Health ministry tours all 11 St Kitts health centres but gives no detail on problems found

BASSETERRE, St Kitts. Senior Ministry of Health officials have completed a tour of all 11 health centres on St Kitts, meeting nurses and frontline staff to review how services are being delivered.

The visits were led by David Irish, coordinator of community-based nursing services, and Curtis Martin, permanent secretary in the ministry. According to the ministry's Health Promotion Unit, the aim was to assess service delivery and hear directly from staff.

Officials said they discussed health promotion, community outreach, staff development and training during the visits, and described the centres as the foundation of primary health care.

"Community-based services have to remain the cornerstone of the healthcare system", the ministry said.

Pilot without details

The account highlighted a pilot that has extended opening hours at all health centres, which staff were said to report had improved access and drawn a positive response from communities.

However, the ministry did not say when the pilot started, how long it will run, whether it will be made permanent, or how much the extra hours cost in staffing. It also did not say when the tour itself took place.

Officials said they heard about the centres' successes, challenges and aspirations, but none of the challenges raised by staff was identified. No timetable was given for any follow-up action.

Mr Irish and Mr Martin praised the commitment of health workers, crediting them as the driving force behind community care.