BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - PRIME MINISTER Dr. Terrance Drew has revealed that the Government had identified a plot of land adjacent to Ross University in West Farm as a possible location for the new proposed hospital on St. Kitts.
In a post to his social media over the weekend, Dr. Drew wrote: “Standing at the possible site for the new hospital. When they go low, we go high. I would love to hear your feedback.”
The Government, as part of its campaign promises last year, indicated that it would construct a new medical facility, since the JNF General Hospital has been dealing with structural challenges and is not in a position to fully provide modern care for citizens and residents.
Consecutive administrations in St. Kitts have campaigned to provide a “modern, state-of-the-art hospital” for the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.
In 2020, the then Minister of Health, Akilah Byron-Nisbett threw out the idea.
Then Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris also spoke to the plan of having a hospital constructed on the island, explaining that the government was considering upgrading health facilities across the Federation over a five-year period which included, among other things, pathology laboratories and renovating health centres to improved healthcare.
Now, the Dr. Drew-led St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party Government is pushing ahead with the plan, revealing that they have allocated funding in the 2023 Budget to begin working on the “state-of-the-art hospital”.
Since 2020, it was found that the JNF General Hospital could not accommodate a large number of patients, especially when it comes to a major outbreak of any virus.
The hospital facility was under strain as video footages and complaints surfaced of leaks and other infrastructure challenges plaguing the premier health institution in the Federation.
Those problems were compounded by security concerns, lack of running water at times, and the overall healthcare system.
