The Minister of Health, Wellness, Environmental Health, and Energy rose in Parliament to offer strong support for the Loan Authorization Disaster Risk Management Development Policy Program Act 2026, while delivering a scathing critique of the former administration’s handling of the nation’s healthcare infrastructure.
The Health Minister characterized the need for a new hospital as an “essential and urgent need” that had been neglected for the entire tenure of the previous government. He stated that his colleagues had repeatedly “begged” for a proper facility to replace the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, which he described as having “outlasted its usefulness a long time ago”.
According to the Minister, the failure to construct the hospital using the favorable terms previously offered by the World Bank was a direct result of the former government’s “lateness, tardiness and lack of drive and vision”. He further alleged that the previous administration did not truly care about the project, claiming they once stated the hospital “wasn’t on the totem pole”.
The Minister took particular issue with the decision made by the previous government to transfer funds originally intended for the hospital to Hurricane Beryl recovery efforts. He argued that this move was unnecessary, asserting that the government “could have gotten funds for Beryl from the same source” without touching the hospital’s budget.
He dismissed the previous administration’s late-term focus on the hospital as “political expediency” meant to influence the 2025 election. “Stop wasting our time. Don’t try to resurrect the dead. Nonsense,” the Minister told the House, urging the opposition to stop recounting a “story” he claimed the public has already rejected.
In closing, the Health Minister reaffirmed his total support for the bill piloted by the Prime Minister. He promised the nation that the current New Democratic Party (NDP) government would deliver a hospital and a healthcare service that would be a source of national pride.
He envisioned a world-class healthcare system that would not only serve local needs but would “make our people want to come home” to receive medical care that he claimed would be superior to services found even in North America.
