BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – June 20, 2026 – In a landmark demonstration of corporate social responsibility, the TDC Group of Companies has donated a fully outfitted Scherber First Responder Backpack to the Port Health Unit at Robert L. Bradshaw (RLB) International Airport, aiming to reinforce the airport’s capacity to handle sudden medical emergencies for travelers and staff alike.
The handover ceremony, held at TDC’s Basseterre headquarters, marked the latest step in the company’s long-standing commitment to supporting public health infrastructure across St. Kitts and Nevis. Lester Hanley, Chief Transportation and Logistics Officer at TDC, officially presented the kit to health authorities, outlining the critical gap the new equipment is designed to fill.
As the largest ground handling service provider at RLB Airport, TDC identified the urgent need for dedicated on-site emergency supplies after observing multiple past incidents where fast, effective medical intervention was critical to passenger safety. Hanley explained that relying on aircraft onboard medical oxygen for on-ground emergencies creates costly and disruptive outcomes: if an aircraft’s supplemental oxygen is used during a ground-level incident, the plane is unable to depart until its supplies are replenished, causing cascading delays across flight schedules.
The donated Scherber backpack is a purpose-built emergency response solution stocked with more than 250 individual first-aid and critical care items, including comprehensive supplies for emergency medical technician (EMT) response, emergency medical services (EMS) operations, trauma care, and oxygen administration. The kit also features four color-coded removable pouches for fast, organized access to supplies, plus a dedicated secure compartment for oxygen storage – a design tailored to the unique needs of high-traffic airport environments.
“Recognizing this unmet need, TDC was eager to step in and equip the port health team with the tools they need to protect the traveling public,” Hanley said.
Dr. Hazel Laws, Chief Medical Officer of St. Kitts and Nevis, accepted the donation on behalf of the Ministry of Health, praising TDC’s targeted contribution to the country’s public health preparedness. The donation arrives amid a strong rebound in tourism to the island nation: nearly 83,000 visitors have entered the country through RLB Airport in the first half of 2026, pushing passenger volumes to near pre-pandemic levels.
“In an increasingly connected world, international travel drives economic and cultural growth for small island nations like St. Kitts and Nevis, but rising cross-border movement also brings greater responsibility to keep ports of entry safe and prepared for any event,” Dr. Laws noted. She emphasized that RLB Airport, as the country’s primary international entry point, is a high-volume setting where medical emergencies can occur without warning. In most cases, the Port Health Team is the first to arrive on scene, often several minutes before external ambulance services can reach the airport, making on-site access to high-quality equipment a matter of life and death.
Dr. Laws added that the new emergency kit will fill a critical gap in the team’s existing resources, drastically cutting response times and improving outcomes for anyone experiencing a medical event at the airport. “This purpose-built kit gives our frontline health personnel all the essential supplies they need to effectively manage medical emergencies and other critical incidents. It will boost our preparedness, expand our response capacity, and directly advance the safety and well-being of travelers, airport employees, and the broader community,” she said.