[dropcap]T[/dropcap]wo names are a guaranteed mention whenever the subject of St. Jude is under discussion. The first is Stephenson King, Saint Lucia’s prime minister at the time of the fire that destroyed the hospital, forcing the transfer of patients to the George Odlum Stadium. The other name is Kenny Anthony, who replaced King as prime minister and, for four and a half years, had responsibility for the hospital’s reconstruction. On at least three occasions he assured the nation that all was well with the hospital project. He promised finally that before the end of 2015, the nation would have a state-of-the-art medical centre that would be the envy of the rest of the Caribbean. It was a promise not kept: the project remains half complete and, according to Prime Minister Allen Chastanet ,“below established standards”.
On May 20, 2018, at a rally of the St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP), Anthony—no longer prime minister or leader of the SLP—referenced the hospital. “After two years,” he said, “the buildings of St. Jude stand dormant. The strangest thing in all of this is the silence of Stephenson King. St. Jude was never a Labour project . . . After the fire, it was a UWP-conceived project. King is a pillar of silence while Guy Joseph, Mary Isaac and Chastanet attack the project that King conceived.”
Additionally: “Stephenson King’s name is mentioned five times in that Shanta [King, author] report. My name is mentioned on just two occasions in that report. Here is a project conceived and implemented by the UWP!”
On June 14, 2018 Stephenson King finally broke his silence at a United Workers Party rally in William Peter Boulevard. “Many of you have heard that Stephenson King has nothing to say on St. Jude. I am not the minister for health. I am not the minister of economic development or finance. I am the minister of infrastructure. But I believe if there’s anybody who can speak on St. Jude hospital, it is Stephenson King.”
He went on to explain what happened following the St. Jude fire: “We took the quick decision to move the people into the George Odlum stadium and made a commitment that we would complete that hospital within a matter of two years.”
According to King, the plan was to rebuild the surgical block of the hospital but, shortly after work started, it came to light that there was asbestos all over the building. The decision was then taken to refurbish the entire property. Said King: “Five years after we left office the hospital was still under construction!” He was nevertheless “happy that we’ve made a determination now to rebuild St. Jude on the existing site and to bring the hospital back to the people of Vieux Fort”.
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