 The Government of St. Lucia recently accepted receipt of a 40-bed field hospital and vehicles from the Government of the United States of America, following a handover ceremony, and the St Lucia Fire Service Training School. Minister for Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs, the Honourable Mouzi Javatis, expressed gratitude for the donation of the field hospital, which will strengthen the ministry's ability to respond to the challenges associated with a pandemic and natural disasters. This donation to St Lucia is timely, not only because of the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on local hospital resources, but as a practical response to increasing climate change-related threats. This gift, the field hospital behind me, will be critical in the face of disasters and other national health-related challenges. Ambassador of the United States of America to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean and the OECS, Her Excellency Linda Taglialatella, expressed the commitment of her government to assist in the people of St Lucia and its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This field hospital is yet another demonstration of our commitment to the health and wellbeing of our partners in the hemisphere. Our donation of this critically needed medical infrastructure will increase the ability of St Lucia to address the ongoing pandemic and meet future challenges from natural disasters. The past two years have been a challenging period for the entire world. No one has been spared from the impact of this global pandemic. Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Economic Development and Youth Economy, the Honourable Philip J Pierre, welcomed the kind gesture of the government of the United States of America to improve the health infrastructure of the country in the time of a pandemic or disaster. The field hospital will significantly augment St Lucia's physical health infrastructure, enhance our disaster response readiness and enable the provision of medical assistance in remote areas, if necessary. But more importantly, at this critical time, it will equip the country with a standby capacity to manage any severe virus, spike or other emergency. The 40-bed field hospital with a capacity to manage eight patients in ICU is valued at US $600,000. The free vehicles donated for use by the St Lucia Fire Service has a value of the US $44,519.52. Reporting from the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs, I am Phunan Neptune.