BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, 23rd August 2019 — Two Ambulances, (one fully funded and
one partially funded) were officially handed over by the
St. Christopher & Nevis Social Security Board to the Ministry of Health for use in the
delivery of health care service to the people of the Federation.
The donation totaling the sum of E.C. $568, 183.00 represents a little over two years’ worth
of donations to the Health Sector as each year E.C. $270, 000.00 is allocated to the
Ministries of Health on both St. Kitts and Nevis in acquiring well needed equipment to
boost their capacities to meet the needs of the health sector.
“We take great pleasure in supporting health care because we do recognize the
importance of having functional, fully loaded and technologically advanced Ambulances
as part of our fleet, thus it was necessary for these Ambulances to be purchased and
commissioned to meet the needs of those requiring emergency care,” said Director of the
St. Christopher and Nevis Social Security Board, Mr. Antonio Maynard.
The Director further added that the Board is cognizant of the correlation between good
health services and a healthy workforce. “We see the impact of sickness and other
contingencies on the insured populace and how loss of income by an insured member
negatively impacts the contribution base and the broader economy.”
The Honorable Senator Wendy Phipps, Minister of State with Responsibility for Health,
urged the Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) to be cautious in their use of the
Ambulances. “The cost of emergency medical care is not cheap, it means that you have
to look after the Ambulances in down time, that you don’t use and abuse them for
personal use, taking chances in traffic that should not be taken, because the claims against
the Government are going to increase and then it negates all the good investments that
would have been placed into the provisions of the Ambulances, “ said Minister Phipps.
She also added that this is a welcomed improvement for the Ministry of Health because
the ultimate goal is to have one Ambulance stationed at the two outposts: Pogson
Hospital located in Sandy Point and Mary Charles Hospital in Molineux, and three at the
Joseph N. France Hospital.
Minister of Health et al, the Hon. Eugene Hamilton, in his remarks applauded the
St. Christopher and Nevis Social Security Board’s commitment in assisting the Ministry
of Health in improving its people’s welfare within the Health sector. “I would like to say
thanks to the St. Christopher and Nevis Social Security Board for living up to its
commitment, that we can now deliver important services to the people of St. Kitts and
Nevis.”
Mrs. Ann Edwards, Emergency Medical Technician-Basic, gave the vote of thanks, and
this was followed by the blessings of the Ambulances by Revered Mark Christmas and a
demonstration of the operations of the Ambulances were displayed by the E.M.T.’s.
Since 1993 to present, over E.C. $5 million worth of equipment have been contributed to
the Health sectors by the St. Christopher and Nevis Social Security Board. The Institution
takes this opportunity to implore the general public to become advocates of wellness,
access services offered by public health facilities and undergo annual examinations with
your Medical Practitioners for preventive care.