Saint Lucia PM Pierre lauds healthcare policies as Dr Betty Wells Urban Polyclinic inaugurated

Saint Lucia: Prime Minister Philip J Pierre on Tuesday, December 10, took part in the opening of the first phase of Dr Betty Wells Urban Polyclinic, which will provide national eye-clinic services. The event was hosted by the island-nation’s Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs at Dr Winston C Parris Medical Complex (formerly Victoria Hospital). 

The polyclinic has been named after Dr Betty Bennett Wells, the first woman doctor to work in St Lucia. Born in Joppa, Scotland, in 1910, she travelled to the Caribbean island in 1938 after marriage and worked there till her retirement in 1963. She passed away in 1980.

“As the government plays its part in strengthening and broadening healthcare services, I once again would like to encourage citizens to practice healthy lifestyles,” Pierre said in a social media post.

He spoke about his three-year-old government’s various initiatives to make expanded and quality healthcare accessible to the citizens and the sector better performing. They include maternal and child health services; free medical services for people aged 80 and above; snake-bite management services; and relaunching the men’s health clinic which includes prostate-cancer screening. 

PM Pierre also mentioned various steps his government has taken to improve St Lucia’s healthcare sector. He mentioned the removal of the Value-Added Tax of medical screening equipment for two years; renovation and construction of healthcare facilities; launching of a performance-based financing programme; and payment of $11 million from CIP funds to pay down debt backlog owed by OKEU Hospital; among others. 

In his speech, the prime minister said his government’s health and security levy will bring to St Lucia’s state coffers between $34 million and $36 million by the end of March 2025. The levy, which came into effect in August 2023, has among its goals funding the government’s Universal Health Care project to make public healthcare more affordable and accessible for the common people of St Lucia. Pierre also said his government will inject $40 million into the health sector to pay outstanding bills. He thanked Cuba for extending a helping hand to St Lucia in health. 

Speaking at the polyclinic’s opening ceremony, Moses Jn Baptiste, St Lucia’s minister for health, wellness, and elderly affairs said, “This phased opening of the Dr Betty Wells Urban Polyclinic is another small step in a direction of delivering on our promises.”

He added various medical facilities have been set up as part of the National Eye Centre, such as the Cuban Eye Clinic and diabetic retinopathy clinic. Services will be opened for the public at the polyclinic on December 16 onwards on a prima casa basis which would be part of the services which is are at the Castries Wellness Centre.  

Dr Dara Burt, who cut the ribbon in the presence of PM Pierre, Moses Jn Baptiste, and other officials who applauded, said later the integration of the diabetic retinopathic screening and laser treatment clinics into the primary healthcare system has significantly contributed to the sustainability and success of the program. Dr Burt is an ophthalmologist, diabetic retinopathy. 

St Lucia Deputy Prime Minister Ernest Hilaire lauded the Pierre government saying he was proud to be part of a government which was inching closer to delivering on the promise of universal healthcare.  

Dr Sharon Belmar George, chief medical officer at the Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs, said, “To ensure our model of care adequately meets the needs of our population, we have to work towards the establishment and strengthening of strategically placed urgent care facilities providing extended hours of service,” she said at the opening ceremony. 

The government of St Lucia said in a statement last week. “The opening of the Dr Betty Wells Urban Polyclinic marks a significant enhancement in healthcare delivery for the residents of Saint Lucia, improving access to essential medical services.” While Dr Betty Wells Urban Polyclinic is seen as a watershed, health officials feel St Lucia’s healthcare system’s journey to perfection is far from over.