacity against health emergencies and disasters; universal access to comprehensive, quality health services; reduced risk of non-communicable diseases; and Increased equitable access to essential medicines and vaccines.

The 3 year document will also make provisions for monitoring and evaluation so policy makers can assess if the plan is actually working. It’s billed to enhance accountability with a quarterly report to be presented for the 3-year period.

Attending the event were a myriad of professionals and policy makers indicative of the many areas of the healthcare industry which the plan will affect; attendees included: Dr Rufus Ewing, Former Premier and Minister of Health; Dr. Eldonna Boisson, the Pan American Health Organization representative for the Turks and Caicos and The Bahamas; Dr Ellis Webster, Premier of Anguilla; Washington Misick, TCI Premier; Dileeni Daniel Selvaratnam, TCI Governor and others.

#TurksandCaicos, May 20, 2024 – From January to April, the Turks and Caicos Islands saw 271,326* air arrivals, an increase of 10.46 percent over 2023 which saw 245,637 arrivals in the corresponding period.

The majority of air arrivals were from the United States which saw 215, 247 air passengers, with 26, 275 passengers from Canada, and 5,031 passengers from the UK and Europe.

Air Arrivals for January to April 2024. *These numbers are preliminary

The cruise sector also saw a slight increase in passengers in the first four months of 2024 with 371,857 passengers recorded in comparison to 2023 figures of 371, 392 for the same period.

April saw 29 calls to port, the highest number for the year so far, boosted in part by four Royal Caribbean sailings to the Grand Turk Cruise following their suspension of the Haiti route due to unrest there.

Cruise numbers from January to April 2024. *These numbers are preliminary

Reflecting on the air and cruise performance for the year so far, Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Josephine Connolly said she is proud that the Turks and Caicos Islands continue to be a destination of choice for holiday seekers.

“The data shows that our air arrival numbers are projected to remain high through August which indicates that our tourism sector will remain buoyant all year. This is great news for the people of Turks and Caicos as we are working assiduously, through Experience Turks and Caicos to ensure that everyone benefits from the tourism industry,” she said.

Experience Turks and Caicos, the Destination Marketing and Management Organisation of the Turks and Caicos Islands, through its Community Connect Meetings, has been rolling out its plans to diversify the destination’s offerings, enhance the visitor experience and partner with stakeholders to ensure the success of the tourism sectors is enjoyed by everyone across all the islands.

The meetings have taken place so far in North and Middle Caicos.

Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, May 20, 2024 – Multiple restructuring exercises in areas of National Security and Justice have taken place since the arrival of Dileeni Daniel Selvaratnam, TCI Governor, she’s now explaining why locals weren’t chosen for certain top spots and how she’s working to make sure they are in the future.

“In terms of the commissioner post, what Edvin Martin brings is a depth of experience,” said Daniel-Selvaratnam while speaking on First Edition aired on RTC FM with Cheryl Foreman and Zhavargo Jolly.  She was referring to Edvin Martin, Commissioner of Police, who was brought in from Grenada in April.  Before Martin, UK officers were utilized for the top cop job for over a decade.

”It is about succession planning and how we are driving a pipeline of talent but the most important part of that is exposure,” Daniel-Selvaratnam stressed that with the rapidly changing criminal landscape experienced officers were necessary.  “We want our talented individuals to go into different environments, see different contexts of policing, different experiences, and bring that back as part of their development.”

The Governor maintained that Martin could bring that experience to talented officers in the Turks and Caicos, citing his regional criminal experience as well as his experience battling guns during his time at the CARICOM Crime Gun Intelligence Unit.

”He presented a depth of experience that could benefit us in terms of what we’re dealing with, so when you’ve got that depth of experience and a level of [local] talent, that could really help drive the Turks and Caicos.”

His experience with increasing efficiency and driving talent in Grenada was also a factor in his employment in the Turks and Caicos.  Daniel-Selvaratnam maintained that it was now the commissioner’s responsibility to groom TC Islanders in that respect.

The governor maintained that a similar process had been undertaken in the hiring of the new Director of Public Prosecutions where she was focused on bringing in a true leader that would drive change in the judicial system.

“There’s a lot between the DPP and how they are bringing up talent- in terms of the police in case preparation so that we’re not losing cases down to technicalities; in terms of how evidence is handled- but then also working with the judiciary and the defense council so that we are not looking at delays in listings and hearings.”

The issues highlighted are well documented in the Turks and Caicos’ justice system with too few prosecutors, a backlog of cases, and evidence issues causing cases to be dropped or thrown out completely.

The man hired for that turnaround job is Phillip Bennetts KC.

“He is someone who comes from the crown prosecution service in the UK and again has done a lot in that wider criminal justice partner work to drive efficiencies and effectiveness,” Daniel-Selvaratnam said.

The governor stressed that it was her intention to have a succession plan with locals heading to top positions before the end of her two-year tenure.