Published 18 June 2025
Buckie Got It
St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
Staff engagement and development: New uniforms for domestic staff at JNF Hospital
Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 18, 2025 (JNF Hospital Communications) — The Joseph France General Hospital was transformed Monday June 16 when domestic staff at the institution showed up wearing their new uniforms in a move the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Mr Curtis Martin, describes as being part of staff engagement and development.
This was a groundbreaking achievement, as according to PS Martin, the members of the domestic staff were simply not offered new uniforms as “we gave them a chance to participate in the choice of what the uniform should look like, and so they were part of that process.”
The Permanent Secretary, in highlighting the significant work done by the domestic staff said that a hospital is not just the nurses and the doctors, as the Ministry of Health has to make sure that the beds are clean, sheets are clean and ironed out, and they have to make sure that food gets to the patients on time, especially the diabetic patients.
“So, none of us in this institution is as great as all of us,” observed Mr Martin. “We are going brick by brick to ensure that every sector, every area, every group of staff understand that the orchestra of work must be one of togetherness – we are on the same page, we are in this together, and I want to thank them sincerely for the work they have been doing.”
The Permanent Secretary who was accompanied by Mrs Lindsey Maynard, Director of Operations, and Ms Stacey Battice, Operations Manager at JNF General Hospital, admitted that healthcare is not an easy area to manage because its dynamics can change at any moment, but said that they were prepared to respond and to deal with any challenges under the theme ‘People first – Quality always’.
“Domestic staff, just like the other orderlies and those in the other areas that do supportive work,” said Mr Martin. “They are in fact our supporting cast, and we want to make sure that they feel good about themselves.”
According to Ms Stacey Battice, the hospital has 52 domestic staff spread over in the areas of laundry, food servers, and those in the Central Sterilising Service Department (CSSD). She highlighted that these hardworking team members play a vital role in the day-to-day operations of the hospital.
