The SLP administration made three attempts to restore St. Jude’s into a functioning hospital over a period of fifteen years, yet today, after investing four hundred million dollars in these efforts, St. Jude’s remains a ghost facility, constantly demanding additional funds to sustain itself. We now wonder: despite all these efforts, what will be the ultimate fate of a facility that has served us well for countless years?
Several agencies had warned the SLP that the eighty-year-old structure was not suitable to serve as a modern institution for the coming century, but politics took precedence over reality. The UWP paved the way for the SLP to act with realism; however, politics and pride prevailed over good sense, leaving St. Lucia holding a bag of sorrows. Presently, the SLP continues on its merry way, fuelled by CIP funds and promoting the most expensive political campaigns in the history of St. Lucia.
It is deeply troubling that a group of politicians, lacking business acumen, have been allowed to place such an unwarranted debt over fair Helen. By some divine intervention, the SLP’s term in office has been shortened by twelve months, giving fair Helen a chance to recuperate and get its affairs in order. The last time such a representative occurred was in 2006, which allowed Sir John, at age eighty-one, to emerge and salvage St. Lucia. Now, it appears that on December 1, 2025, a candidate hand-picked by Sir John is poised to save the day.
St. Lucians should have no doubt that the UWP’s decision not to inject one cent into the eighty-year-old facility was the right course of action. Conversely, for the SLP to have neglected the South in favour of this new facility is a sin crying out to the heavens for justice. Had the SLP not allowed hatred to block progress, patients at the stadium would now be receiving care in a proper hospital, and government would have an additional two hundred million dollars to address shortcomings at the OKEU.
Unfortunately, the mismanagement did not stop at St. Jude’s. Millions were squandered at the HIA terminal, the DSH site, two housing projects in the North, and the incomplete Rodney Bay Highway. The former PM PJP has much to answer for in the coming days, as either he or his replacement will need to confront the nation’s looming health challenges.
St. Lucia today faces the consequences of confusion, stemming from the fact that the SLP administration lacked a clear plan and, worse, placed Moses Jn. Baptiste in one of the most critical ministries, despite his track record of dismal performance in previous roles. We must all hope and pray that the UWP returns to power to bring about a fresh beginning.