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- “… healthcare is not just about bricks and mortar, it’s about people. It’s about life. And it’s about our shared responsibility to protect and preserve both.”
- Was the UHC policy properly explained? And now, “ It is important to pay your deposits’?
- Lives should not be expendable to bureaucracy, surplus statistics and loyalty traps. Saint Lucia’s health care system needs an obese budget!
By Caribbean News Global 
VIEUX-FORT, St Lucia – The “new St Jude hospital” is expected to receive patients at the facility and to be fully commissioned this year, following re-construction and grand fanfare on the delivery of the St Jude hospital, the building.
” Reporting on the first 100 days of the Saint Lucia Labour Party, (SLP), following the December 1, 2025, general elections, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) established their “100 Days of Action, Relief, and Results.”
The report stated that under “long-term national development” – “ Saint Lucia’s Universal Health Coverage initiative received a formal public identity with the launch of its name, logo, and website.”
The 2026/2027 budget notes: Two main hospitals.
- “Of the XDC124 million allocated to two main hospitals;$83.7 million to the Millennium Heights Medical Complex for the payment of salaries and operational expenses.
- XCD$36.8 million to St Jude for salaries and operational costs.
- In excess of $3 million to cover some of the commissioning expenses for the new St Jude hospital.
- “Grants and contributions to hospitals are 60 percent of the total expenditure have been budgeted for general health services, while the remainder is scheduled to be spent on other community health facilities and general health administration.”
Health and security levy
“The health and security levy will remain at 2.5 percent and is projected to record an increase of XCD 11.9 million above the 2025-2026 outcome to reach $53.3 million for the new fiscal year, 2026-2027. Expenses on health are estimated to be XCD 259.3 million. In addition, “work on the fifth finger of the OKEU hospital is expected to commence this year.”
Meanwhile, the cost and duration of construction on the fifth finger is not available; The Millennium Heights Medical Complex (MHMC) said in a statement on April 1, 2026, that they are “ aware of concerns raised regarding the care of a patient at the Owen King EU Hospital. […] We have initiated a comprehensive internal review of the matters raised to ensure all aspects of care are thoroughly examined.”
St Jude hospital has announced the introduction of a general admission deposit, urging potential patients, “It is important to pay.”
Was the UHC policy properly explained? And now these deposits?
The executive summary of Saint Lucia’s white paper on Universal Health Coverage (UHC), 22 July 2024, reads, in part;
“UHC is based on the principle that all individuals and communities should have access to quality essential health services across the full spectrum of care without suffering financial hardship. This recognises UHC as a fundamental human right that has a direct impact on both individual health and wellbeing and the overall health of the population, allowing people to be more productive.”
The article ‘Prime Minister Pierre focuses on people-centred strategy to build a stronger and competitive St Lucia’ noted: National Health Insurance (NHI) – Coverage for all (75,000 coverage) – like a big tent party – and Universal HealthCare (UHC) – incomplete at the chronic stage of a health crisis.
Universal Health Coverage, St Lucia
“For Saint Lucians, UHC means equitable access to high-quality, affordable healthcare for all, regardless of age, income, or socio-economic status. It is an inclusive approach designed to serve the entire population, ensuring that every citizen—from children to the elderly—has access to essential healthcare services for a healthier, more fulfilling life. Our goal is to improve the nation’s health profile, reduce healthcare costs, and promote sustainable development,” minister Moses Jn Baptiste emphasised.
In Saint Lucia, the three-tiered JIPA Model is central to the government’s vision of sustainable, inclusive, and equitable healthcare reform—anchored in shared responsibility and cross-sectoral collaboration.
Healthcare … ‘it’s about people’
Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre at the handing over ceremony of St Jude hospital to the ministry of health – November 16, 2025, said in part: “… healthcare is not just about bricks and mortar, it’s about people. It’s about life. And it’s about our shared responsibility to protect and preserve both.”
On health, the SLP manifesto says: “Extend the services of the Universal Health Care Programme to allow for early detection and remedial intervention of diseases.”
Related Links:
The preface of Saint Lucia’s white paper on Universal Health Coverage, Version: 22 July 2024, says in part:
“The government of Saint Lucia aims to provide the population of Saint Lucia with an Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS) under UHC. There are five main deliverables as per Cabinet Conclusion No. 129 of 2022 under phase 1 of UHC: (1) Hypertension and diabetes screening and treatment under the PBF; (2) Expanded coverage of strengthened quality Maternal and Child Health services; (3) Analysis on the possible inclusion of dialysis and cancer screening; (4) Registration of the population with the possible use of a health card; and (5) Creation of a UHC Unit to facilitate implementation.”
Other interesting lines include: “Universal Health Coverage is not a destination, it is a journey, a different journey for every country.”
(2.3) Health policy goals and objectives:
“The foundation of UHC is that it is driven by ‘political decisions’”. Top-level political leadership can demonstrate this by visibly and continuously reaffirming their commitment to health as a priority, a public good and a social goal. The success of UHC and other actors in implementing it is underpinned by the political support they receive. The state is the only stakeholder that can legislate UHC and is the only party with the human and fiscal capacity to undertake and implement a policy of this breadth and scope.”
“… Therefore, policymakers and state actors at an implementor level should be at the centre of UHC and take the lead role in coordinating the activities of other stakeholders and aligning agendas and skills.”
“At the heart of the government’s plans on UHC is a desire to improve the Saint Lucia health system’s ability to achieve its core purpose.”
“During his budget statement, in March 2022, on the estimates and expenditure for the fiscal year 2022-2023, the prime minister of Saint Lucia, specifically mentioned the prioritisation of the Universal Health Care Programme in the 2022-2023 budget for Saint Lucia.
“This purpose has been articulated during the goal-setting exercise of the UHC White Paper Drafting Committee as:
“Keep people healthy • Provide the healthcare that people need • Deliver high-quality services, and • Get the best value from health system resources.
“Policymakers should demonstrate their commitment to UHC as a political priority through prudent fiscal decision-making and heightened investment in, as well as the sustainable financing of, healthcare. This strategic approach is anticipated to facilitate a shift in paradigm from reliance on external donors to fostering self-sufficiency and self-determination.”
Unpacking the process to achieve UHC
Prime Minister Pierre recently advised that the new geopolitical situation, ongoing in the Caribbean, particularly towards Cuba, has changed the human and capital resource capability of the country; meanwhile, exploring alternative international partnerships and avenues to strengthen the island’s human and capital resources.
“If the Cuban medical brigade can no longer come to Saint Lucia, and should Saint Lucians not benefit from educational scholarships from Cuba, the human and capital development of Saint Lucia is seriously jeopardised.”
The two main hospitals are already struggling with local and external funding. Staffing levels are insufficient to keep a safe level of doctors and nurses. The two main hospitals must be serviceable with diagnostic laboratory, imaging services, pharmaceutical availability, etc and Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS).
The budgetary formulation for operational financing for St Jude, OKEU and UHC is severely inadequate. A general admission deposit has been introduced, and surgical procedure deposits may vary based on classification.
UHC financing
Reference has been made that the “voluntary health insurance contributions do not work because of the high informality of the Saint Lucian labour market.”
It remains to be seen what model of innovative health financing the government will adopt, in addition to the 2.5 percent health and security tax.
Will UHC financing be mainly tax-financed health for all, for the public good of health? Will it be the reliance on grants, general tax revenue, and external financing? Will it be private insurance, development assistance for capital expenditure, and/or patients’ out-of-pocket payments?
Lives should not be expendable to bureaucracy, surplus statistics and loyalty traps. Saint Lucia’s health care system needs an obese budget!
Related Links:
- St Jude Hospital under (re) construction 16 years later
- St Jude hospital commissioning vs delivering a hospital building project
- Prime Minister Pierre has a clear vision for health care in St Lucia
