NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (March 11, 2021) – – The Ministry of Health in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) has received a grant from the Government of Japan to acquire a PCR machine so that testing for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases can be done at the Alexandra Hospital laboratory.
During a virtual signing ceremony for the Project for the improvement of medical equipment in Nevis on March 11, 2021, Premier Hon. Mark Brantley, Senior Minister of Health in the NIA and Minister of Foreign Affairs for St. Kitts and Nevis, recorded his appreciation to His Excellency Tatsuo Hirayama, Ambassador of Japan to St. Kitts and Nevis, as well as the Government and people of Japan for the timely grant.
“Testing as you know is part of the critical response to COVID-19 and… it has proven very expensive and very time-consuming.
“For Nevis to continue to have send tests to St. Kitts or sometimes farther overseas in order to get results which sometimes takes from 24 hours to a few days…there really is an inherent danger of having to wait too long to be able to access testing results.
“And so this donation is timely; this donation will move us forward in a significant way on the island of Nevis to offer testing which is rapid and which can allow our people to know what their status is at a much earlier stage, and therefore help us in the health community to treat, to isolate where necessary, and so prevent the dreaded community spread,” he said.
“As we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, I must assure you that this bit of equipment will greatly improve our testing capacity here on Nevis.
“I am told that our monthly testing bill ranges from $17,000 up to $22,000…and so you see the addition of this very timely gift will not only enhance our testing capacity, but it also lessens our financial burden.
“I want to say how grateful we are as a government, how grateful we are as a people for your continued support,” she said.
Ms. Shelisa Martin Clarke, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Gender Affairs in the NIA, explained that the procurement of a PCR machine translates into an increase in the services offered to the Nevisian public at the Alexandra Hospital laboratory.
“It would be a great investment for the lab staff as well as the people of Nevis in that it can further be utilized for other tests such as HIV viral loads and Tuberculosis, both of which are sent overseas for analysis,” she said.
Also present at the ceremony held at the Alexandra Hospital were Dr. Judy Nisbett, Chief Mecical Officer; Mr. Gary Pemberton, Public Health Administrator at the Alexandra Hospital and several other senior hospital employees.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 18, 2021 (SKNIS): A grant of up to US$50,000 is available to Civil Society Organizations in St. Kitts and Nevis to implement or expand beekeeping under an Apiculture and Biodiversity project.
The funds are offered through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grant Programme (SGP) which falls under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Programme. The multi-country project aims to establish a sustainable apiculture industry in Saint Lucia and identify clear pathways to further the development of an apiculture industry in four other Caribbean countries including St. Kitts and Nevis. The other Caribbean countries are Dominica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. Samoa, a country located in the Pacific, is also implementing the project.
In order to be a part of this project, interested organizations must be registered with a local government agency and have at least one year of experience in raising bees as well as harvesting, bottling and selling honey.
Applicants are required to submit a Letter of Interest (LOI) to the GEF SGP UNDP National Coordinator via email iliswatts@unops.org. Applications must be received on or before January 31, 2021.
The successful organization will work closely with the GEF SGP UNDP National Office to establish or expand an apiary as well as a honey processing plant. The organization members must also participate in all virtual training, prepare and submit project reports, convene local and national meetings, participate in all international meetings, and train other small apiculturists to pass on the skills and lessons learnt.
The successful candidate will also liaise with persons in the other countries who are participating in this Apiculture and Biodiversity Project.