BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (SKNIS) – Over the past few months, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has made significant strides to improve the delivery of healthcare services in the country. This was achieved through the acquisition of new, much-needed pieces of medical equipment and the development of human resources through the training of medical professionals.
However, Prime Minister and Minister of Health, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew said more is being done and will be done by the Ministry of Health to further strengthen and improve the delivery of healthcare services, particularly for the benefit of the most vulnerable in society.
In this regard, Prime Minister Dr. Drew, while speaking on Freedom FM’s Issues programme on Wednesday, July 26, said very soon, his administration intends to make renal transplants available here in St. Kitts and Nevis.
“Who do you think this is for? [It is for the] people who cannot catch a plane and go overseas. These people are dying sooner than they should because they don’t have access to transplants. I cannot allow our people to die when we have an opportunity to save their lives. I would encourage our people to eat well, exercise, keep their pressure under control, your sugar, change their lifestyle, but in the event that they develop end-stage renal disease, we want to make sure that they have an option for renal transplant and we are going to launch the renal transplant programme,” Dr. Drew said.
Moreover, the Health Minister said much attention is now being placed on reducing the country’s infant mortality rate, as it is the aim of this Government to transform St. Kitts and Nevis into the safest place for childbirth.
“St. Kitts and Nevis has the real possibility of becoming the safest place on earth to get pregnant and have a child. We are pushing this year for no maternal deaths. What we have done is that, and I want to thank the gynecologists that we have, we have four well-experienced gynecologists who are at the JNF Hospital. As a result of those four experienced gynecologists, we have been able to seriously cut the number of deaths here in St. Kitts and Nevis to the point where we have not recorded any maternal deaths this year in St. Kitts and Nevis, therefore, I want to say to our people that St. Kitts and Nevis would become one of the safest places on earth to become pregnant and have a child,” Prime Minister Dr. Drew said.
To help accomplish this, the Ministry of Health recently partnered with the World Pediatric Project (WPP) to stage training for nurses and other staff in neonatal care. The World Pediatric Project provides direct advanced care to thousands of children each year and assists countries globally by developing in-country healthcare resources through training and capacity building.
“Who do you think benefits from programmes like these? Who do you think have the highest rates of maternal death and infant mortality death? —that means children who die right after they are born or within the first year depending on which one you are looking at—it is those who lack the financial resources. So, this programme is going to help to save the lives of the mothers, who are most at risk, and to save their children who are most at risk. That is why we keep saying that a Sustainable Island State is better living. These are excellent programmes that will put St. Kitts and Nevis on the map because we are determined to do it,” the prime minister said.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Dr. Drew said a team out of Canada is expected to visit St. Kitts and Nevis within a week’s time to provide training for the staff of the Hemodialysis Unit of the Joseph N. France General Hospital on the proper use of the dialysis machines that were recently received.