BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, November 24, 2017 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – The Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), through its Embassy in Basseterre, presented two cheques to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis to facilitate the completion of two significant projects in the Federation; the construction of a new health centre in Tabernacle and the completion of phase one of the Cities and Roadways Surveillance System CCTV Project.
US one million dollars will go towards the construction of the new health facility, while close to US$70 thousand was further injected into the CCTV project – Phase One. On Friday, December 2nd, 2016, the Taiwanese Government made an initial investment of EC$5 million into the CCTV project – Phase One.
Phase One covers the Basseterre area, Frigate Bay and its environs. Subsequent phases of the CCTV project will cover areas throughout both St. Kitts and Nevis.
The cheques were presented during a handing over and signing ceremony held earlier today, Friday, 24th November, 2017, at Government Headquarters. That ceremony was attended by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris; Minister of State within the Ministry of Health et al., Senator the Honourable Wendy Phipps; Cabinet Secretary, Mrs. Josephine Huggins; Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Mr. Andrew Skerritt; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Mr. Osmond Petty, Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr. Calvin Edwards, and Taiwan’s Resident Ambassador to St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency George Gow Wei Chiou.
The Tabernacle Health Centre, which now operates out of the same facility that houses the Tabernacle Daycare Centre, was relocated after the building in which it was located was deemed unfit for use.
In her remarks, Minister Phipps said the construction of a brand new facility in Tabernacle will greatly enhance the delivery of primary healthcare services in the Federation.
Senator Phipps added, “The Government has decided to invest more heavily in the community-based primary healthcare approaches in St. Kitts and Nevis in order to save lives [and] reverse negative outcomes that would otherwise have led to detriment in terms of our greatest resource, which is our people. As such, the build-out and construction of a new Tabernacle Health Centre is a major investment in that direction.”
Permanent Secretary, Mr. Osmond Petty gave an update on the CCTV Project, stating that there are still about 100 cameras to be installed in the Basseterre environs. To date, over 200 cameras have been brought on stream under Phase One of the project.
VIVOTEK, a leading global brand in the security industry, is responsible for the installation of the CCTV cameras in the Federation.
His Excellency George Gow Wei Chiou said his Government identifies with the Team Unity administration’s mandate of improving the health and overall safety and security of its citizens and residents and, as such, willingly partners with the Federation in this regard.
The Ambassador said, “The people in St. Kitts and Nevis have a very strong expectation of their security and the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) would like to cooperate once again with the Team Unity Government to promote and to strengthen the security in St. Kitts and Nevis.”
Prime Minister Harris joined the other officials in expressing gratitude to the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) for its continued support to the Federation, particularly in the areas of health and national security.
As it relates specifically to the CCTV project, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris noted, “We have now almost completed Phase One [and we are now] looking to a better tomorrow in moving to the other [crime] hotspots in the country – in Cayon, in Sandy Point, in St. Paul’s – to ensure that an additional deterrent can be provided to add to the peace in those communities.”
Earlier this year, six persons from the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force received extensive training in a real world environment on the effective and efficient use of CCTV at the Taipei City Police Department’s CCTV Centre in Taiwan. On December 2nd, 2016, Prime Minister Harris and His Excellency George Gow Wei Chiou signed a bilateral agreement on police cooperation, providing for law enforcement personnel exchange, to include a technical component and study opportunities in Taiwan.
