CARPHA, TCI launch TCI CARE programme
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos – In a determined response to ensuring the health and safety of its visitors and residents, the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) in collaboration with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) launched the Tourism Health and Safety programme (THP), under TCI CARE, on June 22 2016 at Grace Bay Club, Providenciales. Turks and Caicos is the first Caribbean country to officially launch the THP nationally, leading the way regionally for enhancing the health and safety of the tourism in this landmark event.
Premier Dr. Rufus Ewing emphasised that tourism was TCI’s mainstay, hence his vision of the TCI CARE National Initiative for sustainable tourism. This would ensure the health and safety of both the visitors and residents of TCI. He indicated that TCI CARE represented the fingerprint of tourism in TCI. It promotes the six features of the TCI tourism (Safety, Security, Service and Sun, Sand, Sea), and TCI’s commitment to providing a unique and the highest quality tourism product in the world. The safety (health) component of TCI CARE will be executed under its national THP, led by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with CARPHA.
Executive Director, CARPHA, Dr. C. James Hospedales indicated that tourism-based illnesses were very common and thus had major negative economic impacts on the tourism dependent Caribbean economies. However, these events were preventable with good systems of surveillance, training and standards. CARPHA is confident that the THP will result in triple bottom-line returns in health (by having fewer and less costly outbreaks), in environment, and in the economy.
[su_box title=”The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA)” style=”soft” box_color=”#54c0f0″]The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) is the new single regional public health agency for the Caribbean. It was legally established in July 2011 by an Inter-governmental Agreement signed by Caribbean Member States and began operation in January 2013. The Agency rationalises public health arrangements in the Region by combining the functions of five Caribbean Regional Health Institutions (RHIs) into a single agency. They are: The Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) The Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) The Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI) The Caribbean Health Research Council (CHRC) The Caribbean Regional Drug Testing Laboratory (CRDTL) CARPHA brings these RHIs together as one strong force under a public health umbrella where issues requiring a regional response can be addressed.[/su_box]
The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Tourism, Mrs Desiree Lewis said that addressing health issues in tourism was critical for protecting and boosting tourism in TCI. She indicated that her Ministry fully supported the national THP initiative and was ready for immediate implementation.
Dr. Lisa Indar, Head of CARPHA’s Regional Tourism and Health Programme, stressed that the THP offered the best solution to health, safety and environmental sanitation challenges being faced by Caribbean tourism. The regional THP is a win-win solution for both Tourism and Health, since it included a real-time early warning and response system whereby negative health events in the tourism industry would be addressed immediately; health safety and environmental sanitation protocols, standards and certification; and an intense training and education initiative. The key benefit of THP will be fewer, less costly outbreaks and other negative public health events occurring in tourism and thereby a healthier, safer, more reputable Caribbean for both visitors and locals. However, joint implementation from all tourism and health stakeholders was necessary for THP’s success.
The highlight of the TCI CARE THP launch was at the end when the Premier indicated, “I give you TCI CARE’. This triggered a series of wonderful and exciting national infomercials on TCI CARE that demonstrated “whether you have a cold, headache, hangover, tummy ache, or even a sun burn, security or service issue, rest assured that TCI will CARE’. This was greeted with loud applause from the audience that included regional and national Government representatives. (CARPHA Press Release)