Minister for Health, Wellness and Nutrition, Hon. Moses Jn Baptiste continues to express the commitment of the Government of Saint Lucia to the full commissioning of the St. Jude Hospital at the Augier Site. Hon. Moses Jn Baptiste said, “This year, in the estimates of revenue and expenditure, the Prime Minister and the Minister for Finance allocated even more funds, more resources to ensure that the commissioning process takes place, to ensure that the commissioning process is complete, and to ensure that the people of the south and the people of Saint Lucia get the St. Jude Hospital at the Augier site. Well, we are very happy that a few of the departments have moved.”
The Minister for Health also took the opportunity to highlight the progress and work undertaken to date at the St. Jude Hospital (Augier site). “The Physiotherapy Department has moved and the clients are visiting and our professionals are providing the service there. We know that administrative services have also moved and the kitchen has moved and we know that in the next few days the kitchen will be in use. The laundry services have also moved and we are very happy that equipment continues to arrive at the St. Jude Hospital and are being installed. We are now in the process of verifying the equipment to ensure that every piece of equipment is fit for purpose and both professionals from Saint Lucia and from overseas, from the source markets where the equipment is coming from, are here in Saint Lucia to ensure that the equipment is fit for purpose. So we are very pleased that the installation of equipment, the movement of departments, all of that is happening and we are hoping that the full commissioning is coming soon. Well, already the residents of the south of the island are experiencing a new level of service delivery in the physiotherapy department.”
Hon. Moses Jn Baptiste is hopeful that there will be higher level of healthcare service, especially given the new equipment, high-tech equipment, modern equipment and also keeping in mind that the staff have received training and orientation on how to operate the equipment. The St. Jude Hospital is expected to see expanded services to the people in the south of the island. “We see, for example, our Dialysis Department, we are going to have additional dialysis machines. We note that in the Radiology Department, we will see improvements in radiology and we are hoping to bring on board other clinical services to serve the people of Saint Lucia. So I’m very excited about the new St. Jude Hospital and the possibilities for new services, a higher level of service delivery and really a hospital which will make us proud. Well, this government has always focused on Universal Health Coverage. We want to provide services to the whole of
Saint Lucia. We want to increase access to health services. We want to ensure that access to health services would not come as an increased financial burden for our people and we want to ensure that the quality of health services is improved.”
The Government of Saint Lucia anticipates that the full commissioning of the St. Jude Hospital at the Augier site will take place in a three to four month period. “We know teams have been mobilized at the local level. We know we are collaborating with professionals from outside of Saint Lucia who are helping us with the commissioning. We are ensuring that the equipment is being tested. We are ensuring that the onboarding of various services, various teams, that the orientation is taking place. We are ensuring, for example, that we move even faster with digitization of health records so our processes can be more efficient. So yes, we are hoping within three to four months we can have the complete commissioning of the St. Jude Hospital and I am looking forward and I am sure the people of Saint Lucia, the people of the south in particular, are looking forward to that commissioning.”
Hon. Moses Jn Baptiste spoke on the St. Jude Hospital being officially handed over to the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Nutrition last year. “We, the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Nutrition, was handed a hospital which was completely refurbished, a new hospital under construction of the hospital. We are proud of the way in which the hospital was reconstructed. Secondly, we are pleased with the way the commissioning team has done its work. The commissioning team is fully on board and they are working day in, day and night, to ensure that all of the processes take place, to ensure that the onboarding of various departments take place in an organized way. We are doing the training. The commissioning team is beheading training of our technical teams, training of the workers at St. Jude, the various departments, to move into the hospital.”
The Government of Saint Lucia continues to ensure financial and additional resources are provided to prepare the St. Jude Hospital for full commissioning of healthcare services.
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Media Release: Minister for Health Hon. Moses Jn Baptiste on the Government’s Commitment to Full Commissioning of the St. Jude Hospital
Media Release: Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Jenny Daniel provides update on Full Commissioning of the St. Jude Hospital
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