ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Concern has been expressed about the removal of visa-free access to the United States for Antiguans, especially those who may rely on medical facilities in the United States for advanced health care.
In an interview on the local radio station – Observer AM, Dr. George Daniel, who holds a PhD in physiology and biophysics, warned that the restrictions could have life-or-death consequences for patients requiring emergency medical evacuation.
“That has been a critical outlet for medical care for Antiguans and Barbudans. For example, to run to Puerto Rico, which is blocked now,” said Daniel, who is also administrator for the .ag internet domain and serves on the board of the People’s Cooperative Credit Union.
“So, it is a significant impact, and the question is what will the government do as an alternative?”
The restrictions, he added, are particularly concerning for air ambulance services, which primarily transport critical patients to U.S. territories.
“Most of our air ambulances will be heading to U.S. territory, wouldn’t it? Most of the time,” Daniel noted. “And so, it is a critical factor. The question is, what is the administration’s response to this situation to preserve our healthcare for the citizens of Antigua and Barbuda?”
Daniel, who teaches at Antigua State College, also raised concerns about how funds from the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) are being allocated, particularly regarding healthcare infrastructure improvements.
“The CIP funds are used to prop up the government. If you look at the BudgetBudget, a significant portion of the BudgetBudget will be funded by the CIP funds,” he explained. “Except that in some situations, if you look at the budget, you’ll see an area called grants to individuals and institutions that the government uses as a piggy bank to give out to friends and family.”
He suggested that Cabinet meetings appear to be heavily focused on distributing CIP funds, noting that the CIP report shows “funds being distributed as per Cabinet decision.”
“So based on the number of those decisions, it seems as though the Cabinet spends a lot of time talking about how to distribute the CIP funds,” Daniel said. “And so, it’s a critical part of our BudgetBudget. It’s about $100 million a year. And it’s used to, I would assume, to give favor where the political directorate desires favor.”
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