After more than a decade of dashed hopes and delayed promises, Health Minister Moses Jn Baptiste says the long-awaited move from the George Odlum Stadium to the newly reconstructed St Jude Hospital is finally within reach.
Speaking to Saint Lucia Daily post ahead of Parliament Tuesday, Minister Jn Baptiste, providing an update, confirmed that commissioning activities are underway, hospital equipment is already on island, and planning meetings with clinical and administrative teams are in progress. This marks a significant turning point for the people of the south, who have been waiting since 2009 for a permanent hospital facility following the destruction of the original St Jude Hospital by fire.
“I’m very pleased to note that we continue to have progress on the St Jude Rehabilitation Project,” Jn Baptiste said. “There is information in the public domain which clearly shows that we have had tremendous progress, and the commissioning activities have started.”
These activities he says include meetings with clinical staff, hospital administration, and the project’s steering committee, chaired by Michael Wilius . Jn Baptiste said these discussions are focused on how best to move patients and hospital operations out of the makeshift stadium setting and into the new hospital.
“There may be facilities in the new hospital that can be used much sooner than others,” he acknowledged. “But our aim is to fully transition the hospital.”
He declined to provide a specific timeline for the move, noting that Saint Lucians have heard too many unmet deadlines in the past. “Because the people of Saint Lucia have been given so many dates and so on, we have been very cautious. We want to ensure that we transition the hospital within the shortest possible time.”
The George Odlum Stadium, initially intended as a temporary location, has functioned as a makeshift hospital for nearly 15 years. The protracted reconstruction of St Jude has become one of the country’s most politically sensitive infrastructure sagas, with successive administrations promising, but failing to deliver a modern, functional healthcare facility for the south.
With equipment now on island and a transition team actively working with suppliers, Jn Baptiste says a new chapter is finally be on the horizon. “We are working very hard,” he said, “to ensure that everything is done within a reasonable time, the quickest time possible.”
