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| Health Minister Hon Hensley Daniel welcomes Ms Ellen Grizzle President of the Caribbean Association of Pharmacist to Nevis. |
CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (August 21, 2006) -- Minister of Health in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Hon. Hensley Daniel has lauded the efforts of the Caribbean Association of Pharmacists (CAP) for its decision to honour Nevis longest serving Pharmacist Mr. Arthur Evelyn.
Mr Daniel made the comment on Friday August 18, 2006 at Mingles Restaurant at Cades Bay in Nevis as he welcomed over 130 members of the Association to the island for one day, as part of their annual convention which concluded in St Kitts last weekend.
Mr. Evelyn was one of four pharmacists awarded a Merit of Honour at the Associations Gala award ceremony at the Royal St Kitts Marriott Hotel last Saturday night for their contribution to the Region in the field of pharmacy for over 50 years.
The Caribbean Association of Pharmacists honouring Mr Evelyn is remarkable. As far as I can recall, Mr. Evelyn has been dispensing medicine in Nevis for more than 30 years and his contribution to the medical care in Nevis is remarkable. The fact that they [the Association] selected him is an indication of his sterling contribution to the quality of care in Nevis.
Of course I know there have been several times when persons have called on him late at evenings to obtain medication and he has responded. I am sure that all of Nevis is proud that this remarkable son of the soil will be honoured by Caribbean Pharmacists for an outstanding contribution to the development of health care in Nevis. I want to salute him and trust that this would serve as an inspiration to many young people in Nevis because we certainly can do with the training of two or three more pharmacists. The contribution of Mr. Evelyn on itself alone, should inspire others to want to pursue this noble profession, Mr Daniel said.
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A section of the visiting Caribbean Pharmacists at Mingles Restaurant on Nevis |
Commenting on the Convention, the Health Minister expressed hope that it would serve as a platform to develop standardised approaches to dispensing medication and an improved delivery of medication throughout the Caribbean, as pharmacists were a critical component of health care.
The [Pharmacists] play a critical role and we [NIA] want them to be able to improve their services, develop their skills and increase their knowledge so that the persons who require their assistance will get the best quality care.
Mr. Daniel explained that in an earlier meeting with a group from Caricom, they had discussed a Caribbean Health Bill which would entail regulatory arrangements for pharmacists and in the years to come standardised approaches to dispensing medication.
Meantime, Ms Ellen Grizzle who was later re elected to head the Association for the next two years, while on Nevis, told the Government Information Service that the Association had existed as a group for the past 30 years.
She explained that their convention in St. Kitts and Nevis, which was supported by pharmaceutical companies and some regional governments, was a part of the Associations continued empowerment of Caribbean Pharmacists for life, education and professional development, networking, becoming more health conscious individuals and to harmonise standards and practices.
