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Former Health Minister Mary Isaac has called for the delivery of a hospital in the South of Saint Lucia to the people of the country.
“I am here this morning to appeal to our people, to our government, to put the people first and deliver the hospital in the South to the people of Saint Lucia,” the former Minister told a news conference on Thursday.
Isaac said it was sad that after so many years since the fire that destroyed St. Jude Hospital, throughout different administrations a new medical facility had not replaced it.
“The nurses, the workers who were temporarily removed from the old St. Jude Hospital are still in that old facility where they were placed – the stadium, and we know the stadium is in a very deplorable condition,” the former Minister observed.
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“When we came into office we had to remove all the shingles on top. We had to retrofit. We had to do a lot of renovation and maintenance of that old structure. Also, we have deprived the young people of this country of this sporting facility for the past thirteen years,” Isaac lamented.
In this regard, she asserted that the people of Saint Lucia want to know what will become of St. Jude Hospital.
“Are we going back to the old structure? Are we going to continue the new structure?”
“When we came into office we were told that the old structure was 80 percent complete. We came in and realised, after report upon report, that the old structure was not even suitable for purpose, let alone be eighty percent ready,” Isaac told Thursday’s news conference.
She recalled having visited the structure and disclosed that to go upstairs, she had to bend her head.
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“You had to almost stoop to climb the steps to get to the next level in that building,” Isaac told reporters.
“We were told that the electricals, the wiring, and everything are all mixed up in the walls and everything would have to be redone. So clearly, if we are told that the old structure – by professionals mind you – that the old structure is not suitable for purpose and sometimes we bandy around nice phrases. If you build a hospital and it is not suitable for purpose, that means you cannot use that hospital, that structure as a hospital,” Isaac stated.
“So let us all rally to ensure that our government does the right thing and continue the new structure, complete the new structure so that our people can have a good hospital in the South,” she said.
Headline photo: Mary Isaac (Stock image)
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