US$175m health facilities targeted for 2029 opening

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Wellness Francine Blackman, Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Arthur Phillips and consultant Leisa Perch. (Photo Credit: File Photo) Four major health facilities being developed under Barbados’ US$175 million Health Services Resilience Programme are expected to be up and running by 2029. The programme covers the new Geriatric Hospital in Waterford, St Michael; Roseville Halfway House in St Peter; an expansion at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Odle’s Glenn Senior Village in St George. The plan also expands digital health services, adding a new health information system to improve access to medical records and connect all levels of healthcare facilities. Officials shared these details on Monday evening during the first public consultation, held by the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Inter-American Development Bank at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Wellness Francine Blackman said the programme is moving forward with multilateral agreements involving the IDB, Caribbean Development Bank, World Bank and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF). “This project, estimated at US$175 million dollars, is aimed towards a strategic development of our healthcare system, basically to improve capacity, respond to a growing set of requirements for healthcare, in terms of our population, and certainly to address areas such as chronic non-communicable diseases, mental health, disability and the elderly,” she said. You Might Be Interested In “The programme aims to make healthcare services more accessible to communities, placing a stronger focus on prevention, early detection and continuity of care.” Blackman said the Ministry is discussing how to “reimagine Barbados’ health care overall”, covering everything from primary to tertiary care. She said improving the health of Barbadians could bring wider economic benefits. “Our population, if we are able to have a healthy population, obviously, then we could improve productivity within the island because our businesses would have less absenteeism as a result of poor health,” she said. The programme is currently in the planning and design stage. Environmental and social assessments are being completed before the projects move towards procurement and mobilisation. Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Arthur Phillips said the Ministry was in the consultation phase during the third quarter of 2026 and would subsequently move towards implementation. “The implementation team would be stood up, and then as we get into full implementation by 2nd quarter of 2027, then we will have further planning and construction and then on to commissioning of services,” he said. Consultant Leisa Perch said construction is expected between 2027 and 2028, although the various projects will not necessarily start at the same time. “There are a number of steps, regulatory-wise and other ways, in there, but I expect that we would be hoping that the facilities will be up and running in 2029,” she said. The programme is also being designed to make the facilities more resilient to climate risks and other hazards. Perch said the environmental and social assessment examined hurricane winds, storm surge, coastal and inland flooding, drought, extreme heat, seismic risk and Saharan dust. Several of those risks, including hurricane winds, storm surge, coastal flooding and extreme heat, were rated high across the programme. Backup power is also being considered to maintain continuity of care and access to water and other services during disruptions. Heat-health protocols are expected to form part of planning for elderly care, while drainage and wastewater resilience are also being considered. Perch said the assessment also examined broader pressures including the ageing population, chronic disease burden, labour compliance risks, digital health vulnerabilities and the cumulative impact of construction activity across the island. Potential hazardous materials such as asbestos, lead paint, mould and demolition debris are also being considered at sites where existing buildings may require rehabilitation. Environmental and social management measures will include disaster and climate risk management, traffic and access management, waste management and continued stakeholder engagement. Perch said public involvement would continue beyond the current round of consultations, with engagement planned during the planning, construction and operational phases. Proposed methods include town halls, focus groups and mobile outreach, along with quarterly reporting and feedback mechanisms to be incorporated into the design and construction process. Monday evening’s meeting concentrated on Roseville Halfway House, with another four consultations expected between this week and next week. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, through its Project Execution Unit, is among the agencies involved in the wider programme, while the Ministry of People Empowerment will collaborate on the Odle’s Glenn Senior Village. The Ministry of Education is also expected to support efforts to strengthen the school nutrition programme. (SM)