Health Minister – Marcella Liburd
Photo By Erasmus Williams
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
April 19, 2012 (CUOPM)
The Ministry of Health is dedicated to the utilization of its resources to ensure a healthy population by guaranteeing access to health services, acceptable and affordable to all users in the Federation during 2012.
Minister of Health, the Hon. Marcella Liburd said the Mission will target seven areas in the health sector with the focus on the implementation of a variety of initiatives that have been articulated and translated into activities.
Minister Liburd said the Ministry of Health remains focus on reaching the goal of having a fit and healthy St. Kitts and Nevis as a commitment signed at different regional and international activities.
“In addition to the national goal of ensuring a fit and healthy population to further the Federation’s development agenda, our Ministry is cognizant of St Kitts and Nevis’ commitment to and/or participation in several regional and international initiatives,” said Ms. Liburd.
She noted the .Declaration of the CARICOM Heads at their meeting in Nassau in 2001, the Caribbean Cooperation in Health (CCH), United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), CARICOM Summit (2007) on Non-communicable diseases and the Health Agenda in the Americas 2008-2017.
“Every effort will be expended in 2012 to ensure further success thereby enabling the Federation to meet its various health related commitments and also to benefit from the new opportunities to be derived from the formal establishment of the new Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) which will become fully functional in 2012,” she explained.
Fiscal year 2012 will therefore see a further intensification of efforts to utilise the National Strategic Plan for Health and Development thereby better positioning the Ministry to meet local as well as regional and/or international objectives of reducing morbidity and mortality associated with several conditions including diabetes, hypertension, obesity and HIV/AIDS.
“This will be pursued through concentrated efforts to promote prevention with an emphasis on the continued reorientation of primary health care and our greater reliance on evidence to guide decision making to inform the various interventions which will target vulnerable sub groups of the Federation’s population, specifically youths and elderly.”
“Successful attainment of our Ministry’s objectives will continue to be determined in large measure on our capacity to successfully navigate the current economic challenges and the extent to which we can more actively engage stakeholders-communities, health care providers and the non-health sector, locally, regionally and internationally. This is essential since we are acutely aware that there are several social determinants of health, hence inter and multi-sectoral actions are required through the involvement and consistent participation of other stakeholders external to the health sector. In 2012, we will therefore re double our efforts to establish new and/or strengthen existing partnerships so that collectively we can better tackle the social and other determinants of health,” said the Federation’s lone female minister.
She said the Ministry of Health will continue to adhere to the Constitution of the World Health Organization providing the necessary healthcare through the professionals on the islands.
“Our Ministry will focus on achieving success in every area and will, through the cadre of dedicated team of health care providers commit ourselves to the principle established in the Constitution of the World Health Organization, said Minister Liburd, adding:
It recognizes that “the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction to race, religion, and political belief, economic or social condition.”
Minister Liburd expressed that she would encourage the citizens in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis to join the Ministry’s quest and spread the word ““ “the health of the Nation is the wealth of the Nation.”
“I invite every citizen and/or resident of the Federation to collaborate with us as we continue to intensify our efforts to localize the declaration of our CARICOM Heads ““ the health of the Nation is the wealth of the Nation.”
“It is a distinct honour to endorse the proposals submitted and commit to providing steadfast,resolute leadership required to ensure that the Ministry continues to make a significant difference,” said Liburd.