Castries, Saint Lucia (30th December 2024): The Owen King EU Hospital (OKEUH) of the Millennium Heights Medical Complex (MHMC) is issuing a public advisory in response to the overcrowding and resultant increased waiting times being experienced in the Accident and Emergency Department (AED). Over the past twelve months there has been a steady increase in patients with serious illnesses requiring admission to the hospital creating a severe shortage of inpatient beds. There are more than 50 admitted patients in the department currently. All the existing wards at the hospital are at full capacity and patients requiring admission must now be managed within the Accident and Emergency Department (AED) for extended periods before they can be transferred to a ward. This has resulted in extended waiting times for non-urgent care more than 4-6 hours. As such, the overcrowding situation is placing a severe strain on the AED’s capacity to meet patient’s demands in a timely manner. Management and staff are responding to this surge.
Members of the public are therefore advised that if their medical complaint is neither serious nor life-threatening, they should seek options for care other than the Accident and Emergency Department where they can receive the appropriate treatment. Patients are further advised to utilize the services of the following polyclinics: Gros Islet Polyclinic and the Dr. Betty Wells Urban
Polyclinic (located at the former Victoria Hospital) and health centres in close proximity to their homes. All patients with life-threatening conditions who present to the AED will continue to be seen and treated immediately and patients with serious conditions will also be treated as high priority. Other patients who present to AED at this time will experience extended waiting times until this overcrowding situation is rectified. We will continue to keep the public abreast of the developments in the Accident and Emergency Department. The management and staff sincerely apologize for any inconvenience to the public but assures the public that we are working tirelessly to reduce the overcrowding and extended waiting times to better serve the public in Accident and Emergency Department (AED).
Minor health-related conditions can be effectively managed at the Urgent Care Units at the following healthcare facilities:
- Dr. Betty Wells Urban Polyclinic
Contact: 468-8880 - Gros Islet Polyclinic
Contact: 468-7637 | 468-7630 | 723-0663 - Dennery Hospital
Contact: 468-7650 | 468-7651 | 468-7657 - Soufriere Hospital
Contact: 468-7601 | 468-7603 | 485-8681
ABOUT MHMC
The Millennium Heights Medical Complex is situated in Castries, Saint Lucia and was established under an Act of Parliament on March 30th, 2015. The Complex comprises Owen King EU Hospital, National Mental Wellness Centre, and Turning Point Rehabilitation Centre facilities. The facilities provide a list of services including outpatient clinics, physiotherapy, dialysis, pharmacy, radiology, laboratory, dietetics, day surgery and day oncology/chemotherapy as well as in patient services in medicine, paediatrics, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynaecology, surgery, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation inpatient and outpatient services.
