 Welcome to Nation Beat. I am General Norville bringing you this brief on the pulse of our nation and highlights around the heart of St. Lucia. A new national health strategy is expected by the first quarter of 2019. More help is underway for St. Lucia's agriculture sector from allied governments. The travel detective unearths St. Lucia's hidden gems and equips small businesses for big gains. Governments first towards a more affordable, accessible and modern health care system continues with a new health strategy for the island to be drafted by the first quarter of 2019. Among the priority areas are health financing and international accreditation for health services. The compilation of the new strategic plan for the health sector is still in its early stages. Chief Health Planner Dwight Calyx noted that though the last strategic plan ended, the information is still relevant and will be incorporated into the new document. The new policy will be aligned with strategic development goals of the World Health Organization and the health achievement for the Americas by the Pan-American Health Organization. Before prioritization processes it will at least for us look at our existing situations, our system health profiles and ensure that whatever it is that we develop over the next few months, coming months that we develop that in response to the needs of our population. Calyx outlined some of the current health priorities for St. Lucia. One which is at the top of everything is our national health insurance. Health financing is also very critical for us as well. Being responsive to our situation of NCD so by a way of process the first the first imminent process is to ensure that we prioritize those areas and some of those priorities as I've mentioned then we need to look at what our situational assessment is and also what that health profile that we have in terms of our existing population. As part of the process intervention specific to these priorities need to be formulated and a roadmap needs to be done to plot what is necessary to achieve the targets. The Ministry of Health and Wellness's quality policy is completed. It outlines quality standards across the public and private sectors dealing with infrastructure and services. Calyx says it states what needs to be done to meet certain quality standards with the intention of moving towards accreditation. Once you look at our health sector you know that once you enter any health service there's a standard set of services that you receive and it's of a particular quality and a particular standard of international recognition so that's the direction that we are particularly heading with the health sector. The team responsible for the strategy will be meeting with the Pan American Health Organization in November to undertake the prioritization process. From the Government Information Service I am Alicia Ali. Regional, public and private sector officials in climate change are currently on island to dialogue on targets outlined in the respective nationally determined contributions for the Caribbean region. Chris Satney reports. The activity is being hosted by the Government of St. Lucia through the Department of Sustainable Development. The dialogue seeks mainly to exchange experiences and views related to NDC implementation planning and financing particularly in the energy sector including linkages to sustainable development goals SDGs and other planning processes as well as opportunities to advance gender equality. Minister with responsibility for Sustainable Development Honourable Dr. Gail Brigibet pledged St. Lucia's support to meeting the NDC's targets. She stated that while collectively the region's contribution to global emission was small, significant effort was required to preserve the environment for future generations. We believe that your informed recommendations will provide sound advice on how as a region we can inspire greater commitment to strategic climate financing and technical support to help achieve our climate agenda. It is important for us to spur the required global political commitment needed to ensure that rapid and ambitious climate action is supported and pursued. The forum is the 19th in a global series of dialogues supported by the UN Development Programme UNDP and the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change the UNFCCC since 2014 in assisting countries in implementing their respective NDCs. Yoko Ibasawa of the UNDP says the dialogue comes at the crucial time for the region which has over the last few years experienced the high rate of extreme weather events and has small states that growing vulnerabilities to the effects of climate change. Since 2016 we have been implementing values activities including the development of nationally appropriate mitigation actions, NAMAS and national adaptation plans, NAPS and transferring mitigation and adaptations technologies to the communities through the 38 pilot projects and promoting South-South and North-South cooperation by sharing lessons learned among the target countries in the region as well as transferring technology from Japan to the Caribbean communities. The regional dialogue precedes an NDC finance initiative for the Caribbean to be hosted in St. Lucia from the 11th to the 12th of October 2018 at the Harbour Club. The activity which will gather practitioners and the technical experts from relevant ministries, regulators and sectors from across the OECS and the wider Caribbean community will build on outcomes of the regional dialogue on nationally determined contributions for the Caribbean expected to run until Wednesday. From the communications unit of the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development I am Chris Satney reporting. More help is underway for St. Lucia's agriculture sector from allied governments. St. Lucia and Cuba have strengthened ties with collaboration in the field of agriculture. A team from St. Lucia's Ministry of Agriculture upon invitation by the government of Cuba visited that country. There the team met with agricultural experts and held various discussions and water systems could be extended with the aim of improving St. Lucia's agriculture sector as well as the water sector. The Cuban government agreed to provide technical assistance to the government of St. Lucia, prompting the formal signing of the Memorandum of Understanding MOU. Cuban Ambassador to St. Lucia, His Excellency Jorge Francisco Soberon Luis indicated that agriculture is a priority for both countries. In order to continue the path of development of our countries we need to strengthen our exchange, our cooperation, our discussions, our joint efforts in the area of agriculture. But it's not only that, agriculture and everything that is related to it as we all know very well both in Cuba and in St. Lucia. It comes with many benefits for our peoples, for our communities, for achieving countries that are more resilient when it comes to all these phenomena naturally that we have to face and it also strengthens our economies and it also contributes it's an important contribution also to healthy lifestyles. So we are talking about nutrition, we are talking about food security, we are talking about many things without which we cannot conceive a better life for our countries and our peoples and without which we cannot conceive development as we understand it to be for our countries. Minister for Agriculture Ezekiel Joseph noted the importance of such collaborations as both countries are able to benefit. He expressed gratitude to the Cuban government for their generosity. He also provided further insight into the MOU. We agreed in the MOU that there's need first to collaborate with Cuba and the whole aspect of crop production. Like we all know we have been challenged right now as it pertains to the utilization of healthier products and you would realize I do say chemicals and I'm sure Hannah would like me not to use the word chemicals healthier products in the production of our food chain. We just saw recently what happened in the U.S. and with us we're all aware what's transpired in St. Vincent and the call has been made now even more for us to engage in our farmers in the utilization of healthier products as it pertains to the production of food for the utilization by by all sent solutions. The two countries expressed eagerness to see the agreement through to implementation. This is Nation Beat an Emmy Award winning travel journalist tells the world about the hidden gems of St. Lucia and equipping small businesses for big gains. Everyone is at risk forgetting a food born illness while most food born illness cases are mild and go unreported. Long-term health complications and even death can occur from a food born illness. Food born illnesses are caused by contamination of food at any stage of preparation. If you are a food handler involved in home-based food production meat, fish, chicken or a big shop as a food vendor how you prepare food can put your customers at risk. Do you know the risks and how to avoid them? The St. Lucia Bureau of Standards can help you. For more information contact the St. Lucia Bureau of Standards at 456-0546 or email slbs.candw.lc or visit the website at www.slbs.org.lc. St. Lucia Bureau of Standards making quality and standards our way of life. Welcome back. The St. Lucia Tourism Authority SLTA has partnered with Emmy Award winning travel journalist Peter Greenberg and his production team to film an episode of his popular television show The Travel Detective. This partnership is in keeping with the authority's mandate to position the destination as a top vacation choice for visitors. Peter Greenberg is a travel editor of CBS News and widely regarded as America's most recognized frontline travel news journalist. The show The Travel Detective is syndicated on PBS stations across the United States. Greenberg took time to explore St. Lucia and was surprised by the things of the beaten path, art, history, even jungle adventures and an exploding food scene that is not highlighted in brochures and guide books. In the 6 minute 28 second web version video, Greenberg gives viewers his personal favorite pics of experiences located off the conventional tourist travel maps. Hidden gems of St. Lucia can be viewed at petergreenberg.com on YouTube and on networks across the U.S. The longer television version of the program will air early next year. St. Lucia's transition away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy is advancing with the help of international partners Harris Alisha Ali. The government of St. Lucia has taken the first steps to transition its fleet of vehicles from fossil fuel to clean energy. The Department of Infrastructure and Energy announced the acquisition of three electric vehicles early in October. These vehicles will be used as a pilot in a study to determine whether this is a sustainable transition option. Anna Sophia Midsford is the project manager for the Electric Mobility St. Lucia study from the Rocky Mountain Institute. Yeah so the next step after the study is completed is for a ministry to to take on that that role and really advocate for a transformation of the vehicle fleet. I think there's a step that goes before that that the government as a whole needs to agree on what they're trying to accomplish with their vehicle fleet. So there's probably some goal settings that has to happen in some important conversations in which different ministries align on whether this transformation really is important. Chief Energy Science and Technology Officer in the Department of Infrastructure and Energy, Terence Gilliard, said this project is important to the socioeconomic development of the island. The reality is that small island developing states although our emissions are negligible but the impacts we are all very well aware of the impacts of climate change. I mean we speak about Maria and other recent hurricanes and storms and the disastrous effects right here in St Lucia we've experienced the disastrous effects in recent years but besides that there's the socioeconomic aspect which is very important. We all feel the pinch when we go to the pump and we notice that the prices are fluctuating. The recent IEA report is telling us that oil prices should increase and these things have a very very negative impact on our economy and on our lives. As a small island developing state St Lucia's carbon footprint is minuscule. However government is making the effort to ensure that the island becomes as environmentally friendly as is possible. From the government information service, I am Alisha Ali. More than 20 micro small medium enterprises within various business sectors are now better equipped to source financing, technical support and explore expansion after having completed a business plan development workshop. Anisia Antoine tells us more. The Department of Commerce collaborated with the Savings Bank Foundation for International Cooperation SBFIC to host a business plan development workshop. The workshop was held with the view of enhancing entrepreneurial skills of the attendees. On Tuesday October 8th a closing ceremony was held to present participants who benefited from the workshop with certificates of completion and accomplishments. I observed among you some business owners that I had dealt with in other workshops in the past. So it's sure that here was a group of people we had interacted with years before and there they are their businesses still striving, still making lots of progress but they are again to to take the business to another level and recognizing that through this business plan workshop that they can what if it's expanding their their operations or even going out into other avenues new product development and so on. This was the the type the place for them so I was very very happy to see some of our all participants from years ago coming back again and taking advantage of this opportunity. The financial aspects of your business that is very often one of the weaker parts of business owners. They know their business very well they know their product very well they know how to run the business but there's a certain lack of financial management skills and together with our partners here we are trying to address those shortages but it does not happen overnight. It takes a long term perspective to address it but you made one important step towards getting closer to being business owners and entrepreneurs who possess these skills. Seidu and SBFIC throughout their lifespan of the program has assisted some 75 business owners with developing a business plan. SMEs in today's world they face a multitude of challenges you most probably have experienced that already. You are trying to find competitive advantage maybe it's not easy for SMEs because most SMEs they operate successfully in a niche market but to find that niche market is not easy or you try to provide a better service a better quality as far as your service offering is concerned. The workshop which commenced on the 10th of July and culminated on the 7th of August accommodated approximately 22 existing and potential MSMEs within the various business sectors. From the government information service I am Anisia Antoine reporting. The public was treated to free health checks over the weekend thanks to a health fair jointly organized by NGICO insurances and the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Whether you wanted to exercise sample localities or smoothies do your health checks or just know your status. The health fair organized by NGICO insurances and the Ministry of Health and Wellness had a bit of everything for all ages. Held on Saturday October the 6th at NGICO's premises at Raduwe organizers felt the activity met its objective. Janelle Alexander Dupre is a family life educator with the Ministry of Health. Most persons as you know we work we have eight to four eight to four thirty jobs sometimes you work shifts and not all the times you'll get the opportunity to go and visit the doctors or to go to the health center and in this way persons are able to come to places where they get free treatment and they get to know what their levels are and what is needed for them to make the changes in their lifestyle. Dupre also outlined the various entities who participated in the health fair. It's almost like an opening for us for breast cancer awareness month. Here we have the Ministry of Health partners including environmental health, the renal unit, Senusia Diabetes and Hypertensive Association. We have Planned Parenthood. We have Nutrition Department. We also have persons from CrossFit. We have Francis Robb and we also have smoothies being done. All these things to show persons what we need to do for us to be maintain a healthy lifestyle. Corporate Services Administrator at Nargico Vicky Ford said as a leading health services provider on island Nargico felt it's important to give back. We're leading in medical health and we have seen as a health provider the claims that do come in and we know it's important for us to take on preventative care for persons. So Nargico felt it's important to do that and we know the rising cost of medical is is extremely hard right now so we wanted to give something back to persons that is in need and is essential for their lifestyle. So we wanted to put on a holistic health and wellness fair where it doesn't cover just the testing but advising you on how you can improve your lifestyle and maintain it. Matthew Branford was among the many persons who took advantage of the services at the health fair. He said he welcomed the education and free testing which was available and encouraged more men to pay greater attention to their health. What I would have to tell the men is important to take care of your health because without since men are the main breadwinners although that is going out of the way now but men need to take care of the health because they are looked up to. I don't want your son or daughter to live the rest of their life without having a father who could have been for extra 10 years or extra five years so it's important that men put the health first in everything that they do. The event was geared towards families targeting persons of all ages to be more interested in knowing their health status through regular health checks, proper nutrition and exercise. For the Ministry of Health and Wellness Glenn Simon reporting. That's Nation Beat. Join us next time as we fill the pulse and heart of our community. You can also catch up with us anytime on the Sinducia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am Janelle Norville.