 This is Nation Beat. Happy New Year and thanks for joining us. I am Janelle Norville bringing you this brief on the pulse of our nation and highlights around the heart of St. Lucia. Prime Minister Hon. Alan Chastney assures the nation that long-standing issues in the healthcare system will be resolved. Sunsweep Resorts renovates a section of the Rosocombined School and Mr. Independent is stage ready. As St. Lucia ushers in the new year, nationals have been assured that the long-standing issues in the healthcare system will be resolved. That assurance was made by Prime Minister the Hon. Alan Chastney as he delivered his New Year's address to the nation Sunday. The Prime Minister's New Year's State of the Nation address sought to provide updates on the various sectors including national security, health and agriculture to name a few. Zoning on the health sector, Prime Minister the Hon. Alan Chastney indicated that the government continues to work feverishly to improve the country's health sector and to ensure quality healthcare for all's inclusions. We've started the phased opening of the Owen King EU Hospital which, I must remind you, there was no planned and inadequate funds set aside for this operation. We have commenced construction of a polyclinic in Denver and increased operating hours in the Grosley Polyclinic. Meanwhile, in Soufere, we are finalizing plans for a new mini hospital to serve that community. Free healthcare facilities, namely the Deraso, Bellevue, Monterey Poll Wellness Centers, have all been upgraded to be safer, greener and more resilient to natural disasters. It is our hope that soon all of the healthcare centers in St. Lucia will be smart healthcare facilities. The government, according to the Prime Minister, has also taken steps to resolve the issues at the St. Jude Hospital. Clearing works for the new hospital wing have commenced and the ministries of health and wellness and economic development have finalized a design. Work is scheduled to commence in the upcoming weeks. Prime Minister Chastney expressed gratitude to healthcare workers and also the government's continued commitment to delivering quality healthcare. Our commitment to delivering affordable, quality healthcare is also advancing well with the National Health Insurance Scheme which will ensure that no St. Lucia is left behind when it comes to accessing better health services. Too many families continue to suffer financial and emotional ruin because they don't have these safety nets. I can report that we have a secured financing through the World Bank for assistance in implementation of a healthcare insurance. The Prime Minister assured the public that healthcare remains the government's top priority. Meantime during the course of 2019, government has committed resources for the improvement of the justice system as well as the Royal St. Lucia Police Force. Prime Minister Chastney told the nation that government is employing a holistic strategy to crime fighting. Within this quarter, CCTV cameras will be installed along with an upgraded communication system for the police. At a time when crime is on the minds of most solutions. We've had to spend much of the last 30 months sourcing and providing some of the very basic needs for our police force that were not available when we came into office. We first reopened the forensic lab that was closed for some years. As a result, we've been able to make significant headway in the investigation and prosecution of several rape cases on the island. The government is also now faced with another hurdle of tackling the current health and safety issues at the same facility, which I am pleased to assure will be resolved in the coming weeks. Prime Minister Chastney commanded members of the police force for their dedication to service under trying times. The Prime Minister went on to highlight plans for the new base. The new police headquarters will also include six new courts, a state-of-the-art control center, and improved facilities for our police. Strategically, we've taken decisions to strengthen our police force and justice system. However, we recognize we still have a long way to go in providing the basics that are vital to the serious crime fighting. We have invested in CCT cameras and police communication systems, which will be operational within weeks. The Prime Minister added that government is instituting social programs that are designed to address crime at its root. The after-school program is one such avenue. The Department of Health and Wellness is continuing to ensure that the sexual health of women and men is a priority. Lisa Joseph tells us how. As of January 15, 2019, St. Ocean's will be able to access services every Tuesday at the Sexual and Reproductive Health Clinic at the V4 Wellness Center. The clinic will provide men and women with advice on all aspects of contraception and sexual health and also treatment for sexually transmitted infections, SDIs. Acting Senior Medical Officer in the Infectious Diseases Unit, Dr. Gail Kajada says it is important that citizens have access to sexual and reproductive health services as to improve their health and well-being. We have had two separate clinic services that offer sexual and reproductive health services at the V4 Health Center. One was once a week on a Tuesday and the other one was once a month every 4th Thursday. So rather than have two separate services, we took the decision to integrate the two services and it's a service that's open to everyone. You can see both males and females are physicians to discuss any issues that are sexual and reproductive health related. Dr. Kajada says it is necessary that St. Ocean's are informed and empowered to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections. A lot of persons like to say, no, it's not me, it will not happen to me. So one of the things we like to encourage persons is to do your testing every year at least or if not every six months. And I'm talking about if we're doing things like blood testing, you can do your HIV test, you can do your syphilis test. Right now we have rapid HIV testing, we have rapid syphilis testing. The other testing will require a blood sample being drawn when you talk about things like hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HDLV 1 and 2. And all five things that I have mentioned are forms of sexually transmitted infections. Then you may have a woman who may complain of a discharge or a man who may complain of a discharge or building on urination. That's something else that would require investigation and again, that's where your sexual and reproductive health clinic would assist with that. The sexual and reproductive health clinic at the Old Nurses' Home at Victoria Hospital remained open to the public Mondays to Thursdays. From the Government Information Service, Lisa Joseph reporting. The Rosocombined School has undergone some renovation thanks to the Freelanthropic Am of Sunsweep Resorts. Anisia Antoine has that story. The Body Holiday St Lucia in collaboration with the Parliamentary Representative of Ancillary Canaries and Minister for Tourism Honourable Dominique Fede have refurbished the washrooms at the Rosocombined School. Works began on the project during the 2018 Christmas vacation and the opening ceremony took place on the 10th of January 2019. The locally owned hotel contributed a total of $15,500 to the project. Jacqueline Scott, Corporate Social Responsibility Officer stated that this forms part of the Mandate of Body Holiday to show care for individuals. What we're doing here is really celebrating with the Roso students, with the entire school body, something that they said they've been looking forward to for years, trying to get that change made. And we were just really happy to be a part of it and as we said, we couldn't say no to Roso. And basically, Body Holiday is about changing lives and changing situations. And we want to know that when we come to support a beneficiary that we've taken them from that place and we've actually made the dream come true. Parliamentary Representative and Minister for Tourism, Honorable Dominic Fede, encouraged the students to be inspired by the care they've received to study hard and excel. I think what Body Holiday is telling us today is that communities like ours and their future is inextricably linked. That somehow we are tied to the hip and somehow there's a strong bond between their success and our success. They see in you future managers of their resorts. The principal of the Rosocombined School stated that this project has been long-awaited and expressed her gratitude towards Body Holiday for their hard work and contribution. From the Government Information Service, I am Manicia Antonio Portin. This is Nation Beat. When we come back, Mr. Independent is stage ready. Frankie, you know I'm travelling to Antigua this afternoon and I forgot my passport at home? Boy, it's a good thing I have my driver's license. I'll still be able to travel. Oh, how can you travel to Antigua without your passport? Under the OECS Freedom of Movement regime, OECS citizens can travel to any of the seven protocol member states without a passport. Once they have an official and valid identification card with their picture and nationality on it. Really? Since when? Since the establishment of the Eastern Caribbean OECS Economic Union under the Revised Treaty of Bastet, it entered into force in 2011. So, you mean to tell me that I can leave Sinusha and go to another OECS country with just my driver's license or national ID and customs and immigration won't stop me? Yes, you can even use your voter's registration card or social security card. As a matter of fact, as a citizen of an OECS protocol member state you are entitled to indefinite stay when you travel to another OECS protocol member state so you can live and work without a work permit or a skilled national certificate. As a construction worker here, I could take my trade to Grenada or any other OECS country? Yes, Frankie, you're straight. And what about my wife and children's schooling? Frankie, OECS citizens and their children will be granted equal rights and privileges under the freedom of movement. That includes access to social services, labour market schemes, health and education for your children and your wife. This free movement thing sounds nice. Haselfly travel to any OECS country, live and work for as long as you like, the OECS Economic Union is the real deal. For more information, visit www.oecs.org. Activities celebrating the island's 40th anniversary of independence are beginning to take shape. Among the events is Mr. Independence 2019 which was launched under the theme Embracing Diversity, the key to unity. The pageant is geared towards deepening the understanding and consciousness of the young men of the need to make informed decisions that will positively impact their lives. Gregory Lord is the producer. In the presentations, the contestants will personify the core value of diversity as it is the expectation of Gregory Lord Productions that their messages will particularly sensitize our youth of the need to make meaningful contributions in the development of our country. By extension, we are hopeful that our society will create the appropriate windows to facilitate the inputs of our youth in the discussions for policy development regarding their future. The first ever Mr. Independence will feature 10 young men representing various districts in St. Lucia. Minister of Responsibility for Culture and Creative Industries Honorable Fortuna Bell Rose congratulated the young men on meeting the challenge head-on. She indicated that unity is indeed necessary for the progression of the country. For a long time as a country, we seem to focus on giving our girls those opportunities where they can continue to represent and we see a manifestation of that in terms of the way women have now propelled themselves forward in our society. But our men have not been supported too much in that way because it's a male-dominated society anyway. But we believe that we have to begin the process of providing support on both sides of the fence to enable our society to continue to be better. And so, when I challenged Gregory last year, you know, yes, we have the women, we continue to have the women, but let's get some men. Let's present male and female because, you know, I come from a background where the two work together. We cannot work in isolation of each other. Men and women must work together in the interests of this country. The event will be held on the 9th of February, 2019 at the National Cultural Center Bernard Hill Castries at 7 p.m. That's Nation Beat. Join us next time on NTN at 7.30 p.m. or repeat at 7.30 a.m. and on this station as we fill the pulse and heart of our community. You can also catch up with us anytime on the St. Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am General Norvel.