Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 11, 2025 (JNF Hospital Communications) — Maternity services offered at the Joseph Nathaniel France (JNF) General Hospital in Basseterre are empowering in supportive care, and midwives and matrons have come in for high praise from one of their own, United Kingdom certified midwife who has roots in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
“The work that is being done by the midwives and the matrons in St. Kitts and Nevis is amazing,” said Certified Midwife Halima France-Mir of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. “I think everyone, internationally, could learn a lot from what they are doing here. I think they really care about their women and they offer groundbreaking support when it comes to maternity care and community care, and we are very privileged in St. Kitts and Nevis to have such a caring maternity system.”
Midwife France-Mir, who is accompanied by her mother Councillor Mahalia France-Mir and are in the Federation on a two-week visit, made the remarks on Friday, August 8, after they was given a tour of JNF General Hospital’s Maternity Ward by the Assistant Director of Institutional-Based Nursing Services, Mrs Sandra Lestrade-Caines.
Her grandfather, Dr Arthur France MBE, is a nephew of National Hero Rt. Excellent Sir Joseph Nathaniel France, after whom the JNH General Hospital is named. He was born in Mt Lily Village, Nevis, in 1935 and moved to Leeds in England in 1957.
From her observations, Midwife France-Mir emphasised that she was inspired by the women and the midwives and nurses that she met, stressing that they are so dedicated and so passionate about what they do, and that it was indeed an honour to meet them and see what they do on a day to day basis, underscoring that JNF General Hospital is a beautiful facility.
“I started my training back in 2021, and I graduated in 2024, so I have been a midwife for about a year now, and it has been challenging, but it has been a very exciting time of my life,” she said. “St. Kitts and Nevis’ healthcare is dedicated to empowering the women in the population, and that is something that needs to continue in the future because it is generally empowering in supportive care.”
Assistant Director of Institutional-Based Nursing Services, Mrs Sandra Lestrade-Caines, who along with Senior Staff Nurse Natasha Williams took them on a tour of the maternity ward, on behalf of the Executive Management Committee of Institutions Health Based Services, and by extension the Ministry of Health expressed heartfelt thanks to Councillor Mrs France-Mir and her daughter Midwife Halima France-Mir for the courtesy visit.
“We were able to point out our antenatal services, our postnatal services, our labour and delivery, and the highlight was that we are Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) certified since 2023, and we promote exclusive breastfeeding,” said Mrs Sandra Lestrade-Caines.
Dr Arthur France MBE is best known for his unwavering support and promotion of West Indian culture, having founded the first West Indian carnival in Europe in Leeds in 1967, the Leeds West Indian Carnival. Following the carnival’s 50th anniversary in 2017, the Nevis Island Administration honoured him when it celebrated his contributions to West Indian culture by inviting him for the 44th anniversary of Culturama in 2018.
On the tour, he was accompanied by several members of his family, who included grandchildren among them young Halima.
National Hero Rt. Excellent Sir Joseph Nathaniel France is a name that features in every aspect of the Federation’s political life and in particular the St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party. His political career was distinguished by his success in nine general elections between 1946 and 1984, demonstrating his enduring popularity and commitment to public service.
This aspect of life literally runs in the family, as his great niece and mother of Midwife Halima France-Mir, Mrs Mahalia France-Mir is a councillor for the ward of Moortown in Leeds Council as a member of the Labour Party.
“My lifelong commitment to public service and community organising naturally extended into political life,” emphasises Mrs France-Mir. “I have been a member of the Labour Party for over 20 years, serving as Treasurer of my local branch. In 2022, I stood for election in my local ward and was honoured to be elected as a Councillor with 55% of the vote.”
Councillor France-Mir who was born and raised in Leeds has a background in healthcare delivery. She studied Neuroscience at the University of Leeds, and after graduating, she worked in laboratory settings at a local NHS hospital, where she gained direct experience in healthcare delivery and developed a strong foundation in scientific thinking.
Having arrived in the Federation on Tuesday July 29, they will be returning to England after a two-week event-filled working holiday in a country they trace their roots, on Tuesday August 12. They also visited the island of Nevis, where Dr Arthur France MBE, and National Hero Rt. Excellent Sir Joseph Nathaniel France were born – Mt Lilly Village.
“This visit is not only a homecoming – it is a continuation of my family’s legacy of service and cultural connection between the Caribbean and the UK,” underscored Councillor Mahalia France-Mir. “I am deeply committed to strengthening ties, sharing knowledge, and supporting opportunities for mutual growth.”
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