Health
The Ministry of Health and Human Services Marks World Hepatitis Day under the theme “It is time for Action”
PRESS RELEASE
FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH
AND HUMAN SERVICES
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Thursday, 25 July 2024: As we mark World Hepatitis Day on 28th July 2024, the global community unites under the theme “It Is Time for Action.” This day aims to raise awareness and drive meaningful change in the fight against viral hepatitis, a disease that affects millions of lives worldwide.
Viral Hepatitis refers to infections caused by viruses that primarily attack the liver. The most common types are hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E, each caused by a different virus and differing in modes of transmission, severity, prevention, and treatment methods.
Viral hepatitis, including hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E, poses significant health challenges, with hepatitis B and C responsible for the majority of deaths. These infections can lead to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer, claiming over 1.3 million lives each year. Despite the availability of effective vaccines and treatments, many people remain unaware of their status or are unable to access necessary healthcare. The WHO (World Health Organisation) aims to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, focusing on reducing new infections, lowering mortality, increasing diagnosis rates, and ensuring treatment access.
- Types and Transmission:
- Contaminated food/water: Hepatitis A and E
- Mother-to-Child Transmission: Hepatitis B can be transmitted from an infected mother to her baby during childbirth.
- Blood and Body Fluid Exposure: Hepatitis B, C, D -Transmission occurs through unprotected sexual contact, sharing needles or syringes, needlestick injuries, and contact with infected blood or body fluids.
- Household Contact: Sharing personal items like razors or toothbrushes with an infected person can lead to transmission of the Hepatitis B, C, or D virus.
- Symptoms and Severity:
- Symptoms often include jaundice (the whites of the eyes and skin turn yellow), fatigue, abdominal pain, and liver-related issues.
- Hepatitis B and C can become chronic, leading to serious liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.
- Prevention and Treatment:
- Vaccination (A, B, and E),
- Ensuring safe drinking water, safe food practices, proper sanitation, and good personal hygiene (A, E)
- Avoiding infected blood contact (B, C, D).
- Safe sexual practices – Always use condoms correctly every time you have sex (vaginal, anal, or oral). Condoms provide a barrier that reduces the risk of transmitting infections. Reducing the number of sexual partners can lower your risk of exposure to sexually transmitted infections (B,D).
- Treatment varies from supportive care (A, E) to antiviral medications for chronic hepatitis B and C.
This year’s theme, “It Is Time for Action,” means everyone needs to act now to fight hepatitis by working together so that we can stop hepatitis and save lives by 2030.
What You Can Do:
- Educate Yourself and Others: Learn about hepatitis, its risks, and prevention methods. Share this knowledge with your family, friends, and community to dispel myths and encourage understanding.
- Get Tested: Know your status by getting tested for hepatitis. Early detection can save lives and prevent the spread of the virus. Hepatitis B testing is offered free of cost at all Primary Healthcare Clinics across the country.
- Get Vaccinated: Protect yourself and others by getting vaccinated against hepatitis A and B. Encourage others to do the same, especially those in high-risk groups. Hepatitis B vaccination is offered free of cost to children in all Primary Care Clinics across the country. Ensure your child gets all three doses of the hepatitis B vaccine according to the schedule to provides lifelong protection against hepatitis B.
- Practice Safe Behaviors: Use safe practices such as not sharing needles, using condoms, and ensuring blood products are screened to reduce the risk of hepatitis transmission.
- Support and Advocate: Join or support local and global campaigns aimed at hepatitis awareness and elimination. Advocate for better access to testing, treatment, and vaccines in your community.
Together, we can make a difference. It is time for action! For additional information, please visit the Ministry of Health’s Facebook page on https://m.facebook.com/tciministryofhealth/.
Deandrea Hamilton | Editor
Turks and Caicos, September 6, 2025 – COVID-19 fears in the Turks and Caicos Islands that once had residents on edge are now giving way to a sense of relief. The Ministry of Health and Human Services reports a dramatic reversal: from dozens of new cases in July to zero cases and zero hospitalizations today.
Between August 17 and 23, 2025, officials confirmed no new cases, no hospitalizations, and no new deaths. Just two recoveries were recorded, bringing the national recovery tally to 6,866. The total confirmed cases since 2020 stand at 6,922, with deaths unchanged at 41. Health officials say August has been relatively quiet overall, with 19 new cases and recoveries recorded for the month — a fraction of what the islands faced just weeks earlier.
The contrast could not be sharper. The most concerning bulletin came in mid-July, when the Ministry reported 54 new cases in a single
week. Ten were fresh positives, while the other 44 came from a backlog of April samples. At that time, two new hospitalizations were recorded, and the islands mourned one additional COVID-related death, bringing the total to 41. It was a sobering reminder that the virus was still circulating, pushing recoveries to 6,845 and raising the cumulative case count to 6,910. The July spike stirred fear among residents and renewed calls for vigilance, as community spread and delayed lab results painted a worrying picture.
Fast forward to late August, and the numbers tell a very different story. Not only are new cases negligible, but the hospitals are reporting no COVID-19 patients at all. Officials say testing continues across a wide range of categories, and the Ministry urges the public to stay cautious: wash hands, wear masks in crowded spaces, protect the vulnerable, and get vaccinated. But the tone now is one of optimism.
Since the pandemic began in 2020, Turks and Caicos has recorded nearly 7,000 cases in total, with 6,866 recoveries and 41 deaths. The islands’ small population means every case has felt significant, and surges like July’s were especially unsettling. But today’s figures suggest the country has reached a new stage: COVID-19 is no longer the disruptive force it was. The Ministry credits continued public vigilance and the accessibility of free testing and vaccines at government clinics. While the numbers are cause for celebration, health leaders are careful not to declare the fight over. The Ministry’s latest bulletin reminds residents to maintain hygienic practices, follow self-isolation guidelines if infected, and ensure vaccinations are up to date.
The pandemic may not be entirely behind the Turks and Caicos, but compared to the frightening figures of July, the near-zero landscape of August offers a powerful sign of hope.
The Ministry released the bulletin on September 2, confirming that for the week of August 17–23, no new cases, hospitalizations, or deaths were recorded — a sharp contrast to the surge just weeks earlier.
Health
Turks and Caicos Islands Health Delegation Completes Strategic Visits to Florida and Cayman Islands to Advance Health Sector Reform and Strengthen Treatment Abroad Programme
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 22 August 2025 — A high-level delegation from the Ministry of Health and Human Services (MOHHS) has successfully concluded strategic working visits to Florida and the Cayman Islands from August 5–13, 2025. The mission aimed to strengthen the Treatment Abroad Programme, explore innovative health system models, and advance the Turks and Caicos Islands’ health sector reform agenda through strategic regional partnerships.
Delegation Members:
- Hon. Kyle Knowles – Minister of Health and Human Services
MoHHS Team with Health City Executive Management Team
- Mrs. Desiree Lewis – Permanent Secretary, Health and Human Services
- Mr. Lynrod Brooks – Director, Health Policy and Planning
- Ms. Florinda Talbot – Contract Performance Manager
- Mrs. Romaine Missick-Smith – CEO, Health Regulations Authority
- Ms. Jasmine Malcolm – Executive Administrator, MOHHS
Minister of Health and Human Services, Hon. Kyle Knowles, highlighted the significance of these engagements:
“These visits were not ceremonial; they were strategic, focused, and impactful. In Florida, we reinforced partnerships with leading healthcare providers to ensure TCI patients referred overseas receive the highest standards of clinical care and patient support. In the Cayman Islands, our mission was two-fold: to study the operations of the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority as a model to guide the establishment of our own Health Services Authority, and to strengthen ties with Cayman-based treatment partners, where many of our patients are referred under the Treatment Abroad Programme. Both visits underscored that small island states share many health challenges, and that collaboration, innovation, and adapting best practices to our local context are essential to achieving better health outcomes for our people.”
Florida – Strengthening the Treatment Abroad Programme
MoHHS Team with Cayman Minsterial officials
During the period August 5–9, the delegation visited Broward Medical Center, University of Miami Health System, Cleveland Clinic, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, and the International Reinsurance Managers Network. They also toured REVA Air Ambulance Services to review medical evacuation operations and patient transfer management. Discussions centered on patient care pathways, specialized services in ophthalmology, cardiology, oncology, and pediatrics, family-centered care models, advanced telemedicine for pre- and post-treatment consultations, and reinsurance strategies for high-cost overseas cases. Key outcomes include agreements to expand telehealth consultations, develop a standardized referral package to reduce delays, explore reinsurance arrangements to safeguard public health budgets, and establish specialized pediatric transfer protocols.
Cayman Islands – Health Sector Reform and Treatment Abroad Partnerships
From August 10–13, the delegation engaged with senior executives at Health City Cayman Islands, including Dr. Binoy Chattuparambil (Clinical Director), Shomari Scott (Chief Business Development Officer), Rebecca Brooks (Head of Marketing and Sales), and Ingrid Harris (Sales and Marketing). The team toured two hospital facilities and held in-depth discussions with Lizzette Yearwood, Chief Executive Officer along with leadership staff of the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority
The focus was two-fold:
- Health Sector Reform – Examining governance, financial management, and operational structures of the Cayman Islands HSA model
MoHHS Team with CEO and senior official Cayman HSA
to inform TCI’s development of its own Health Services Authority.
- Treatment Abroad Strengthening – Reviewing current referral arrangements with Cayman healthcare partners to enhance patient care coordination and improve treatment pathways for TCI patients referred to Cayman.
The delegation also met with Honourable Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, Minister for Health, Environment, Sustainability, and Honourable G. Wayne Panton, Parliamentary Secretary for Health. The team concluded with a meeting with Acting Premier Hon. Gary B. Rutty and Cabinet members, reaffirming the shared commitment to improving healthcare access and outcomes through regional collaboration.
Next Steps
The Ministry will incorporate lessons learned from these visits into ongoing health reform planning, ensuring that the proposed Health Services Authority is tailored to TCI’s needs while reflecting regional best practices. Efforts will continue to ensure that the Treatment Abroad Programme delivers efficient, sustainable, and patient-centered care.
