 Representatives from the World Bank recently visited Zintluxia on a mission aimed at providing guidance to fast track the readiness of the launch of the performance-based financing PBF pilot program. The mission focused on the training of key stakeholders on change management and use of funds, providing technical support on the communications component for the PBF launch, providing technical guidance on the legal and operational aspects of the PBF, and providing guidance on global practices on PBF implementation from other countries. The mission was led by senior health economist of the World Bank, Edith Bellini. She emphasized in a discussion the need to ensure successful implementation of performance based financing, PBF, as it is the first step towards universal health coverage UHC in Zintluxia. One main thing that we expect that the government team, specifically the PBF implementation unit, will have a set of documents to train the trainees, the stakeholders, so the training package should be developed. And this is obviously an ongoing discussion because the training package is an initial set of trainings, but you continue to need to engage all of the providers over time. So one thing is a training package. And then secondly, obviously it's a bit less exciting and it's a bit more boring for the public, but all of these activities should be framed and enshrined in legal documents. So we must make sure that we have the right legal documents, the contracts set up so that the lab providers and also the regions and the facilities can be engaged with the Ministry of Health. Acting Permanent Secretary and the Ministry of Health, Jenny Daniel, re-emphasized the government's commitment to ensure the performance based financing, PBF, and universal health coverage UHC are major priorities. We recognize the financial hardships faced by many individuals at many different levels in terms of having to pay out of pocket for their health care in Zintluxia. At this point in time, therefore, it is extremely important that we find alternative methods of strengthening our health care sector to ensure that all persons throughout the population have equal access to quality health care. And so at this time, given that we are coming to the end of the pandemic, it is especially important that we provide this platform, this universal health coverage and of course the first phase of it being the performance based financing to allow for that equity and accessibility of quality health care that would allow our population to be strengthened against any future threat of pandemics or epidemics in Zintluxia. Performance based financing, PBF coordinator Neyam Jabatis welcomed the support from the World Bank in assisting them to ensure progress is made for the successful implementation of PBF. Because of some of the services that we'll be offering, we would expect a surge of patients and so they are helping us to get ready. We'll be getting experiences from other countries and one of the things is that training is very, very important according to the bank and according to us and hopefully by the end of this mission we will be ready to accept patients and to meet the expectations of persons but also our own expectations as the program implementation. So it's very, very important for us to be ready for the surge of persons that we're going to expect to come. We're also looking forward to the changes so that and some of the positive changes that we're going to bring to make sure that we get buying from the facilities and just to make sure we have a seamless implementation. The meetings were held with staff from the project implementation unit within the ministry of health and other health officials and representatives. The performance based financing PBF pilot program is focused on providing screening and treatment services for diabetes and hypertension at various primary health care facilities. It is expected to be implemented in a phased approach and will cover eight primary health care facilities in the first instance. Performance based financing is considered an effective step towards achieving universal health coverage UHC in St. Lucia. Reporting from the project implementation unit within the ministry of health, wellness and elderly affairs, I am Funa Leptune.