The five-year Health Link II Programme commenced just on a year ago, this being one of St Helena’s largest projects which will consume some £6.3m. Most of the funding comes from the Department for International Development.

The project deals with a wide range of St Helena’s health matters, from the recruiting of doctors and specialists, to training health staff and purchasing health equipment.

As part of the project, 2003 saw a number of visits by health personnel. These included the Pharmacist, and the Public Health Specialist. In addition, there were the usual visits by the Optometrist, Ophthalmic Surgeon, the Ear Nose and Throat Surgeon, and the arrival of the Nurse Tutor. This year will see visits by a Gynaecologist, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, and a Food Microbiologist. In addition there will be the annual visits by the Ophthalmic Surgeon and the Optometrist. Betty Peters, Assistant Secretary said that some 800 people have booked to see the Optometrist.

Whilst not part of the Health Link II project, the department also saw the visit of a consultant Nutritionist who is working closely with health staff. A number of workshops were held in the Community and advice was offered on nutritional issues. The visit has been extended to February 2004 to allow the Nutritionist to conduct a baseline nutrition survey for which several Community Workers were engaged to assist. This visit was funded by the World Health Organisation.

Health Link II covers six main outputs, family health, hypertension and diabetes, elderly care, mental health, environmental health, and human resources development. In speaking about the visits the Island has had to date and the visits which are due to take place in 2004, Betty said: "some of these visits contribute to more than one output."

The Health Link II project requires short term visits by health specialists, as the necessary expertise is not available on Island. It is expected that specialist visits will continue in the future.