Government continues to modernise health sector in SVG

THE FIRST OF two new polyclinics, financed by the European Union (EU) and the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines, was opened in Marriaqua this Tuesday. The official opening of the Levi Latham health complex, which includes a polyclinic and a hospital, took place amidst speeches from the parliamentary representative for the area St Clair ‘Jimmy’ Prince; Minister of Health, Luke Browne; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Cuthbert Knights; and Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves.

The seven-million dollar facility was constructed under a project to modernize the health care sector in the country. The complex is expected to cater to 15,400 people, according to a representative from the EU, who also spoke at the ceremony. Its ‘sister’ polyclinic in Buccament will have its doors opened on April 15.

The late Levi Latham, who was parliamentary representative for the area from 1954 to 1979, was said to be the “father” of a number of self-help projects in Marriaqua,including the clinic which was replaced.

Current representative Jimmy Prince spoke about the transformation of the clinic, a place which is ‘special’ to him, as he was born there himself.

“The first stage was when we had one nurse and an itinerant doctor…there was a stage when the dispenser was the dentist, and the pulling of teeth was a mechanical reaction to a tooth ache,” he informed.

He continued that the second era saw the clinic being transformed into the Levi Latham Health Centre, a project for which the residents themselves expended great time, and effort in building.

The third era is the modern polyclinic and hospital that exists now.

“The healthcare landscape in St Vincent and the Grenadines has never looked so well,” he stated, commenting that he believed that the Government spends about $78 million on health services yearly.

The Marriaqua residents’ patience had been tested to the hilt in awaiting the facility, the Minister said, but that he thinks that they will agree that it was “worth the wait.”

The new polyclinic boasts, Browne said, five consultations rooms, a new delivery section and a five bed maternity suite, a new accident and emergency department with three beds and new nurses’ monitoring stations. Upgraded dental facilities, dental X-rays, physiotherapy facilities, and a larger pharmacy with storage are further additions.

“The hospital itself, which occupies the upper floor of this facility…was comprehensively upgraded and has new male, female and pediatric wards. The pediatric ward was considerably improved,” Browne informed.

The hospital completes the polyclinic, as a polyclinic would not provide inpatient care.

The Minister promises longer opening hours for the polyclinic, and access to medical specialists in the new areas of ophthalmology, urology, radiology, nutrition services, and physiotherapy.

The Prime Minister declared that St Vincent and the Grenadines has an “excellent public health system”, a “very good primary health care system”, a “good secondary health care system”, and “St Vincent and the Grenadines is evolving a commendable tertiary health care through our work at home, and abroad.”

“The modernization of the health sector project, under the European Union, amounted to nearly 36 million dollars EC; and we have done several things under that project,” Gonsalves informed. “For instance, in terms of physical facilities, we spent about 5.5 million dollars down at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH). We fix up the kitchen, the ICU, we built another ward, another hospital theatre, improved the existing theatres

to make sure that we had one theatre reserved for the world pediatric project. We did female ward, put other facilities, but we still need to do more down at the hospital, some more sprucing needs to be done.”

With the addition of the new polyclinics, there are now 42 clinics throughout the country.