 Welcome to NTN Nightly. I am Genelle Norville. This edition stops stories. The Government of St. Lucia continues work on the development of a national health insurance program. The European Commission launched efforts at modernizing the island's agriculture sector. Primary school districts' sports coordinators shaped the calendar of activities for the academic year. All that plus the NTN Nouvelle, the Creole. The Government of St. Lucia's commitment to providing quality health care to citizens remain resolute following a recent high-level meeting. Prime Minister the Honourable Alan Chastney on September 19, 2019 met with National Health Insurance Committee and Consultants from the World Bank as the Government continues work on the implementation of a national health insurance program which forms part of a health system strengthening project. It aims, among other things, to ensure that at least inclusions, especially the poor and vulnerable, are registered to the National Health Scheme by the end of the project. The project is funded by a US $20 million credit from the International Development Association with a final maturity of 40 years and a 10-year grace period. Prime Minister Chastney spoke to the National Health Insurance Program during the tour of the Owen King EU Hospital by a delegation of the European Commission. Prime Minister of St. Lucia the Honourable Alan Chastney explained that ensuring that all inclusions have access to health care remains high on the Government's agenda. He noted that while it may be fitting to have the infrastructure in place, it would not be practical if people are unable to access the required health services. In that respect, the European Union and the World Bank have been working with the Government, providing technical assistance to design the National Insurance Plan. The system where the Government will continue to pay the salaries of all the nurses and the doctors, provide the utility costs, and we will do all the capital investment. And so the insurance premium really is to cover the private doctor's visits, prescriptions and operations. Once we've been able to achieve that, that is a remarkable step in terms of really taking our country to the next level. I think that Dr. Kim, who was the outgoing President of the World Bank, indicated that health care and education are not social goods anymore. These are economic drivers. You're not going to be able to be competitive globally if you have an unhealthy nation, and you're not going to be able to compete globally if you don't have an educated population. And so we take that very seriously. We have recognized that for a long time. So getting people access to health care is absolutely essential. The Prime Minister added that governments in the region are also considering a regional insurance plan. Hon. Shasne explained that according to discussions, if each country were to offer speciality services, one of the options is to establish a singular policy that is shared across the Caribbean. He said with this in mind, and with continued consultation with the EU and the World Bank, the government is creating an insurance policy that will be managed by the National Insurance Corporation, NIC. Why NIC? Because each island has an NIC, and those NICs are ready to operate. So in fact, if it works in St. Lucia, very easy now to be able to expand the program. But it also has to be done that we do not crowd out the private sector. So what you don't want to see is the NICs are coming in and providing all of the insurance, okay? And therefore there is no need for private insurance. So what we want to be able to do is for the NIC to be able to provide a basic plan and that everybody now can top up and choose whichever insurance provider they want. So St. Lucia is trying a model, Antigua is trying a model, I know that Mia and Barbados is trying a model. Hopefully in another couple of years we will be able to have each of these models and we can determine which one is the best one. The Prime Minister explained that national health insurance remains not only a priority for the government of St. Lucia, but all OECS member states and finding a better mechanism to deliver quality healthcare to all citizens of the region continues to be high on the agenda at heads of government meetings. For the Government Information Service, I am Janelle Morville. Meanwhile, Karikam Chairman, Prime Minister, the Honourable Alan Shasne, Co-Chair of the Historic Karikam India Summit-Level Meeting held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Prime Minister Dr. The Honourable Timothy Harris, lead spokesman for Karikam on human resources, health and HIV AIDS, made a compelling case during the talks for why small island states in the Caribbean should strengthen cooperation with India in the health sector and other areas that are critical to their development. India's pharmaceutical industry generates $38 billion in revenues annually. It is the world's largest exporter of low-cost generic drugs. Prime Minister Harris also said Karikam could learn from India's venture into wellness and medical tourism. India's Prime Minister, the Honourable Narendra Modi, announced the establishment of the Regional Centre for Excellence in Information Technology in Guyana and the Regional Vocational Training Centre in Belize, which are upgrades to the existing India-funded centres in those two countries. Still with health matters, thousands of St. Lucians are taking advantage of free medical care being provided by the United States Naval Ship Humanitarian Mission. Anise Antoine has the details. The United States Naval Ship Comfort to USNS Voluntary Medical Mission has commenced operations in St. Lucia. The USNS Comfort team of approximately 1,000 personnel is expected to conduct approximately 100 on-board surgeries and provide basic medical services at the OKEU Hospital and National Cultural Centre. The USNS Comfort will also work closely with various government and non-government agencies to host health fairs to address various public health topics. During the opening ceremony, Commander Ryan DeWold of Task Force 49 of the US Navy noted that the objective of the humanitarian mission is to improve public health, strengthen security and promote prosperity. I have a very enthusiastic crew that arrives at St. Lucia, ready to extend the hand of compassion and care. We are three months into a five-month mission. Comfort has visited Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Grenada. During that time, we've had the opportunity to assist over 43,000 people. During this mission stop, our multinational team is partnering with the government of St. Lucia to provide medical, dental and surgical services. Regional partnerships reflect our enduring promise to one another for a cooperative, prosperous and secure hemisphere. The USNS Comfort's visit to St. Lucia is one way the United States and our partners are honoring that promise. Felix St. Hill, Permanent Secretary in the Department of Health and Wellness, expressed gratitude to the government of the United States for the services rendered to the people of St. Lucia. St. Lucia is presently undergoing a remarkable transformation in health care. On a humanitarian intervention such as this one, which transcends boundaries, will definitely go a long way toward improving directly the health care delivery and health outcomes of our citizens at this juncture. Although for a short period of time, of course we would always that this floating hospital along with the tremendous expertise which have come to visit our shores was a permanent gift to our people. But as it is not a permanent gift, let us ensure we can maximize its use while it remains in our waters. The USNS Voluntary Medical Mission visit to St. Lucia commenced operations on Wednesday, September 25th and is scheduled to end on Monday, September 30th, 2019. From the Government Information Service, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. A tour to the National Diagnostic Facility reconfirmed an ongoing partnership between the agriculture leaders and the European Union in modernizing the sector to help meet the demands of St. Lucia's growing agriculture economy. The site visit formed part of a tour of facilities funded in part by the European Union. More from Amanda Faye Clark. EU Director General of Development Cooperation in Brussels, Mr Stefano Mansavici, in applauding the achievements realized in agriculture development over the years says the EU remains committed to this region which serves as a strategic linkage to solid value. I think today in reality through our projects we aim at supporting the capacity, the analysis, the research, you know, to address all water, the new barriers to trade and to the improvement of the quality. Today international trade and agriculture production at large are very much based on quality and therefore I think that the role of this center is crucial, you know, to make accessible service to everybody and in particular to the new entrepreneur in agriculture, I mean, young people used, which is attracted by this sector. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Barry-Morphy Lissier says with the commissioning of the National Diagnostic Facility later this year, the ministry will make good on its promise to constituents of the agri-food sector to put in place infrastructure and necessary technology locally to address the myriad of concerns and interests in the food production cycle. The overarching framework what we want to achieve as a department of agriculture, we want to ensure that our borders are safe. We want to ensure that agriculture, there's sustainability in agriculture in production in yields. So we are looking to this facility to be a premier facility, a facility that will leverage St. Lucia and put St. Lucia on the map as it relates to sanitary and phytosanitary certification, pest and disease management, especially surveillance, prevention, detection and helping us help our farmers, our fishers, our livestock folks build confidence in the system. The agriculture industry has benefited greatly from EU support over the years. One notable intervention was the Banana Accompany and Measures Project, also called the BAM Project, which sought to streamline diversification efforts within the sector. This is Ntia Naikli. Stay with us. I'm innovative. Sure! I'm competitive. I'm productive. I am creative. I constantly improve what I do and how I do it. I am output oriented. I never stop learning. I give off my best always. The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council embracing excellence. Welcome back. The first meeting of primary school district sports coordinators was held Tuesday this week to discuss the calendar of activities for the academic year 2019-2020. We have a report from the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports Communication desk. Primary school football will be reformatted this academic year to engage a larger number of students at higher levels of competition. This and other matters came up as district sports coordinators had their first sit down for the term on Tuesday. Youth and Sports Officer Isabel Alexander Marquis says previously each district would select outstanding players from its schools to form a team to compete in the inter-district tournament. She explains the new game structure dubbed Super 16. This year the proposal was to have a 16 team competition. So each district would have their respective inter-district competitions and the top two teams coming out of those competitions within the district will go up into the next round of 16 where the Ministry collaborates with the Football Association. Physical education teachers are generally optimistic about this new format for primary school football. Eldridge Charles from the Bocash Combined School appreciates the move but says the new structure will need to be refined over time. It has drawbacks and some positives. I honestly see where they want to go with it. More participation is important. But like everything else it has some things that I think that needs to be worked out just for the betterment of the sport and the children. Because at that level you more or less look into develop footballers that will go on to take part in nationals and go on to represent St. Lucia. The idea of more participation it is very good but just maybe I think their approach might need a little work that's about it. But there's positives and negatives like everything else. The Ministry's schedules for primary school netball, tennis, table tennis and road race were also reviewed with coordinators at the meeting. The prospects for these remain unchanged. Honestly happy that the Ministry is trying to engage PE teachers more. That's actually one of the things that I've been saying all along. PE teachers have the most contact time with any student in their life. As a former coach for district I would probably come to a school and maybe see one class every week maybe. But as a PE teacher now I see a whole school in a week so we have a lot more contact time with the children. So the Ministry of Sports coming on board especially at the primary level which is so important in development of any athlete because the things that they learn at primary school are the basics of what they're going to be using for the rest of their life. So I think that's very important and that partnership is something that definitely needs to continue and even grow stronger. Tuesday's meeting of the Island's primary school sports coordinators was held at the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports Conference room. From the Ministry's communications unit, I am Jesse Leance reporting. Stay with NTN Nightly up next, Primers. Hutchingson is here with the NTN Nuffal. Do you know me? I've been forced to do this by my trafficker. I was promised a better life but got forced into domestic servitude. I can be any age, I can be any gender, any ethnicity. I am, I am, I am a victim of trafficking in persons. Know the signs, see it, report it. If you see me, please help me. Call the TIP Hotline at 847. Welcome back. We join Primers Hutchingson for the NTN Nouvelle Aquial. I am the Department of University of Sanctuary for Information. I am the government of this place, GIS, National Television and NNN. I am also the new Aquial, I am also the Prime Minister of Hutchingson. This place was set up for the GAM to celebrate my 2019 Quial heritage. I have done research here, I have done my job here for the entire October. My objective here is to encourage people to discover the values of the country's citizens. I have done a collaboration with Patrick Anthony, I have done the foundation of the Cultural Development and Events Center. According to the director of the Faculty of Research, Louis Victor, I have officially opened the 29th of September 2019 in Soufouillet. I started here in the week of the 4th of March. I have done a lot of activities here. I have started here in the place of the Uyberdes and Old Trafford. I have also done a visitation for various places, I have also done a collaboration and foundation for the development of Soufouillet. I have also done a foundation for the Cultural Development and Events Center where I have done a lot of contributions to the culture and the artisan and to buy young people out of the opportunity to learn great contributions. The Executive Director for the Foundation, Madame Ramona Henry-Wayne, declared that he would also like to observe the Gouin Festival in Marguerite on the 27th of October, where I have done a lot of contributions to the artisan. I have started here in the United States, to celebrate the cultural impact that it has faced throughout the country. I would like to celebrate the cultural impact that the artisan has experienced and to celebrate it in a different way. I have celebrated the 2019 Gouin Festival in Miku, Viefort and Gouzillet. The students who have graduated from the University of Marguerite who perform a TUEHO in the examination of common entrances in the Salah, to be longer and co-cognitioned by the post-Statiff of the Parliament for Babonow, Honourable Ezekiel Joseph. This student received a TUEHO in the Caddo and the TUEHO who performed TUEHO to be laptop. Due to the ceremony, Mekwidi live in 6th September at multiple centres, several students went out to attend the primary school and also to the secondary school, Babonowah, who was present to receive the TUEHO for performance. Repositive Honourable Ezekiel Joseph explained that the initiative had made a consideration for the students who had approached the laptop for issues that were accepted in secondary school. In 2000, the school was recommended to the teachers to perform a TUEHO in Babonow, which is called Babonow Live in the Common Entrance School. Now, let me explain it to you. The teachers of Babonow had a TUEHO of 75 per cent. So, in my class, the teachers recognized that the TUEHO had a TUEHO of 75 per cent. But, in my class, the teachers of Babonow had a TUEHO of 75 per cent. So, the ministry of education had a TUEHO of 75 per cent in the laptop. The total number of TUEHO's members was no more than 75 per cent. So, in my class, the districtЗose stations' school had Air cracked and 그래서 for the network, the FUEHO of 75 per cent was theAPT of 75 per legendary, of 75 per cent, educational, and also the principal, the second year, Babonudu. My Evelyn recognized me too. So when I was okay, I recognized my student who had a CXC climate. So I called Babonudu for CXC. So that's how the program started. I would like to thank the guys who have been there. I would like to recommend that you guys help me. If you have the resources, you can help me. I am a lot of officers who are here. I am an officer of education. I am a nurse. I am a nurse. I am a doctor. I am a doctor. I am a doctor. I am a doctor. I am a doctor. I am a doctor. I'm a nurse. I'm a nurse. I'm a nurse. I am a nurse. I am a nurse. I am a nurse also. I'm an officer. I'm an officer. I am a nurse. This program together with other students were a big challenge in this educational program such as the MAF. I found this new thing, I told Mr. Otter, to keep it. I had no other choice but to invite him. And then I told him that if he knew what he was going to do, he would be able to do a lot of new things. And then I told him that I would never do it again. Merci appeal primers. Here's a look at what's happening to us weather-wise. Winds will be blowing from between the east-northeast and southeast near 12 miles per hour or 19 kilometers per hour, becoming lighter at times. It will be generally fair for the rest of tonight. A few cloudy periods with showers are expected during the day tomorrow. A low-level share line will cause a few brief showers over the eastern Caribbean islands during the early afternoon. A tropical wave located a few hundred miles east of the Lesser Antilles is expected to cause a few cloudy periods with showers over the islands tomorrow. Another tropical wave located over the eastern tropical Atlantic is moving westward at about 12 miles per hour or 19 kilometers per hour. Lorenzo is now a category 4 hurricane. Maximum sustained winds are near 130 miles per hour or 215 kilometers per hour with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is possible and changes in intensity are expected over the next day or two. Hurricane Lorenzo is expected to remain over the Central Atlantic Ocean well east of the Lesser Antilles during the next five days. The tide for Castris Harbor was high at 2.17 p.m. and will be low again at 7.28 p.m. The tide for V4 Bay was high at 3.24 p.m. and will be low again at 8.55 p.m. The seas slide with waves 2 to 5 feet or 0.6 to 1.5 meters. The sun will rise Friday at 5.53 a.m. That brings us to the end of NTN Nightly. Join us next time at 7 p.m. with a repeat at 7 a.m. You can also catch up with us anytime on the St. Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am General Norvel.