BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The Government has announced significant improvements in the healthcare sector that would see an expansion of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s (QEH) capacity by 40 percent and upgrades to the island’s polyclinics, including the construction of two new.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley disclosed the efforts to improve efficiencies in the sector at the official opening of Bayview Hospital’s Urgent Care Facility.
Speaking to the planned expansion at the hospital, Mottley shared that over the last four months, the Government had been in discussions with a Chinese company on the project, which she described as the most significant expansion of the Martindale’s Road, St Michael plant since its construction.
The Prime Minister added that Minister of Health and Wellness, Senator Dr Jerome Walcott, is expected to make a Ministerial Statement in Parliament “shortly” to provide more details on the QEH expansion project.
Regarding the polyclinic upgrades, Mottley shared that the Government had entered a partnership with the Saudi Development Fund to finance the construction of two new polyclinics and the refurbishment of others.
“The combined investment with the construction of two new polyclinics, and with the significant expansion of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, plus the upgrade of the existing polyclinics, plus the commitment to purchase over $140 million in equipment for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the first tranche of which has already started, is a testament to the extent that the Government is committed to upgrading the quality of healthcare in Barbados for Barbadians…, “ Mottley said.
She also touched on efforts to improve cancer care, including the commissioning of a linear accelerator at the QEH to improve cancer treatment and the installation of a PET CT Scan at Bayview Hospital in the coming months.
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