Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 27, 2020 (SKNIS): The newly commissioned state-of-the-art Sylvia Garnette Health Centre in Tabernacle is in keeping with the commitment of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis’ pledge to improve the quality of healthcare.
A grand ceremony was held for the opening of the facility on Thursday, June 25, 2020. It offers community residents an array of services covering family planning, antenatal and postnatal care, child health and immunization services, chronic diseases management such as diabetes and hypertension, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, and home care for shut ins.
Minister of Health, the Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett, said the government is delivering on its strategic plan for health, which embraces the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal of Good Health and Well-Being.
“This commissioning is notable because primary healthcare is an individual’s first point of contact with health services and provides point of entry for the entire health system,” the minister stated.
Honourable Byron-Nisbett added that community health is the most critical aspect of healthcare within the federation. She noted that the government has further plans to enhance health services throughout the country.
“It is important to note that the Ministry of Health has engaged purposeful renovating upgrades in all of its health centres in St. Kitts over the period 2019 to 2020,” the Minister of Health indicated. “It is noteworthy that we are in the tendering stage of the brand-new health centre in St. Peter’s to commence soon, and the design phase of the new Basseterre Health Centre.”
The government also plans to construct a new general hospital over the next five years.
A promotional campaign will be launched in the near future to encourage residents to pay greater attention to their primary health and to access the services at health centres and government-owned dental clinics, she said.
