NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (JULY 3, 2013) – Deputy Premier and Minister of Health in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Hon. Mark Brantley, has described the commissioning of a pharmacy at the Brown Hill Health Centre—the first to be attached to one of the island’s district health facilities—as a phenomenal achievement.
The Health Minister was at the time addressing a ceremony to signal the official opening of the pharmacy on July 02, 2013 at the Brown Hill Health Centre.
“I am very, very proud today because for the first in Nevis, the first time in our history, we’re able to offer pharmaceutical services at the clinics at the district level. This marks, I think, yet another achievement.
“I have the honour of declaring the pharmacy at Brown Hill open for business and so everyone can come and get their supplies, from children all the way up to the elderly, for those who suffer from hypertension or diabetes, whatever it may be. We are trying very much to provide that service to you in an easy, accessible and affordable manner,” Minster Brantley said.
He described the opening of the onsite pharmacy as not only significant for the residents of St. John’s Parish but also as a pilot project for the entire island of Nevis.
“We view this as a pilot project. We are hopeful that it runs successfully and if so, we certainly will be minded… to consider this in the other districts, in the other areas of the island.
According to the Health Minister, the new pharmacy forms part of a project which was supported by the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF).
“I want to thank the community of Brown Hill. This, I’m told, was a BNTF project and the people of Brown Hill actually participated in the construction. They provided some of the labour that went into the structure so it is, again, a clear demonstration of the partnership between the government and the community, public-private sector partnership. We cannot do it alone in government so we need the assistance of the community. We need the assistance of the private sector to make healthcare affordable, accessible and safe.
“I thank all of those who were involved in this. I thank you [Senior Pharmacist at the Alexandra Hospital Margaret Wells], for your assistance, your continued assistance and certainly, let us hope that in the next several months and during the course of the next few years, we can have these opening ceremonies at other districts around the island so that we can have our pharmaceuticals available to our citizens and residents in as an accessible a manner as possible,” Brantley said.
According to the Minister of Health, pharmaceutical services at the Brown Hill Health Centre Pharmacy will be available on Tuesday afternoons initially but over time consideration will be made for the extension of these services to other clinics.