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Healthcare in St. Kitts : Peace of Mind
by Marlene L. Phillips

Lounging on the beach with a sumptuous cocktail, the waves lapping gently on the shore suggesting a siesta, while a warm tropical breeze caresses your skin. The moment surrounds the end of the day, as the sun transitions from a bright lemon burst into a golden glow, then crests the horizon, a mellow mandarin hue, and takes its last glimpse of the dying day.

The furthest thought on your mind is “Where is the nearest hospital?”

For the 33,320 people who live here and for the many thousands of tourists who visit the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis every year, 'don't worry, be happy!' There are four hospitals to care for our health and fifteen Health Centers.

JNF (Joseph Nathaniel France) General Hospital is located in Central Basseterre, St. Kitts, and is named after the then Minister of Social Services. It has state -of -the -art equipment and services; an ICU (Intensive Care Unit), Cat-Scan, (Eelectrocardiograph and Echocardiography) ECG to deal with cardiac problems and a Medical Air-Lift Service that will fly a patient to Puerto Rico or Miami for special treatment.

Mary Charles Hospital in Molineaux (NE - St. Kitts) is named after a teacher who was also the first woman to run for politics.

Pogson Hospital in Sandy Point (West - St. Kitts) is named after Edward Pogson a planter who provided land for the hospital. The facility is presently being upgraded with a daycare area, an expanded Dental Division and an Emergency Medical Unit.

The Alexandra Hospital is located in Nevis and is named after Princess Alexandra from England. A number of medical private practices are available to cater for specialist and general practice in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

There is also an efficient support system from strategically placed Health Centers , eleven in St. Kitts and six in Nevis, which facilitate patrons island-wide. All locations are conveniently listed in the local St. Kitts and Nevis Service Directory along with other important emergency numbers.

The Ministry of Health truly stands by its mission to “…utilize its resources to ensure a healthy population by guaranteeing access to health services, which are available, acceptable and affordable to all users in the Federation”. The Ministry of Health is located on Church Street Basseterre
St. Kitts and operates Monday thru Friday 8:00am – 4:00pm under the auspices of the Honourable Rupert Herbert and Permanent Secretary Elvis Newton. The Honourable Minister Hensley Daniel and Permanent Secretary Joslyn Liburd are in charge of the Nevis Administration facilities.

The key responsibilities of the Health Ministry are to;

a. Engender an increased awareness in the national community about environmental health conditions and risks.

b. Promote a coordinated and integrated set of activities for preventing illness, and managing harmful habits and diseases.

c. Strengthening the system for disease surveillance thereby enhancing the national effort to combat chronic communicable and non - communicable diseases, including new and re-emerging ones.

d. Promote policies and programmes to enhance the health and quality of life of the family unit.

e. Encourage individual and community efforts for the promotion of healthy lifestyle habits.

f. Substance abuse prevention as priorities on the National Health Agenda.

g. Build institutional capacity through the strategic management of resources to improve administration of the National Health Sector.

As the number of elderly people in communities increase the need for a comprehensive National Health Plan has become a priority.

Andrew Skerritt, Health Planner for the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis and Focal Point for the National Strategic Health Plan, has been working over the past four years with the Pan-American Health Organization and several work groups, consisting of health executives of line Ministries from both St. Kitts and Nevis, civil service organizations, agencies from the private sector and NGO’s to establish a five year plan to address the health concerns of all recipients.

As a result of the collaborative effort, objectives, measurable indicators and expected results have been created to chart consumer needs, identify areas for development and progress in the following priority areas:

1.Chronic non-communicable diseases

2. Health Systems Development

3. HIV/AIDS and STI (Sexually Transmitted Infections)

4. Health and Environment

5. Human Resources Development

6. Family Health

7. Mental Health and Substance Abuse

Now that the plan has been completed it must go through a final assessment before being presented to Cabinet for government approval and endorsement.

Some of the initiatives have already been put into practice to incrementally improve services. It’s anticipated that by 2011 all of the goals outlined in the National Health Strategic Plan will be fully implemented.

All life on earth has a limited life span and the way we take care of ourselves spiritually, mentally and physically has a lot to do with our overall well-being and ultimate longevity.

Healthy living is a combination of eating foods to nourish our bodies vitamins and minerals necessary to fuel our bodies and exercise that helps us to maintain a manageable body weight that does not put unnecessary strain on us physically.

Although, living in the Caribbean appears to be a carefree paradise and eating foods that are native to its land should be a healthy choice there are some major health concerns for people who originate from the Caribbean.

One of the most serious conditions for Caribbeans is diabetes. It is expected that by the year 2010 diabetes incidence will have reached 25% of the adult population. Others include heart related conditions such as strokes, heart-attacks and hypertension. The National Health Strategic Plan addresses these through promoting healthy lifestyle habits.

Visitors to St Kitts and Nevis don't need to be concerned with any major health issues. The most important thing they should focus on is figuring out what the proper SPF factor of their sunscreen should be, and purchasing a fashionable hat that provides good shade,because the sun is really intense and being sunburned is not attractive and trust me it doesn’t feel good either.

A little bit of common sense applied to your health and safety goes a long way.

If you have an extremely sensitive stomach then you should drink bottled water to avoid frequent visits to the toilet. Travel with a basic first aid kit that contains the treatments you are accustomed to using. When planning your vacation make sure that you include travel insurance when booking your flight.

If you do have an unexpected emergency you will have to pay for medical services upfront and send a claim to your insurance agent for reimbursement later.

The hospitals in St. Kitts and Nevis can process all major credit cards on the premises. It is still good to plan for the unexpected.

Visitors who already have medical conditions become consumed with their vacation activities and forget to follow through with their prescriptions, sometimes putting themselves in a crisis situation that requires them to be hospitalized.

As long as you take the normal precautions of a new traveler to a foreign land and eat foods and drink liquids that you are familiar with, even though you might be wildly adventurous, you should will be okay.

Herbalists world-wide have been extracting and utilizing the healing properties of natural plants for centuries and it is no different in the Caribbean.

Traditional medicine has a very secure following here in St. Kitts and Nevis.

If a Kittitian hears you with a sniffle or a cough, its almost guaranteed that they will recommend you have a big cup of “Bush Tea” made from a combination of local leaves and grasses such as lemon grass.

Some of the traditional medicines have tales of allure that accompany their medicinal nature. While a fruit named Sour Sop has the ability to induce sleep when the leaves are steeped it is also belived that “…laying the leaves of the soursop on a bed below a sleeping person with a fever will break the fever by the next morning.”

A plant known as “Jumbee Bead” is belived to have been used by Obeah Men, but it also is used to treat colds, flu and asthma.

M. C. Whittaker published a book entitled “Medicinal Plants of St. Kitts and Nevis, which reveals hidden medicinal properties contained in some of the plants and exotic fruits that will inevidibly garnish your delicious meal or cocktail glass.

So while you are visiting take note of some of the luscious fruits that could help you address some mild health conditions. Coconut produces a liquid known as “Jelly Water” that treats gastroenteritis when consumed.

When the bud of the Guava fruit is boiled it alleviates diarrhoea. Passion Fruit leaves are used to make tea for fever and hight blood pressure. Tamrind leaves are used to make a tea for colds and fever.

Drink drawn from the Sorrel Pod is used to address hypertension and Maiden Apple leaves are steeped and used to deal with asthma. So while you are here eat as much fruit as you can.

For additional information about
St. Kitts and Nevis check the following sites;

www.stkittstourism.kn
www.stkittsmusicfestival.net
www.gov.kn
www.oecsculture.com

AUTHOR : Marlene Phillips has rootz that span over many continents. She was born in London England to Jamaican and Trinidadian parents, was raised in Canada and presently resides in St. Kitts. In 1999, she moved to the beautiful island of St. Kitts and volunteered her skills to the committee responsible for decorating more than 15 different venues at Carifesta VII, which eventually lead to her recruitment for the position of Research and Documentation Specialist in the Government of Saint Christopher and Nevis Department of Culture.

The Research and Documentation Unit has supplied her with an outlet for her creative expression and love of culture, heritage and the arts. One of the first projects Marlene undertook was to produce a three month radio segment entitled Heritage Sites Awareness for the program Under Banyan Tree, which focuses on Heritage Sites on St. Kitts. Then she created a television program to sensitize the public named Culture Beat that focused on St. Kitts culture, traditions and heritage sites. She has served on numerous committees; The UNESCO Slave Route Project, St. Kitts and Nevis National Wear & Dish Competition, History and Heritage Week and St. Kitts Music Festival. Presently she serves on the committee organizing activities for the Celebration and Commemoration of the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade in the British West Indies. Marlene is also Focal Point for the OECS Cultural Network in St. Kitts-Nevis.

Marlene can be contacted at sismarlene at hotmail.com

To read more articles from this author, go to 'author' search options at the bottom of this page. You can also search magazine archives by subject, country or date.

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