 I'd like to acknowledge the presence of the Honorable Moses Jebaptis, who is the Minister for Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs of St. Lucia, Ms. Jenny Daniel, Commandant Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs of St. Lucia, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sharon Belma George, the Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs, our financial analyst, Mr. Anthony Fuljans. Chief Health Planner, Mrs. Lauren James Blanchard, the Chief Executive Officer of St. Jude Hospital, Ms. Lydia Atkins, along with the St. Jude Hospital Management Team and present with us from our team, we have today Dr. Sibyl Nitram, Marvin James, who is Dr. Nitram is our Medical Director, Marvin James is our Financial Manager, Marvin Joseph, our Finance Manager, and we have our Nursing Director, Mrs. Cherry and St. Mary Philip. I also acknowledge the presence of Lucas Polio, Mr. Lucas Polio, Biomedical Engineer in the Ministry of Health, our OR representatives. We have with us this morning Dr. So and Dr. Prakash. We also have our Acting Chargeness in the OR, Ms. Sayana Dormant, and I welcome our communications team from the Ministry of Health. My name is Feborena Renata-Jeriff and I'm privileged to take you through this ceremony, the hand-in-over of the anesthesia machine by the Ministry of Health to St. Jude Hospital. And so on that note, I would like to invite Dr. Sibyl Nitram, the Medical Director of St. Jude Hospital, and she will deliver now the opening remarks. On behalf of the Board and Management and staff of St. Jude Hospital, I would like to thank the Ministry of Health for the donation of a brand new, modern, I must emphasize, anesthesia machine, our AM6000+. The anesthesia machine will be housed in our operating room where it will be used for emergency and elective surgery on our patients. An anesthesia machine is a key piece of equipment used every day in the operating room. It delivers inhaled anesthesia and oxygen to patients while monitoring their blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. An anesthesia machine can also be converted quickly into a ventilator for patients undergoing surgeries who may need to be given ventilatory support. I am certain that our operating room staff and our surgeons are elated and welcome the use of this new machine. As a service provider to the public, we embrace this anesthesia machine with pride, knowing that it will improve on the quality of care we offer our patients. I thank the Ministry of Health for its continued generosity and response to our needs here at St. Jude Hospital and work together with them to improve the health care of our nation. Thank you very much. This morning, I don't think you understand what the donation of this brand new machine means, and I really want for it to be a reflection of the commitment that my office and the Ministry of Health has to the One Health approach. On the evening of January 26th, when I got the call that the anesthesia machine at St. Jude Hospital was not working, I think that night I barely slept because it was one of the most miserable nights for me knowing what it meant for health care in the South. And I think from my late messages to the PS, where if you know PS well, she likes documentation, my late messages, my emails, my to indicate the urgency with which we need to provide a level of support. For me, especially as it relates to St. Jude, Dr. Natrom, I work very closely with all of the clinical directors because I believe in and the Ministry does the One Health System approach. We have to ensure access, equity, and quality care for the entire island, whether it be a statutory organization or not, we have to ensure that support is given. Most persons don't know the level of which I work with Dr. Natrom, where it comes to resolving a lot of the issues and ensuring a level of clinical support and standards to St. Jude. And having Ms. Atkins join the team, where I think everybody who knows Ms. Atkins and her determination to getting things done and making sure it's done properly, definitely adds to it coming through a lot faster for St. Jude. And the situation that came through, the situation that came about, about the anesthesia machine not working, it further compounded the situation why we needed to look a little closer at the situation with St. Jude. I also got the opportunity to meet with the various levels of staff over the last year and the feeling the need to ensure a certain standard of care. You know, I got the opportunity to have firsthand from the staff what they wanted, what they needed. And I have to also commend the staff, the job that they do, given the conditions of the stadium. So it was with great joy when I heard that the brand new one, I mean, it's a little over a month was ready. And for me, St. Jude needed to get the brand new one. And even if they were given one in the interim, it was extremely important for them to get the brand new one, knowing what an anesthesia machine does for the health institution. So I just wanted to be very clear on the level of commitment that we have. Dr. Natrium knows St. Jude is always included with everything that we do, with every opportunity that we get, whether it be equipment, whether it be training, we ensure all of our health facilities are included to benefit from whatever resources are available. So I want for that to be a further signal and sign of the level of commitment that we have with working with St. Jude to ensure that we are able to provide the quality of care at all of our healthcare facilities. Thank you. This morning, of course, heralds a new day in the operations at St. Jude Hospital, as we now have access here to a new anesthetic machine, anesthesia machine, sorry, which has been provided by the Ministry of Health during an emergency period when the machines available at the hospital will not function in. Of course, Dr. Belma would have indicated the stressfulness of that period and the stressfulness of that night. Ms. Atkins, I think we were in that battle together and without being biased towards it, we both are from the south of St. Lucia along with Honorable Minister who was also in that battle that night as well. And I think very much so that we were extremely concerned and of course, very happy to be able to procure finance and to today present this machine to St. Jude Hospital. I want to acknowledge and of course thank the usual cooperation and a great effort being made by our biomedical engineer, Mr. Lucas Polio, who of course, and on emergency points, given that he had relationships with the suppliers was able to secure and procure this machine for us. And of course, the supportiveness of our financial analysts and the finance unit of the Ministry of Health for providing the support to allow us to have this machine here today. Of course, the ministry will continue to support St. Jude as it endeavors to improve the service provided to persons within the south. And of course, once the onset of the transition to the new premises comes up, we will also continue to provide that level of support in the reconstruction, in the transitioning as is required by us at the Ministry of Health. We continue, however, in the premises to recognize some of the shortcomings and shortfalls in terms of biomedical equipment, in terms of staffing, the need for training, the need for augmentation of staff as well. And we will continue to provide that support to strengthen the provision of health services in St. Jude. We recognize that St. Jude is a major partner in the implementation of universal health coverage. And as we embark on this continued journey as in the next financial year, we will continue to seek the support of the St. Jude Hospital and to strengthen their capacity to help us to implement this much needed program. So I will not be very long here. I just want to thank all those who have been involved in providing this machine here today and of course to present officially the machine to the St. Jude Hospital and to request that they do take care of it, that they request for our assistance, our biomedical engineer is available in the event that there's any issue with it and to provide a commitment to you that we will continue to provide support as is necessary. I'm very pleased to be here this morning to continue the expression of our commitment as a government to quality service and quality healthcare at the St. Jude Hospital. I want to thank on behalf of the Prime Minister, I want to thank all of the health professionals, the ancillary staff, whether it be security, sanitation professionals and all those who continue to support the St. Jude Hospital in this difficult time. The staff at the St. Jude Hospital continue to endure despite the conditions and despite the difficulties. But when we came into government, we promised that we would return the St. Jude Hospital to the original site and that while we are doing this, while we are transitioning, while we are preparing the site, we will do all in our power to ensure that the service at the St. Jude Hospital continues an upward trend, so to speak. The quality of service continues to be improved and that would give the St. Jude Hospital as much assistance as we could. An anesthesia machine is undoubtedly one of the most important machines in a hospital as it helps doctors sedate their patients before surgery and keeps them asleep while breathing throughout the procedure. It primarily functions to help reduce pain during a medical operation. I'm sure you can just imagine going on the surgery wide awake and feeling every single procedure being performed on you. I don't think you want to imagine that. The advanced 6000 plus anesthesia machine will greatly assist the St. Jude Hospital in the surgical care area. A while ago, you heard Dr. Natrum and she indicated that this is an up-to-date advanced machine. The St. Jude Hospital recently experienced a shortfall in the availability of such machines which required some adjustments to the surgical schedules for a brief period. In response to this, the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs interceded and has provided assistance to the hospital in the form of this machine here which is being donated today. The Government of St. Lucia is acutely aware of the need for strengthening the capacity at the St. Jude Hospital, particularly given the current circumstances surrounding the hospital environment. The anesthesia machine is donated at a cost of approximately 72,000 Eastern Caribbean dollars and it is a major addition to the biomedical resources of the hospital. This machine supplies a mixture of oxygen, gas and anesthetic agent to a patient, allowing them to remain unconscious but breathing during surgery. It is a very versatile machine which includes the following features, a ventilator which is essentially a set of external lungs. It breathes for the patients while maintaining the patient's regular respiratory rates and blood chemistry. Breathing circuits which deliver the essential gases to the patient and subsequently eliminate the carbon dioxide exhale. Scavenging system which collects and expels anesthetic gases from the operating room. The anesthesia machine also monitors the vital signs of the patient. The Ministry continues to provide vital support to the St. Jude Hospital in consideration of its contribution to the wider health sector and in aid of health sector reforms in St. Lucia. Again, the government of St. Lucia is committed to completing the St. Jude Hospital at the original site at OJ. I can tell you as we speak here today, work continues on the fencing to secure the premises and work has also started on some of the internal structures. I'm very happy to say to you that I am at a... You can reach me at any time. I have had discussions with Dr. Neutrum sometimes on planned discussions and she has always been willing to speak with me and always been willing to express her concerns. So I thank her for all of the discussions. As soon as I became Minister, she expressed to me all the concerns of the hospital and the need for updated machines was one of the very topical issues she always raised. I also wish to thank Dr. Joseph. He's not here today, but Dr. Joseph, every time he sees me, he speaks about the anesthesia machine. Every single time, I can guarantee you. So I wish to thank him for the awareness. The CMO, the Permanent Secretary and the Permanent Secretary said that maybe it's a little biased but she shouldn't be ashamed to say that. It is biased. We are very sensitive to the needs of the St. Jude Hospital. We are from the south and we want to ensure that things go well. She says to me all the time, Minister, I'm from the south and if we don't put things at St. Jude right, I may not be able to drive through my community. And I share the same view and I'm sure the CEO and look now we have Mr. Marvin and all of us, we are very, very concerned. And I thank the CMO and the others, the whole staff of the ministry who seem to be also very concerned about the St. Jude Hospital. I wish at this time to thank all those who assisted that fateful night when the phone calls were flying here and there, when we had some challenges with the anesthesia machine at the St. Jude Hospital. And I want to thank the CMO, all those who participated, the PS in particular because some people may think that the PS is extra concerned and speaks in a kind of way. I usually say we should have no apologies for those kinds of emotions because we know we are talking about life and death and we're talking about situations where we believe everyone should be very sensitive to issues like this. And if you are in a position to do something to assist and your emotions cause you to get the job done, then bravo. I can be very emotional sometimes too. But when you think of the patients and you think of the conditions here at the stadium and you know that something can be done to improve it, you have to get emotional. So I thank the PS for her tremendous support and I thank all the staff of the ministry and the team at St. Jude. You have a wonderful team. Miss Lydia Adkins, welcome to the... Well, you are always part of the team, the health team, but welcome to the St. Jude Hospital. I think this is the first formal function where we are speaking to you as CEO. So I wish you all the strength and you have our support, you have my support. Dr. Nitram, you have my support. The staff at St. Jude, Mr. Joseph, you have my support. And I know you have the support of Mr. Polio and especially our FA, you have his support. I know you're troubling for money, but... LAUGHTER He's trying his very best. So thank you, Mrs. Jeref, and thanks to you too for your role. And I look forward. Oxygen is different. Bagaia is different. The wind is different. It has a dormitory. With... Chow is always fighting. It has an aspiration. But it's a living machine. A machine that keeps fighting. And it's a doctor because it can do the operation. We at St. Jude Hospital are always in trouble with these machines. So now that we are in a difficult situation with a lot of machines, we have a lot of hospitals to take care of St. Jude. So the minister decided that we will take a machine made by St. Jude with a machine that will advance when it comes to the top of the line. Because today we came to St. Jude to take a machine made by the hospital with a machine made by the hospital in the best possible location to buy these machines that will come to the hospital in the best possible location. I want to thank everyone who works with us to bring these machines here. Mr. Polion, who works with St. Jude. Dr. Nitrom, Mr. Lydia King, who is the director of the hospital. Mr. Joseph, who has done all the work at the hospital. We are here today with the director of the medical department with our permanent secretary. And all these doctors who work will be placed in the hospital to do the operation. I want to thank Mrs. Lauren Blanchard with Chargina Starr with all of them, Mrs. Jariff, with all of them who work at the hospital. We know the situation at the hospital is difficult. The condition at the hospital is difficult. But the government is working to take the hospital here to take care of St. Jude. What we are talking about today is the work that St. Jude has done at the hospital. We have put security at the hospital with the work that St. Jude has done in the building and at the hospital today. Today, we're talking about it. We know that they have taken St. Jude here with our work to do that. But we know that we have to keep the situation that St. Jude has done with the work to do the primary work. And today, that's what we've done. I want to thank everyone and all the doctors with North St. Jude, and BASIC conditions are not too sweet. Thank you very much, thank you very much. Thank you. So it is a great honor today for us to be hosting what marks the handing over ceremony of this newest piece of equipment to St Jude Hospital brought by the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs. Today's donation shows the commitment of the Ministry of Health to Health Care in the South and the ministry's rapid response to what was an urgent cry for assistance on the evening of January 26, 2023. And while we say thank you to the Ministry of Health for today's donation, we want to ensure that we also give recognition and thanks and appreciation to the respiratory hospital for its donation on the 27th of January, responding to the urgent the urgent need for an anesthesia machine and providing much needed support through a donated piece of equipment that is now replaced today with this brand new machine. So it is my opinion that doctors plus medicines plus equipment and the assistance from the Ministry of Health forms a holistic package. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, nations have their borders but humanitarianism has no boundaries. Countries may have people who maybe reach or poor but each person's right to basic health services should be equally guaranteed. Being a developing country in itself and being a facility in a developing country, St Jude Hospital fully understands the challenges and difficulties that countries face in providing health services to their people. Today's donation by the Ministry of Health shows the Ministry's continued commitment to ensuring that there is equity in the delivery of health care services irrespective of where persons of St Lucia choose to or may be required to access services. I'm often reminded the Minister would have mentioned it in his presentation and his delivery this morning and sometimes I reflect on the novel by Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities and it is a novel that focuses or deals with a concept of resurrection and oftentimes I speak to A Tale of Two St Jude and so Minister would have referenced the reconstruction at the original site in Oje and given again the Ministry's and the Government of St Lucia's commitment to ensuring the completion of that facility to facilitate the transition from the George Ordnam Stadium to St Jude's original home in Oje and give and demonstrated again continued commitment to the other city of St Jude or the other tale of Two Cities of St Jude which is commitment to the operations at the George Ordnam Stadium but operations or medical operations and clinical operations continues to be performed in terms of providing services and medical services to a health care service to the persons of the south and today's donation is again a continued commitment to supporting the both or the two St Jude's. St Jude at the George Ordnam Stadium and St Jude at the Oje site. And so when it is that I conclude my remarks today I reaffirm St Jude's commitment to providing excellent care to the people of the south but as well recognize the continued commitment of our partner in the Ministry of Health to providing excellent quality service to the people of St Lucia irrespective of whether those services are provided in community whether those services are provided in the public sector whether those services are provided in at the Millennium Heights medical complex or whether those services are provided at St Jude Hospital as well as whether those services are provided in a private sector and it is that commitment that we applaud today at St Jude and we recognize in today's ceremony and so again thank you to the Ministry of Health for its continued partnership and continued support to St Jude Hospital and invariably to the people of the south and so PS we recognize that it is true that we are from the south and maybe for the very first time the health sector has in a minister who is from the south a PS who's from the south and for one of our facilities in the south a chief executive officer who is also of the south and I am thankful to be part of this esteemed team and continue to express the endurance commitment to the Ministry of Health in its rollout of healthcare service and healthcare delivery to all of St Lucia and more specifically to the persons of the southern southern end of the island thank you