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BAHAMAS: Health Minister presents national health priorities to PAHO meeting

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#Bahamas, May 02, 2018 – Nassau – Minister of Health the Hon. Dr. Duane Sands said the National Budget allocated for health has experienced a linear increase over the past 10 years.

“In 2017-2018, direct MOH allocation accounts for 11.5 per cent of the National Budget”, Dr. Sands explained as he presented the National health priorities at the Pan American Health Organization’s Caribbean Country and Sub-Regional Managers’ Regional Meeting at Atlantis Resort, Tuesday, May 1, 2018.   “Government Health Expenditure accounts 14.1 per cent of the National Budget if the health insurance premium allocation for civil servants is included,” he said.


The Health Minister also explained that data reflects that at least 65 per cent of the Bahamian population access healthcare services through the public health network of hospitals and community clinics.   He detailed the Government’s priorities and burden of disease, explaining that the second leading cause of death among males is violence contrasting to 2009 when it was the sixth leading cause of death.

Dr. Sands said this is leading to losing citizens in what should be their most productive years and this potential life loss (PYLL) also has significant economic implications.  He said injury and violence (25.4 per cent) are contributing to a higher percentage of PYLL than non-communicable diseases and related risks (12 per cent) and all forms of cancers (11 per cent).   He said statistics reveal that the victims of violence are predominantly single, male, unemployed with criminal record.

The Health Minister said there are questions about whether there is a link between poverty, household size and violence.  Dr. Sands pointed out that The Bahamas’ poverty rate is at least eight percentage points lower than India and Turkey. Yet, its murder rate is almost six times higher per 100,000.

He said current interventions do not work and perhaps questions should be asked of what is known to be true; there should be a re-examination of the problem of public health methodology.  Dr. Sands said PAHO can help with preparing the studies to undertake this re-examination.

He said priority number two is con-communicable diseases.  “Over the past two decades, the Bahamian society has drifted more and more away from an agricultural one towards an industrialized, instant society.

“The drug of choice for many is sugar and this addiction starts early in life.”

The Health Minister presented detailed graphs with obesity rates and the non-communicable disease rates for The Bahamas, showing how they are higher than our neighbours’ in the region.

By: Llonella Gilbert (BIS)

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

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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.”

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