tres, polyclinics, social institutions, as well as tertiary and secondary care health institutions. The proposed strengthening of services includes the upgrading of its polyclinics, expansion of diagnostic capabilities in the primary care setting, utilisation of health teams and offering of additional services at the community level. Through the strengthening of primary care services to deliver appropriate health interventions at the community and regional level, the Ministry intends to reduce the tendency of clients to bypass services provided at the primary health care level and the overcrowding at the hospital. The Ministry is seeking to keep persons well and out of the hospital setting. It is envisaged that this strategy will contribute to a significant reduction in secondary health care costs and improved health outcomes. The contract for construction of the new national hospital was awarded to INSO SISTEMI PER LE INFRASTRUCUTRE COCIALI S.p.A (INSO S.p.A) of Italy and construction commenced in November, 2010. The hospital is a two storey reinforced concrete structure spanning across a floor
area of approximately 14,500 square metres. The bed capacity of the facility is 116. The purpose of the new national hospital is to establish a modern hospital facility capable of providing quality health care services to all citizens, in an efficient manner. The overall objective is for the provision of improved secondary care services in Saint Lucia. The services to be offered are many: Outpatient Care will include Accident and Emergency, Observation Beds, General Outpatient Clinic, Orthopedics Clinic, Ophthalmology Clinic, ENT Clinic, Children’s Outpatient Clinic, STD Clinic, Obstetrics & Gynecology Clinic, Day Surgery/Investigation Unit and a Dialysis Unit. Inpatient Care will include General Acute Wards, Children’s Wards, Obstetrics Wards, Gynecology Wards, Special Care Baby Unit and an Intensive Care Unit. Diagnosis & Treatment will feature a Pathology Laboratory, Radiology, Operating Theatres, Delivery Suite and Physiotherapy
Medical Support will include a Pharmacy, Central Sterile Supply, Medical Records, Offices and Library and a Mortuary. General Support will come in the form of Hospital Administration, Other Administration, Meeting Rooms, Main Entrances/ Shops, Chapel, Telephones, Building Maintenance, Laundry, Kitchen, Staff Dining, Goods Receipt/Distribution, On-Call Suite and Staff Changing Rooms. By the end of October 2012, the new national hospital was 85% complete with remaining works to be completed by December 31, 2012 and the new facility will be operational by June 2013. Construction of is being funded by the European Union and the Government of Saint Lucia. The Government of Saint Lucia will; spend EC$34,288,888, while the European Union will spend EC$139,818,581.04. Total funding is estimated at EC$174,107,468.70. Up to the end of October 2012 the St. Lucia Government had already spent EC$19,068,797.97, the European Union had spent EC$109,147,266.09, bringing total expenditure to date to EC$128,216,060.24. BF
New National Hospitals Accredited ahead of
Commissioning
The Ministry of Health has taken a bold initial step in the process of preparing its institutions for the endorsement of international accreditation as a core component of national health sector reform. In a bid to systematically improve the quality of care received by patients and other users of the service and to improve satisfaction with the services received, Accreditation Canada International, an internationally recognised accrediting body, has been contracted to conduct assessments of the primary health care services (Wellness Centres, Polyclinic and District Hospitals), Victoria Hospital, St. Jude Hospital, the National Mental Wellness Centre and Turning Point Rehabilitation Centre to determine their readiness for accreditation. These assessments took place between November and December 2012. The results of the assessments – due early in
2013 – will inform the Ministry and the facilities concerned of the progress made in developing, documenting and implementing processes, protocols, and standard operating procedures. These form part of an integrated quality management system that seeks to assure consistent quality of care delivered to patients and clients, congruent with internationally accepted standards of care. This initial assessment of the existing processes and systems against international standards will serve as a baseline and guide for future work. The primary objective is to improve quality of care and ultimately to obtain accreditation. The assessors will also pro-
vide an assessment of each organisation’s capacity to transition to a culture of quality. These objectives are especially relevant given the imminent opening of the new National Hospital which aims to operate as a referral hospital providing more efficient and effective services. Patients and clients must be confident, irrespective of the public health facility visited, whether at the primary or secondary level, of the delivery of quality care services. BF
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