Philip J. Pierre, the Political Leader of the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) and Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, has received an emphatic 100% Vote of Confidence from delegates at last Sunday’s Annual Conference of Delegates.
This consensus marks the third consecutive endorsement of Philip J. Pierre by delegates, solidifying his leadership role within the SLP. With an impressive count of 261 votes in favor and none against, Pierre’s leadership is undeniable.
Notably, he stands as the only SLP political leader to achieve 100% confidence for three consecutive years.
During his address to the gathering, Pierre emphasised the critical importance of quality governance in determining the administration’s effectiveness and strongly condemned victimization practices.
“We understand that in power, our true measure is how we uplift the lives of the people of Saint Lucia,” he stated, underscoring the commitment to reducing poverty levels in the nation.
He laid out the government’s robust plan to enhance the welfare of elderly and retired citizens, including an increase in pensioner’s allowance from $300 monthly to a significantly improved rate, along with the provision of free medical services for seniors.
Healthcare emerged as a central theme in his address, with Pierre announcing crucial initiatives to elevate the standard of medical services available to citizens. One major highlight was the relaunch of the Cuban Eye Clinic by year end, which promises to deliver essential eye care services.
He also outlined plans for rehabilitating and retrofitting the Victoria Hospital (VH) Emergency Department to better support the needs of the OKEU Hospital’s emergency unit. The delegates were informed about the OKEU’s debt repayment status as well as ongoing repairs and renovations to health facilities island-wide.
Despite facing criticism from the opposition, the United Workers Party (UWP), regarding the state of healthcare, Pierre defended the government’s initiatives, including the controversial new Health and Citizen Security Levy of 2.5%, designed to generate $33 million annually for national security and healthcare infrastructure.
Addressing the debt situation, Pierre revealed that “We allocated $11 million from the CIP programme and $4 million from the treasury to settle these debts left behind by the previous administration.”
He assured the delegates of forthcoming supplies for the OKEU Hospital and further developments: “Plans are underway to establish a new emergency ward at the Old Victoria Hospital…and we are making significant progress.”
He identified the overburdening of emergency services due to an increase in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) as a pressing challenge. Moreover, plans to construct the ‘fifth finger’ at OKEU are set to commence in March next year, while the Gros Islet Polyclinic is set to transition into a 24-hour clinic.
By June of next year, Pierre affirmed, “We will unveil a brand-new Emergency Centre at the Victoria Hospital, and the Gros Islet Polyclinic will operate as a full 24-hour facility.”
The Prime Minister also addressed the substantial debt exceeding $40 million left by the previous regime at the Ministry of Health, which includes payments owed to service providers—an issue that the current administration is diligently working to resolve.