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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, January 17, 2018 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Work continues apace on the construction of a brand new health centre in Tabernacle, as the Team Unity-led Government continues to do what is necessary to ensure that primary healthcare services are readily available to every resident and citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis.

A Ground Blessing Ceremony is being planned for Thursday (January 18) at the site of the new centre at Station Street, Tabernacle.

Health care services in Tabernacle were moved to the basement of the facility that houses the Daycare Centre after it was found that the building where the health centre was previously located was hazardous, and was subsequently deemed unfit for continued use.

Minister of State within the Ministry of Health, the Honourable Wendy Phipps, stated recently that the old facility was in a dire state of dilapidation, which included extensive termite infestation.

The minister noted that as a result of the infestation, “The actual vegetation around the premises all had to be removed.” Senator Phipps also said that extensive soil treatment was carried out before construction commenced on the new facility, which is located on the same piece of lot as the old establishment.

Prime Minister and Parliamentary Representative for Constituency #7, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, said the decision to relocate the health services had become an impediment to the proper deliver of basic daycare services in Tabernacle.

“The spatial requirement that was determined as necessary for the delivery of daycare services in Tabernacle was compromised by that act, as the space then had to be yielded to get the health service going, and obviously the centre was not built with that in mind and you then had the usual complaints and deficiencies,” Dr. Harris said during a cheque handing over ceremony in November, 2017.

During that ceremony, Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency George Gow Wei Chiou, handed over a cheque valued over EC$1 million to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis for the construction of the new health centre.