Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 27, 2019 (SKNIS): The Ministry of Health held a Health and Human Resource Expo for the CARICOM delegates in attendance at the 30th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government taking place from February 26 – 27 at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort.
The Health Expo featured booths on the National Commission for Universal Health Care; Blood Pressure and Blood Glucose Screening; St. Kitts and Nevis National Marijuana Commission; Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention Programme; HIV Screening; Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Programme, Capacity Building Project for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Kidney Disease; and Hospital and Community Health Services.
Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Hazel Laws, said that the Ministry was tasked with the initiative of displaying to the CARICOM delegates what is being done locally in the health sector.
“The Ministry of Health was asked to stage this Expo because of our Prime Minister being the CARICOM lead head on Health and so we wanted to promote some of the work we are doing in St. Kitts and Nevis in the area of health,” she said.
She noted that NCDs is the main challenge in the Federation and across the region and that the booths displayed at the exhibition are highlighting good health practices as well as providing the delegates with information to educate them on various diseases and health risks.
“We are trying our best to get the message out in terms of individuals realizing that what they eat and consume determine their level of health. This is a means of preventing diabetes, hypertension and others. The communicable diseases are always with us and this expo is about preventing, and also educating,” she said.
Prime Minister and CARICOM Lead Head responsible for Health and Human Resource Development in CARICOM’s Quasi-Cabinet commended the ministry for its efforts in putting on a very comprehensive display showcasing the health sector in St. Kitts and Nevis.
“I commend the Local Organizing Committee, which in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, has set up a Health and Human Expo over the two-day period. It is the first time that such an Expo has been organized in the margins of a Heads Meeting, so I congratulate both the LOC for proposing the novel idea and the Ministry of Health for ably executing this significant initiative,” Prime Minister Harris said.
