Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 10, 2020 (SKNIS): Kaye Bass, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, expressed profound thanks and appreciation to the heads of several overseas missions for securing materials to aid St. Kitts and Nevis in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Heads of Missions recognized during the April 09 National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) COVID-19 Daily Briefing were Their Excellencies Jasmine Huggins, Ambassador of the Embassy of St. Kitts-Nevis in Taipei, Taiwan; Sherry Tross, High Commissioner of St. Kitts-Nevis in Ottawa, Canada, and Verna Mills, Ambassador of the Embassy of St. Kitts-Nevis in Havana, Cuba.
“You would have heard of the successful efforts of Her Excellency Jasmine Huggins in Taiwan, who, through her contacts there, was able to get three ventilators for the hospitals here in St. Kitts and also in Nevis, said Ms. Bass. “We also commend Her Excellency Sherry Tross who is working diligently to obtain a number of materials for us – hand sanitizers, masks… which we know will be very useful for our health professionals and frontline officers…
Her Excellency Verna Mills in Cuba was very instrumental in having the medical practitioners who are currently here in the Federation. She was very instrumental in liaising with the Cuban authorities to ensure that we receive the best expertise and we take this opportunity to thank our friends of Cuba for such tangible support,” PS Bass added.
PS Bass, who also serves as Chair of the Foreign Assistance Committee of the NEOC, noted that St. Kitts and Nevis’ overseas missions have three primary responsibilities in situations like these – this one being a pandemic. She added that although “we” have never experienced a pandemic, they are assisting in three areas.
“They are sharing best practices. In their various jurisdictions, they too are experiencing this challenge and they are sharing with the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis what the other governments are doing, what is happening in their particular or respective jurisdictions so that the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis can have a slew of practices from which they can select the best,” said the permanent secretary.
Additionally, “through their (the missions) networks they can facilitate any request that the government might have. Also, our missions overseas continue to liaise with our students and nations in the diaspora to ensure that they receive the information readily and that our students are assured of the support where they are,” she added.
-30-
