 The newly built Nikud Wellness Centre is now open to the residents of Nikud and surrounding communities and is classified as a centre of excellence for chronic diseases. Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs Jenny Daniel says the opening of this facility will demonstrate the ministry's goal of strengthening the primary health care services in St. Lucia. In addition to the new modern structure and functional designs, the ministry has also taken the steps to enhance and strengthen our services and delivery of care to patients in the following manner. One, the establishment of a dental clinic for the very first time at the Nikud Wellness Centre and more broadly within the entire Region 4 of the health sector. Two, the introduction of new biomedical equipment including the following. An AED machine which is used to treat cardiac arrests. An ECG or EKG machine which is used to monitor the electrical activity of the heart. A urine analyser, nebuliser, otoscope and ophthalmoscope to name a few. The introduction of this new equipment is consistent with the ministry's strategic objective to enhance the treatment and management of chronic diseases thereby reducing the pressure placed on our national hospitals. Minister for Health, the Honourable Moser Jabatis says providing quality healthcare to the people of St. Lucia is the number one priority of the government. Primary care, as the nurses will tell you, means that we want to ensure that the services here conserve the people who do not necessarily require secondary care at our hospitals. I wish to thank the whole bank. It also means, more importantly, that knowledge and skills which are required to prevent illness in the first place will be available here. We will go one step further to develop centres of excellence all around St. Lucia and it is my dream that our various wellness centres will become centres of excellence for various aspects of healthcare. Prime Minister of St. Lucia, the Honourable Philip G. Pierre says his government will continue to invest in the people of St. Lucia and provide healthcare services. I'm extremely pleased because I know the importance of health and health services to the people of St. Lucia. And once we decide that we're going to take care of our health and think of our health, it can be simple. It just takes a little bit of discipline and a little bit of sacrifice. Again, I'm very happy that we are here. I hope you use the health facility to the best of your ability. It was a long term coming. Parliamentary representative for Maygood North, the Honourable Jeremiah Norbert welcomed the opening of the facility and called on residents to maximise the primary healthcare services offered. I just want to thank everyone who played their part in bringing this project to life and ensuring that today we have a Maygood Wellness Centre that we are proud of. One that we can call our own, one that are going to take away the problems of I knew we had problems with comfort, with ease, with access at the old centre and I'm happy that we shall no longer have these problems at this facility, at this health institution. So thank you to everyone. The new Maygood Wellness Centre offers primary healthcare services including dental care, health education, chronic non-comicable diseases, screening and management to name a few. The construction of the facility was funded by the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project DVRP in the tune of EC $6.1 million. Reporting from the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs, I am Finnell Neptune.