by Staff Writer
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): An official ceremony to receive two field hospitals, vehicles and other equipment valued at US$1.3 million from the U.S. government was held Wednesday, October 13, 2021, at the Warner Park Stadium.
The donation of 40-bed field hospitals, one for St. Kitts and the other in Nevis, also included two vans and technology equipment for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and a van and forklift for the Nevis Disaster Management Department (NDMD).
Speaking at the ceremony on Wednesday was Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris who thanked the U.S. government for the donation when he said the “U.S. government has emerged as a significant partner to us in the fight against the pandemic”. He said “I am delighted to participate in the historic handing over of this field hospital, an important first in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. And I’m equally delighted another hospital will too be commissioned on the island of Nevis.”
The U.S. Ambassador to St. Kitts and Nevis Linda Taglialatela said “we know that the medical beds of these two field hospitals will help you continue your model management of COVID-19. “They will support you to deploy first responders and medical personnel quickly to where they are needed. The United States will continue to stand with you to ensure our shared health and prosperity.”
The donation was made possible through the U.S. military’s U.S. Southern Command
Humanitarian Assistance Program. It included a four-day training on the setup, teardown,
and storage of the field hospitals with the U.S. manufacturer, Western Shelter. More than 30 members of fire, police, military and administrative health services participated in the
exercise with NEMA and NDMD.
The training crews are deconstructing the temporary setup Wednesday and Thursday at Warner Park as government and hospital officials survey site options in both St. Kitts and Nevis for the field hospitals’ deployment.
