 Phase two of the smart healthcare facilities in the Caribbean project included the retrofitting of 13 wellness centers around the island and two government health facilities. These facilities are now expected to provide comfort to patrons and staff while withstanding the forces of nature. Principal nursing officer, Mrs. Julia Tocassius, says the upgraded green facilities are already reporting reductions in daily operational costs. Water usage has been reduced through the installation of low-flow fixtures. Rainwater harvesting is in place for continuous supply of water to the facility for a period of time beyond water shutoffs. Alternate power systems were provided including renewable energy, efficient LED lighting has reduced electricity consumption and cost-effective cooling systems further contribute to energy savings. Ms. Tocassius also spoke of the durability of the new smart structures. Our facilities are safe because the roofs have been made sound. Backup generators are available so the facilities are powered up to continue service during power outages, protected windows and doors were installed and disability access was provided via ramps and rails. Signs within and outside the structures were placed and disaster plans were developed for each facility. The project which was valued at well over 5 million pounds is expected to set the pace for other smart concept bills on island. The Miku and Ancelary health facilities both recently constructed have already adopted the smart concept design and while only two of the refurbished health facilities are fully smart it is expected that future facilities on island will adopt the concept. This upgrading project brought significant increases to the value of our institutions. So for example the value of upgrading at the comfort base senior citizens home was approximately 1.3 million US dollars and this is significant and we recognize and thank you for this. The cost, the value of the upgrades at the new beginnings transit home and viewport wellness center combined was approximately 1.3 million US dollars and the cost of the upgrades to the 12 smaller wellness centers was approximately 1.45 million US dollars as well. Phase one of the smart project was introduced to the region in 2013. The second phase commenced in 2015 in seven countries within the Whitwood Islands under the funding of the UK foreign commonwealth and development office and according to resident British commissioner Ms Leslie Saunders, St Lucia has already begun setting standards. Some of the facilities including this one I believe in Monchie have attained what's known as the smart gold standard for their safety and greening aspects and I think Comfort Bay and Bay and viewport as well which I have the pleasure of visiting and all of you need to be congratulated for that and St Lucia was in fact the first country to achieve the gold standard. Ms Saunders says a number of the facilities have already been put to the test during phenomenas such as Hurricane Elsa, the 2021 eruption of the Souffre Volcano in St Vincent and the Grenadines and the global COVID-19 pandemic. The project was implemented around the region by the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization. PAHO also in addition to this project and to enhance the impact of this project collaborates with the Ministry of Health providing technical cooperation for health systems development that are complementary and that includes acquisition of laboratory and biomedical equipment and accessories, capacity building for laboratory and service delivery, health information management systems and IT security infrastructure, NCDs and mental health. The official handover ceremony of the 15 smart facilities was held at the newly refurbished Moshi Health Facility. The Ministry of Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment was also a partner in the transformation of the facilities. We continue to think about people and as we speak of climate change as we think of smart buildings and smart facilities we can only achieve this principle of social justice and empowerment of our people when these mechanisms are mainstream through the Ministry of Planning when it shouldn't take the intervention of donors but our plans and standards would ensure that we incorporate those standards as the ordinary and average thing that we do when we are conceptualizing projects of that nature. Health officials say the new smart facilities set an effective backdrop ahead of the implementation of St. Lucia's universal health care. Reporting for the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Early Affairs, I'm Saint Justin.