CASTRIES, St. Lucia (CMC):

The St. Lucia Government says it has sought the assistance of Canada to have health institutions on the island internationally certified.

Health Minister Dr. Keith Mondesir told a news conference that the accreditation process would begin next month with the arrival of a team from Canada.

"If you do not have a standard that tourists are happy and satisfied with, people will be very concerned about coming to your institutions.

"So we have asked them for an accreditation that will get us to the Canadian level, knowing our facilities are on par and meeting the standards required by the Canadian accreditation system," he said.