St Vincent and the Grenadines Finance Minister Camilo Gonsalves says the government is committed to delivering a state-of-the-art Acute Referral Hospital at the site of the former ET Joshua tarmac in Arnos Vale.
Gonsalves said in 2021, the volcanic eruptions forced the government to reallocate World Bank resources that were earmarked for hospital construction.
“This reallocation did not significantly affect our timeline to deliver the hospital. The World Bank has formally committed to restoring the reallocated resources during our mid-2022 replenishment of IDA funds.
Since detailed designs for the hospital are already completed, we expect construction to begin in 2023.
2021 saw the continuation of intensive discussions between the World Bank and Government officials, which aim to develop the optimal management, staffing, equipment and service delivery systems – not just for the Acute Referral Hospital, but the wider health care apparatus in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines”.
Gonsalves said with the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, the Modern Medical Diagnostic Facility, the increasing number of clinics, and the soon-to-commence Acute Referral Hospital, the healthcare apparatus has outgrown its current management modalities.
He said part of the optimised management structure of the hospital service delivery will involve the hiring of a hospital CEO to oversee the harmonised functioning of facilities and break down the administrative silos that exist between various branches of our medical service.
