Saudi team tours St Jude’s Hospital

While the people of Saint Lucia patiently await the full commissioning of St. Jude Hospital health officials say that everything is being done to ensure that the facility will be fully operational soon and operating at the highest safety and efficiency standards.

After 16 years of delays and political maneuverings, the St Jude Hospital was handed over to the government by the contractor on November 16, 2025.

Photo credit: St Jude Hospital

During the handing over, the Permanent Secretary in the Department of Economic Development Paul Hilaire disclosed, “this facility will include modern diagnostic capacity, a safer patient environment, energy-efficient systems, and improved clinical workflow to serve generations to come.”

While stating that the handover was not an official opening, Hilaire indicated that the task ahead was to move into a phase of operational readiness, commissioning, equipping, staffing and regulatory alignment.

It was also revealed that at least five departments had been commissioned including the Administrative Centre, Laundry, Kitchen, Physiotherapy, and Dialysis.

Ahead of the full commissioning, the St Jude facility was visited this week by a delegation from the Saudi Fund for Development who contributed to the reconstruction and rehabilitation through a $75 million loan agreement in 2023.

The visit which commenced on January 19, included meetings with the Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Health, Wellness and Nutrition, and the project contractor.

The Saudi delegation comprised Director of Reporting and Data Analysis Department Abdullah Alhuwaymil, Loan Operations Expert Abdullah Almelify, Projects Manager of Europe, Latin America and Caribbean Region Anas Alshehri, and  Project Manager of Europe, Latin America, and Caribbean Region Ibrahim Alsaheel.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Philip J Pierre said that the full commissioning of St Jude Hospital is well underway.

“A number of departments are up and running… I reflect on how far we have come and how close we are to delivering a fully functioning hospital for the people of the south, the people of Saint Lucia,” Pierre said.

St. Lucia Times has been unable to obtain an official timeline from health officials as to the full commissioning of St Jude’s Hospital to date.