Saint Lucia has never been this close to the long-awaited completion of the new St. Jude Hospital

Fifteen years ago, on September 9, 2009, three people died in a fire that destroyed part of the St. Jude Hospital in Augier, Vieux-Fort. The journey to completing the construction of the new St. Jude Hospital dates back more than a decade. In 2021, Prime Minister Hon. Philip J. Pierre set out to finish the job and finally turn the page on the St. Jude Hospital Reconstruction Project (SJHRP). On September 13, 2024, after just 13 months of securing $201 million from the Saudi Fund for Development for the SJHRP last August, the Government of Saint Lucia will convene the official contract signing ceremony to award two locally based construction firms with contracts to undertake the final construction works to complete construction. Residents of our nation's southern communities deserve access to quality medical care in a suitable facility. The resilient St. Jude Hospital staff members, nurses, doctors and board members have endured for far too long. This week's contract signing signals the beginning of the end of that hardship. Saint Lucia has never been this close to witnessing the long-awaited completion of the new St. Jude Hospital. Permanent Secretary in the Department of Economic Development, Paul Hilaire, provides a preview of the upcoming contract signing event scheduled for September 13, 2024.