Bahamas News

Condolences On the Passing of Dr. the Hon. Bernard Nottage from Dr. the Hon. Duane Sands

Published

7 years ago

July 3, 2017

Bahamas, July 3, 2017 – Nassau – On behalf of the Ministry of Health I join with colleagues and people across this great Commonwealth in extending sincere condolences to the family and friends of Dr. the Honourable Bernard “BJ” Nottage, a former Minister of Health in the Government of The Bahamas. This great Bahamian ended his earthly pilgrimage Wednesday 28^th June, 2017. I offer my prayers and support to his wife Portia and his sons, and I know that fellow physicians and the entire medical community are indeed saddened by this loss.

Public service is not the song and dance that it appears to be. It requires discipline and leadership. It requires discernment and a vision for hope. It requires a keen sense of fairness and judgment and the ability to offer service above self.

Dr. Nottage was a skilled Obstetrician and Gynaecologist who answered the call to public service and he was always the consummate public servant who extolled all Ministry of Health staff to come to work, know their work and do their work. He set the highest standard at the Ministry of Health and all other Ministries where he worked. He was a disciplined and competent leader who gave his all and expected all from everyone. He had great discernment and a vision of hope. He made sure everyone was treated with dignity, fairness and support. He gave service above self.

He always spoke proudly of his East Street roots, his family, his father, the policeman who instilled in him and his siblings the values that were needed to change history and change the impact of discrimination he felt.

We all know that he was the consummate scholar who always read and shared his medical knowledge and many of us remember the care he gave to all patients regardless of their ability to pay. He often shared medical articles from everywhere, whether you were in hospital, in the plane, as you traveled to meetings.

The CARICOM community was amazed at his proficiencies in steering the Council for Human and Social Development as he presented the CARICOM speech on behalf of the Ministers of Health from the region at the 59^th World Health Assembly in 2006. He then hosted Ministers of Health and Ambassadors to lunch and then escorted them to a meeting with Prince Charles who was the guest speaker at the 59^th WHA. The Ministers of Health of the Caribbean Region also mourn his passing and will always be fondly remembered by so many all over the globe.

He was a champion for the common man and for people everywhere. When he returned from his studies, he and the late George Sherman made a difference in the delivery of Maternal and Child care. As the Minister of Health, he pioneered efforts to decrease the infant and maternal mortality rates at Princess Margaret, the Rand Memorial and Doctors Hospitals. Dr. Nottage stimulated efforts to introduce the National Health Insurance scheme.

Dr. Nottage’s contribution to the growth of the medical profession is legendary from the establishment of the Doctors Union. He served in the dual role as President of the Bahamas Medical Association and the Doctors Union. Dr. Nottage was instrumental in advancing and supporting the passage of the Medical Act of 2014.

Despite his successful career in medicine, a strong desire for public service, led Dr. Nottage into public life and politics. With the exception of a brief period when he served as chief executive officer and leader of the Coalition for Democratic Reform (CDR), most of his career in frontline politics was spent as a member of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) in service of the people of the Bain and Grants Town constituencies to whom he felt a fierce allegiance.

He made a stand for national leadership on two occasions both times challenging his lifelong friend the Rt. Hon Perry Gladstone Christie.

But as competitive as he was, he was also loyal, and upon his return to the Progressive Liberal Party, he never veered from his support of the leadership and the party.

Dr. Nottage leaves behind an impressive legacy for his fellow Bahamians to follow. He was a life well lived, and The Bahamas is richer for the many contributions of this native son.

May his soul rest in peace.

From: Dr. the Hon. Duane Sands

Press Release: BIS

Bahamas News

Bahamas economic growth

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Shanieka

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.

Bahamas News

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

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Shanieka

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.

Bahamas News

Get your laugh on, March On show coming to Turks and Caicos with box office at IGA Friday and Saturday

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

Shanieka

Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

After resounding success in the Bahamas, hit play ‘March On, The Story of Us’ has been inundated with requests to take their show on the road, and the first location they’ll be hitting is Providenciales Turks and Caicos with tickets on sale this weekend from May 3 to 5.

Magnetic Media spoke to Gea Pierre, playwright, who told us the TCI was a natural first choice for the cast and crew.

“We started ‘March On’ in November 2023 and it was really an opportunity for us to tell a story, the story of the Bahamas and to encompass the nations that we have an amazing relationship with like the Turks and Caicos,” she continued “We really got a lot of people calling [for the play] from [the TCI], so much so we really had to pay attention.”

The response to ‘March On’ at home and abroad was overwhelming.

“To say it went well is an understatement, even before we opened we got calls from Canada, from all over the US with people wanting us to come and perform.”

And take the show on the road they did! Gea and her team have launched “March On: The Tour” and will be in Providenciales to perform on May 10th and 11th. It’s the first of a number of stops which include Nassau and several US locations.

A ticket booth will be set up from today, Friday May 3 in the foyer of IGA grocery store beginning at 1 p.m. Friday and then again all day on Saturday, allowing residents to purchase with cash.

Online tickets are available for purchase with credit cards. Then the full team returns on Friday, May 11 for the actual showing at 8 pm and their two showings on Saturday at 4pm and 8 pm. The venue is Brayton Hall, Providenciales under the patronage of Washington Misick, TCI Premier and First Lady Delthia Misick.

Describing the close familial relationships between the TCI and the Bahamas, for many on the crew it will be like coming home Gea told us, for others it will be a treat to visit for the first time, the places that their grandparents described.

Tickets are only $60 for general seating and $75 for VIP seating.

Gea maintained that the team wanted to keep the show as accessible to residents as possible.

As for why you should come out and see the play, other than the great price point:

“The way that people have responded to it is non stoplaughter, people have been moved to tears because there’s some emotion. It does not only lend to Bahamians. It’s a family drama, and anyone who’s ever been a part of a family is going to get something out of it, and something moving.”