It is said that creating a better world requires teamwork and collaboration. Nowhere is this more evident than on the small Caribbean island of Nevis.
Part of the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, the island is home to around 13,000 people. For years, its population has been graced with the fortunes of picturesque natural beauty, year-round sun, and a thriving economy that keeps unemployment low and living standards high.
Adding to the long list of attractions, the people of Nevis are benefitting from considerable advances in their healthcare.
Nevis health officials recently visited Taiwan to observe progressive mental health practices and community interventions. Taipei Veterans General Hospital has been collaborating with St Kitts and Nevis to strengthen policy, healthcare personnel capacity, accessibility, and public awareness around mental health.
Speaking about the relationship, Hospital Deputy Superintendent Dr. Lee Wui-Chiang said they have established a ‘strong working relationship with St Kitts and Nevis in the past decade, particularly in the fields of chronic kidney disease and metabolic diseases’.
Taipei hospital is also now training mental healthcare professionals from the Caribbean federation.
This initiative, with assistance from the incumbent Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) party, under the leadership of Premier Mark Brantley, boosts healthcare provision and underlines the island administration’s commitment to investing in the training of young Nevisians.
During his weekly ‘On the Mark’ radio show, Premier Brantley reminded his audience of the importance of training and education in development. In the past twelve years, the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) has reportedly supported 275 young Nevisians through their Financial Assistance Programme.
The NIA Ministry of Human Resources’ programme recently opened applications for the 2025 financial assistance process, which will enable more Nevisians to study abroad at some of the world’s best universities.
The training initiative with Taiwan is the latest in a series of events which are improving bilateral relations. In 2015, Taiwan donated wheelchairs and a vital information system to Nevis’ hospital.
The CCM’s support of global travel to expand medical knowledge is not the only feat of the incumbent Nevis government. The NIA has also embarked on an ambitious hospital expansion.
Located in Charlestown on the island’s Caribbean side and initially constructed in 1909, the Alexandra Hospital is Nevis’ only federal medical facility. In 2001, with a grant from the EU, a new building was erected to accommodate A&E patients.
In the most recent developments, the upgraded hospital will see a new wing of more than 60,000 square feet added to the existing building which will include a physiotherapy wing, paediatric isolation wing, laboratory wing, operating theatre and radiology wing.
The hospital expansion, in conjunction with Nevis’ enduring pursuit of medical excellence, indicates that the Caribbean island’s healthcare sector has a bright future.
However, in the face of mounting geopolitical uncertainty, Premier Brantley has been clear that Nevis will need further transformational investments to secure long-term prosperity.
This ‘gamechanger’, which the Brantley administration continues to pursue, will enable Nevis to compete with the leading healthcare systems of Barbados and the Bahamas.
This would be a huge feat, delivering world class healthcare in a region that often has to settle for less in terms of public service provision.
