Last Updated on October 31, 2023, 6:02 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The Prime Minister and Minister of Health of St Kitts And Nevis Dr Terrance Drew has announced the build out towards transforming Basseterre into a 4-minute city commenced with the procurement of a new CT scan machine. The announcement was made on October 30, 2023.
“The Government has bought a brand-new CT scan machine, a 128 slice. I know that Nevis already has a 128-slice CT scan, so in the space of St. Kitts and Nevis we would have two very modern CT scan machines,” quoted from Prime Minister Dr Drew.
The introduction of this advanced CT scan machine is crucial for detecting critical cases of heart disease, which is one of the leading causes of death in the St Kitts And Nevis country.
PM Drew said that this development will enable timely intervention and treatment. The government is in the process of establishing a catheterization laboratory (cath lab) in collaboration with various countries and developers.
This cath lab will play a vital role in creating the 4-minute city concept, where individuals experiencing chest pain in Basseterre can receive medical care within four minutes.
The government of St Kitts And Nevis plans to conduct a robust educational campaign involving businesses and the general public. This is to raise awareness of the heart disease and provide training on how to use automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for heart resuscitation.
AEDs is being said to be relatively easy to use and require only about an hour of training. Its objective is to make St Kitts and Nevis the first 4-minute city in the Caribbean, ensuring that residents and tourists alike have the best chances of survival in case of emergencies.
PM Drew has mentioned that this initiative will not be limited to Basseterre alone but will also be introduced on Nevis island.
The ultimate goal of introducing the 4 minute city concept is to create a network of trained individuals and resources to respond swiftly to cardiac arrest cases and save lives within the critical four-minute window.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
