[dropcap]J[/dropcap]ust months before the 2016 general elections, the government of Kenny Anthony hosted a $100,000 ceremony to mark the naming of the newly built, state-of-the-art OKEU hospital in honour of the late Saint Lucian surgeon Dr. Owen King, father of Dr. Stephen King.
The hope was that the facility, funded by the EU to the tune of EC$160 million, would replace the ancient Victoria Hospital. Speaking at the ceremony on 21 February 2016, then EU ambassador Mr. Mikael Barford said: “The EU is currently supporting the government to develop strategies and policies for the sustainable financing of the health sector, and I know that the issue of economic viability of this hospital is foremost on the minds of bureaucrats and lay persons alike.”
He acknowledged that the health sector is normally painted as burdensome in countries as “it requires too much from the government’s treasury while contributing little or nothing to the fund. However, the Owen King EU Hospital holds enormous potential to earn a considerable income and be self-sustaining.”
The ambassador then encouraged the Kenny Anthony government to be creative in its approach to income generation and suggested it might go the way of Public Private Partnership or a Service Level Agreement. An SLA, is a contract between a service provider and a customer that documents what services the provider will furnish—and defines the performance standards the provider is obligated to meet.
Mr. Barford proffered that PPP and SLA arrangements had “proven successful in other countries to open up the healthcare market and make it also attractive to insurance companies and tourists.”
In closing he appealed to the government to “make sure that the hospital is opened within a few months”. Anticipating the day, the ambassador declared: “I can’t wait to take part in the opening. All I need is for the prime minister to give me a date,” which he hoped would be within seven months of the naming ceremony.
Did the government reject the EU ambassador’s suggestion? In an address to the nation in May, opposition leader Philip J Pierre revealed that when it came to local healthcare, privatization was never on the table and would never be considered.
He said: “The St. Lucia Labour Party government never, at any time, contemplated the divestment of public healthcare services to any private entity.” For its part, the Allen Chastanet government has also stated it has no plan to privatize healthcare. According to the economic affairs minister, Mr. Guy Joseph, what is being explored is the option of a joint venture/PPP. In any case, Mr. Joseph emphasized, “The government will always own the OKEU hospital. It will always remain the property of the government and the people of Saint Lucia.” Which would be in harmony with the EU tune that Barford sang at the ceremony that sunny Sunday morning in February 2016!
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