News
TCI Hospital and Medical Association hosts virtual ethics symposium
#TurksandCaicos, May 9, 2021 – Nearly 250 health practitioners from 15 countries participated in a virtual ethics symposium hosted by InterHealth Canada – Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital and the TCI Medical Association on Thursday, April 29th, 2021. The virtual event was held under the theme, “Developing ethical competency as a key driver to growing excellence and programs in health research.”
The agenda featured a broad range of speakers from across the Caribbean region. The presenters comprised of Dr. Henry Blythe, Chair of the Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital Ethics Committee, Nurse Mary Forbes, President of the Turks and Caicos Islands National Ethics Committee, Dr. Shandey Malcolm, National Epidemiologist, Dr. Derrick Aarons, CEO of the Turks and Caicos Islands Health Professions Authority and Bioethicist, Dr. Morton Anthony Frankson, UWI School of Clinical Medicine and Research, Dr. Mauricio Orozco, Vice President of the Research Ethics Committee and Researcher, Hospital Internacional de Colombia and Dr. José Federico Saaibi, Board of directors and Chief of Hemodynamics, Fundación Cardiovascular de Colombia.
The key topics included but were not limited to the foundation of hospital-based research, the role of ethics in the TCI health research landscape, the role of the National Epidemiology and Research Unit, ethical principles in research involving human participants, paper-writing guidelines for health research, and shared experiences in telemedicine.
Virtual attendees originated from the Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, Canada, Bermuda, Colombia, Egypt, United Kingdom, Guyana, Jamaica, India, Cayman Islands, St Lucia, Philippines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States of America. The post-event survey recorded excellent ratings by respondents who agreed that the presentations met their expectations.
Commenting on the event, Chief Executive Officer at Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital, Dr. Denise Braithwaite-Tennant, stated: “Public trust is largely dependent on our ability as professionals to demonstrate ethical competence. Virtual technology allows us to network and easily capitalize on opportunities for knowledge transfer. The COVID-19 pandemic is a great accelerator of health research and provides immense opportunities for health innovation, especially in delivering care and personalized medicines. The organization seeks to achieve a diverse range of research projects over the next 5 to 10 years to help inform policy and practice. We seek to build more training programs and leverage our information technology platforms to achieve our mandate. The symposium was an enriching event, and we are excited about the future of health research and the potential benefit for the local and global community.”
Chair of the Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital Ethics Committee, Dr. Henry Blythe, stated: “Over the past 11 years, the Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital has accumulated a wealth of experience and clinical data, which speaks to best practices in the delivery of health care. We are confident that the rest of the world can learn from our experiences in one way or another. It is against this background that we seek to foster a culture of research and knowledge sharing among our clinical staff. The mandate of research is to discover and share new knowledge and experiences. The primary objective of the research ethics symposium was to highlight the ethical variables involved in the conduct of clinical research and stimulate participants to get involved in research. The overwhelming interest was evident in the number of local and international participants. The attendance provided reassurance that there is a germinating research landscape across the TCI.”
Training and Education Manager at Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital, Dr. Jacqueline Moe-Cox, stated: “The TCI Hospital’s collaboration with regional and global stakeholders represents our commitment to stimulating a culture where research and continuous learning are promoted. This knowledge sharing will improve competence and excellence in service delivery that will contribute to all-round benefits.”
President of the Turks and Caicos Islands Medical Association, Dr. Daren Hall, stated: “The symposium is timely as research and ethics in research is what gives the health profession credibility and gains public trust.”
TCIG knew from April that fuel factor could surge almost 80%; Minister says $500 cost-of-living payment was part of Government’s response
PROVIDENCIALES — The Turks and Caicos Government knew months before July’s shocking electricity bills that consumers faced a potentially massive increase in the fuel factor.
Minister of Information Technology and Energy E. Jay Saunders revealed Friday that Pelican Energy warned his Ministry in April that generation fuel costs were projected to rise from $3.09 per gallon in May to $4.79 in June and July.
That translated into a projected fuel factor jump from about 17.5 cents to 31 cents per kilowatt-hour — an increase of almost 80%.
Saunders said he personally advised Cabinet of the projected increase and presented options for cushioning the impact.
He characterised Government’s $500 cost-of-living payment as its “initial response” to rising fuel costs, before a separate fuel-factor subsidy was approved.
Cabinet records show Government agreed on June 24 to provide funding to mitigate the fuel-factor impact, with the relief programme approved July 8.
Eligible residential customers — those averaging less than $1,500 monthly over the previous three bills — are capped at 22 cents per kWh from July through October.
Pelican confirmed Friday that Government’s contribution was already applied to July bills, meaning the bills now triggering widespread public outrage would have been even higher without the subsidy.
Saunders did not disclose the programme’s total cost.
His admission that Government knew since April, however, raises another question amid the backlash: why were consumers not directly warned by Government about the scale of the approaching increase?
NASSAU, Bahamas — More Bahamians are accessing HIV and sexually transmitted infection-related healthcare through National Health Insurance, a trend the NHI Authority says should be viewed positively.
NHIA stressed in an August 6 statement that its 2025 figures measure healthcare utilisation, not newly diagnosed infections. They include beneficiaries screened, treated, monitored or receiving follow-up care, including people diagnosed previously.
“Increased utilisation of these services should be viewed as a positive development,” NHIA said.
The Authority pointed to “greater enrolment and use of NHI, improved access to screening and testing, continued treatment and monitoring of existing conditions, and increased willingness to seek medical care.”
The development comes amid a mixed three-year HIV picture. New diagnoses rose from 130 in 2023 to 156 in 2024, before declining to 142 in 2025.
NHIA said increased utilisation demonstrates that more beneficiaries are accessing needed healthcare and actively managing their health, reinforcing the importance of screening, early diagnosis and continued treatment.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Americas has recorded 47,459 confirmed measles cases and 44 deaths in 2026, the region’s highest case count in 22 years, prompting the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to urge stronger vaccination, surveillance and rapid outbreak response.
As of July 18, cases were already more than triple the 15,011 recorded during all of 2025. Guatemala, Mexico, the United States and Peru
account for 95% of confirmed cases. Guatemala leads with 30,371 cases and 26 deaths, followed by Mexico with 12,255 cases and 17 deaths.
PAHO classifies the regional public health risk as very high, citing active outbreaks, immunity gaps, international travel and populations with inadequate vaccination coverage.
The organization says prevention starts with vaccination. Countries are being urged to achieve and maintain at least 95% coverage with two doses of measles-containing vaccine, particularly protecting children and under-vaccinated communities.
Measles spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. Symptoms can include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash.
PAHO is urging health authorities to detect suspected cases early and respond rapidly to stop transmission. Unvaccinated and under-vaccinated people, young children and communities with limited healthcare access face increased risk of severe illness and death.
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