ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC—The Grenada government signed a 15-year collaboration and licensing agreement with Mount Sinai International on Wednesday, allowing the General Hospital here to become an affiliate US-based medical institution.
Officials say a “Mount Sinai affiliate” refers to an organization or institution with a formal affiliation with Mount Sinai Health System, including the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. This affiliation can take various forms, including clinical, academic, or research partnerships, and it often involves collaboration on teaching, research, and patient care.
The agreement was signed by Health Minister Phillip Telesford and Dr. Szabi Dorotovics, President of Mount Sinai International.
Under the agreement, Grenada will pay an estimated US$2.5 million to the New York-based healthcare institution. Andrea St Bernard, lead government representative for the new hospital project, which is labeled as “Project Polaris,” said that the collaboration and licensing accord allows the Grenada government to benefit from the experience and expertise of the full network of services offered by Mt Sinai.
“Project Polaris” aims to construct a new research/teaching hospital in Grenada, as announced by the government in late 2022 and recommended in the 2035 National Development Plan.
The government has already purchased 84 acres of land in Hopevale, in the St George’s area, for the construction of the medical complex that will comprise the hospital, hotel, and other facilities.
“A main component of the agreement is a license to Mt Sinai International for the General Hospital to be known as an affiliate or has an affiliation with Mt Sinai. That means that Mt Sinai is committed to working with the government of Grenada to ensure we raise our standards to internationally recognized levels,” St Bernard said.
“The consequence of losing that agreement is essentially we will lose the benefit of that collaboration and the benefit of being able to license the general hospital as an affiliation of Mt Sinai. It’s an agreement that signifies collaboration where the two partners are working together to maintain the vision of improving the healthcare service,” said St Bernard.
Dorotovics thanked the government for choosing Mt Sinai International as its long-term strategic partner.
“This is not just another but a crucial trust in our commitment and our capabilities to help you, to assist you, as you said in this endeavor,” he said, adding, “This is a very historic project for your country, and it is a vast and significant undertaking for our health system as well.
“We aim to share our innovations, cutting-edge technology, and knowledge developed over the years with our international partners…This is not a short-term commitment; we signed a 15-year agreement today, and we are here to stay, and we are here to be your partner in a true sense,” he said.
In October 2024, the Grenada government announced that it had signed an agreement with Mount Sinai Health System, indicating that the agreement aimed to modernize and improve the delivery of health and medical services to all Grenadians.
It also said that this first agreement with Mount Sinai began a unique partnership to transform Grenada’s healthcare system by strengthening the existing Grenada General Hospital in the initial phase.
“The partnership is a major milestone under Project Polaris, which includes the development of a state-of-the-art, smart research hospital in Hope Vale, Grenada. Project Polaris is the cornerstone of the transformation and modernization of the health and wellness sectors in Grenada,” the government statement noted,
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