This update was given when the honourable prime minister visited the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) mission at Needsmust Estate. Joining Prime Minister Harris was Resident Taiwanese Ambassador to St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency Tom Lee and Minister Michael Lin of the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
The Taiwan Technical Mission, which has over the years assisted the Federation in a number of fields including agricultural development, agro-tourism and ICT development, is currently undertaking four major projects, namely: the Enhancing Agricultural Adaptive Capacity to Climate Variability Project, the Nevis Pinney’s Beach Project, the Capacity Building Project for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Kidney Disease, and the Land Administration Information System Project.
Prime Minister Harris expressed his gratitude for the work being undertaken at the technical mission and further stated that the projects being pursued there represent the deep level of cooperation that exists between both nations.
The prime minister added, “I was presently surprised and impressed by the quality of engagements here in some of these critical areas. The health sector has been one in which there is tremendous hope for the application of technology to assist with not only the diagnostics but several areas of engagement. What we have seen and what have been presented are very significant in the overall context of our efforts at nation building, and nation building is a task with which we must pursue consistently and diligently.”
Dr. Harris made special reference to the Capacity Building Project for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Kidney Disease, adding, “This is important because non-communicable diseases are the diseases which have led to the greatest loss of life to the Caribbean region as a whole, and St. Kitts and Nevis is no exception in that regard.”
“And so we have to do better at taking care of ourselves because the health of the individual determines the capacity for the production and productivity which are so critical for the country to move forward,” added Prime Minister Harris, who is the Lead CARICOM Head on health matters.
The Taiwan Technical Mission of St. Kitts and Nevis was established in the Federation shortly after the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between both nations in 1983.
Since then, the mission has completed a number of projects in the Federation, including the Vegetable, Fruit and Upland Crop Quality and Safety Improvement Project which sought to assist farmers in improving and ensuring the quality and safety of agricultural produce; the Renewable Energy Policy Consultant-dispatching Project which aimed help the government of St. Kitts and Nevis develop renewable energy development strategies, as well as 2016 Healthcare Personnel Training Programme which provided medical personnel from partner countries with one to three months of on-the-job training to enhance their knowledge and experience with the aim of improving the quality of health care delivery.
