Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 25, 2021 (SKNIS): United States Ambassador to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, and OECS, Her Excellency Linda Taglialatela, said that her government will continue to support St. Kitts and Nevis and the region in their fight against the deadly COVID-19 virus.
The latest support was the donation from USAID (United States Agency for International Development) of an ambulance to the Ministry of Health, and a passenger bus to St. Kitts and Nevis Red Cross Society (SKNRCS) that were handed over during a brief yet significant ceremony on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, at the Joseph Nathaniel France (JNF) General Hospital.
“We are committed to helping those in the Eastern Caribbean. Throughout the pandemic, the United States has worked with organizations like IFRC [International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies] and UNICEF [United Nations International Children’s Fund]… to provide much-needed pandemic response assistance to St. Kitts and Nevis and the region,” said Ambassador Taglialatela during her virtual presentation to officially hand over an ambulance and a passenger bus to St. Kitts and Nevis. “In this fight, the United States remains your committed partner. I am proud that our partnership stands as strong as ever. Strengthening collaboration with one another, together we will continue to meet this moment of challenge to our healthcare systems.”
Ambassador Taglialatela noted that the donation will aid St. Kitts and Nevis in bolstering its health system.
“We know that this donation will help you to continue your model management of COVID-19 for the benefit of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis. We are in this together and together we will rise to overcome the challenges presented by this pandemic,” she said. “The ambulance will be donated to JNF to support patient transport throughout St. Kitts and Nevis and the bus will be used by the National Red Cross Society to transport volunteers and staff to support raising community awareness about virus protection.”
Her Excellency Taglialatela commended the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis for its continued success in ensuring that citizens and residents remain safe during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
“I recognize the government’s substantial leadership in keeping the people of St. Kitts and Nevis safe during the pandemic,” said the ambassador. St. Kitts and Nevis continues to be one of the most successful countries in the Hemisphere in containing the spread of the disease. I know this has come at a great cost to the country’s economy and its people and we acknowledge the social and economic ramifications.”
She thanked healthcare professionals, civic leaders, manufacturing workers, civil servants, and all others in the Federation “who have worked tirelessly to respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 25, 2021 (SKNIS): With the COVID-19 virus still active, Kaye Bass, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, has called for continued global solidarity and cooperation as they are considered effective tools to combat the pandemic.
“In the initial phase in the fight against this global health challenge, we were pleased to witness a universal solidarity among families, communities, and nations,” said Ms. Bass during the handing over ceremony of an ambulance and passenger bus at the Joseph Nathaniel France (JNF) General Hospital on February 24. “We are where we are today because of our homebred experts, but we have come this far as a consequence of the benevolence of bilateral friends such as the United States of America and international partners such as the IFRC [ International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies]”.
Ms. Bass noted that St. Kitts and Nevis’ successes at properly managing the spread of the virus should not go unnoticed.
“We believe that our success to date at curbing the spread of the disease within our community puts us in a good place to warrant further attention and assistance as we move to achieve herd immunity”, she said. “This is an opportune juncture to therefore make an appeal for a similar show of solidarity from the United States and others with respect to ensuring equitable access to vaccines and call upon all nations to realize that the actions of each nation globally will ultimately have an impact on its own welfare domestically.”
Permanent Secretary Bass added that a robust and resilient health system is necessary for a continued healthy population in a post-COVID-19 world.
She noted that the COVID-19 Pandemic calls for global togetherness as coming together brings everyone hope and can help protect the world from future outbreaks of infectious diseases.
“The pandemic calls for a uniting of the entire global community to build societal resilience to cope with the next crisis. We believe solidarity and unity of action can assist in mitigating against trends that will render the world vulnerable to the spread of infectious diseases,” she said. “Solidarity is building on elements of relationships among individuals, peoples, and states and underpins global partnerships.”
Ms. Bass used the occasion to highlight the bond between St. Kitts and Nevis and the United States, noting that the Federation “cherishes the almost 38 years of formal relations between the two nations and the mutual solidarity that has helped to solidify this bond.”
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 24, 2021 (SKNIS): St. Kitts and Nevis Red Cross Society (SKNRCS), has partnered with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to present the Ministry of Health with a fully equipped ambulance on February 24, 2021, at the JNF General Hospital grounds.
Dr. Delores Stapleton Harris, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health stated that the donation is a critical addition to the fleer of ambulances and will aid in the country’s emergency services.
“This is indicative of a significant investment by the USAID as you may well be aware of the cost of a brand new ambulance as well as the cost of a brand new bus. However, the deeper meaning of this investment is the fact that our emergency response capabilities will be greatly enhanced and it must be accompanied by functional, fully loaded, and technologically advanced vehicles, ambulances, as part of our emergency medical systems fleet as we endeavour to meet the needs of those requiring emergency care,” said Dr. Stapleton Harris.
She expressed appreciation on behalf of the Ministry of Health to the SKNRCS, USAID, and IFRC in receiving “such a tangible and generous donation as we advance health care in St. Kitts and Nevis, specifically to our institution based healthcare system as we continue to build out the emergency medical response in the Federation.”
Dr. Stapleton Harris stated that the gesture demonstrates USAID’s continued commitment to countries such as St. Kitts and Nevis. She added that it allows the ministry to honour its commitment to provide an improved healthcare system in a holistic manner for the entire population.
She noted that ambulance services are critical to the urgent response to medical and trauma-related emergencies.
“In fact, it is a mandatory 24/7 service. Thus it is envisaged that such an expanded fleet would provide a more efficient emergency medical service, emergency intervention, and timely transport of patients in a variety of situations and environments,” she said. “Undoubtedly, such a system will increase the overall efficiency of our health care service and improve the health outcomes of our people. This is a very strong demonstration in a very tangible manner of strong partnership and genuine concern on the part of USAID and so we are very grateful.”
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