Residents of central Babonneau and Fond Assau will soon have upgraded and transformed health facilities with the commencement of rehabilitation works. The Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs officially signed the contracts for the rehabilitation of the Babonneau and Fond Assau Wellness Centres, valued at approximately $2.6 million.
The work for the Babonneau Wellness Centre was awarded to Prudy’s Construction Services Ltd. and is funded through the Health System Strengthening Project. The SMART rehabilitation of the Fond Assau Wellness Centre was awarded to Tripple L Company Ltd and is funded through the OECS Regional Health Project.
Project Coordinator of the Health System Strengthening Project and the OECS Regional Health Project Jeanette Hughes highlighted the project’s commitment to improving health facilities to enhance the delivery of healthcare services to clients.
“When the spaces in which care is given are well structured and allow for the seamless flow of services in an organised manner, it makes a huge difference in the level of efficiency and effectiveness within the facilities,” Hughes said.
“It is with this in mind that the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs in collaboration with the World Bank continues to invest and improve on the healthcare infrastructure to meet the changing demands of the sector and to ensure that care of the highest quality is afforded to patients and clients.”
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Jenny Daniel spoke on the investment made in the upgrading of the health facilities being a step in the right direction to strengthen the healthcare system.
“We are proud to implement the infrastructural enhancement at the Babonneau and Fond Assau Wellness Centres as a forerunner to fulfilling the strategic objectives of instituting health care reforms that will enhance access, affordability and create equity within the healthcare system. This is what we describe as our Universal Health Care process,” said Daniel.
‘We are pleased with the support and financing provided by the Government of Saint Lucia through the World Bank group to our infrastructural development projects. We look forward to the timely completion of those projects, the restoration of services at all the respective centres and the enhance delivery of quality healthcare services overall.”
Minister for Health Moses Jn. Baptiste reaffirmed his government’s commitment to enhancing the health sector through health infrastructure and improving access to healthcare services.
“Our government led by Hon. Philip J. Pierre is committed to strengthening the systems, to advancing healthcare reforms, both in relation to improvement of facilities but also to strengthen systems and to cause there to be even more resources, to cause the injection of resources, to be felt by the health sector so that our people at the end of the day can benefit,” the minister said.
Parliamentary Representative for Babonneau Dr Virginia Poyotte anticipates the improvements will significantly benefit people in the communities of Babonneau and Fond Assau.
The rehabilitative works for the Babonneau and Fond Assau Wellness Centres will include the reorganisation of the floor areas, installation of water tanks and generator, improvement of electrical and plumbing distribution, construction of gazebo at Fond Assau Wellness Centre to accommodate waiting patients and provision for a disability access to name a few.
The rehabilitative works for the Babonneau and Fond Assau Wellness Centres are slated to be undertaken for a period of six months.
