 The Saint Louisian Medical and Dental Association hosts an annual grand gala event to recognize outstanding professionals within the local medical fraternity. The awardees were distinguished by their outstanding work, determination and drive in the fields of medicine and dentistry. Awards for the evening included the most dedicated team member, which went to Dr. Samantha Mathre, outstanding intern, which went to Dr. Kyra Joseph, Dr. Alwyn Benjamin, walked away with the outstanding physician award. The award-winning district medical officer for 2023 was bestowed upon Dr. Delphine Venor. Outstanding junior physician was awarded to the very promising Dr. Christy Gerald, and this year's outstanding dentist award went to Dr. Randall Borai. The SLMDA also took the opportunity to pay homage to a long-standing physician through its Lifetime Achievement Award. This year's Lifetime Achievement Award went to Dr. Menso, who retired from the position of consultant at the St. Jude Hospital in May 2023. I'm very happy to be recognized and what I was done in St. Jude Hospital for the improvement of the NACCR system, at least in St. Jude Hospital and some ICU management protocol and then the recording system. The keynote speaker for this year's ceremony was chief medical officer Dr. Sharon Belma George, following her participation at a two-day Karakam conference focused on improving responses to crime across the region. Dr. Belma George presented on the topic, crime as a public health issue. So let us look at the intersection of crime with our health system. Physical injuries, we start with the most obvious, loss of limbs, disabilities, chronic health conditions, mental health, the disruption of social services, the high crime rates can disrupt the delivery of essential social services such as education, as we saw in some communities where schools had to be closed down. We had to close down health facilities in some areas at one point. The chief medical officer says tackling crime through public health is among the many strategies under consideration. Her presentation also included recommendations to mitigate crime using the public health approach. If we are to look at crime prevention strategies based on the public health approach and this would aim to reduce the occurrence of criminal activities and to enhance public safety and that's really where we should be going. Looking at community policing that is building positive relationships between law enforcement and the community to address crime collaboratively and this is really the most important aspect where we look at the preventative measures. Dr. Belma George stressed on the importance of data collection in the push back against crime across the region. The SLMDA award ceremony also marked the beginning of the annual conference themed updates and controversies in medicine and dentistry. For the communication unit of the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Early Affairs, I'm Sant Justin.