Chief Medical Officer Dr Sharon Belmar-George has praised the team at St Jude Hospital for successfully commissioning its new dialysis unit at the Augier site, as the Ministry of Health moves to expand access to renal care for patients in the south of Saint Lucia.
Belmar-George, accompanied by Principal Nursing Officer Julietta Cassius, recently visited the newly commissioned unit to observe its operations and assess the transition of patients and staff to the facility.
The Chief Medical Officer said in a later interview that the expansion of dialysis services is increasingly important as Saint Lucia continues to see the effects of chronic non-communicable diseases.
“Given what we are seeing from our data on chronic non-communicable diseases, one of the complications is renal failure and we’ve been seeing the numbers of patients that are impacted by renal failure,” Belmar-George said.
She noted that dialysis services are currently available at both the Millennium Heights Medical Complex and St Jude Hospital.
“At present we have the dialysis units at the Millennium Heights Medical Complex and also at St. Jude,” she said.
Belmar-George commended the St Jude team for the measures taken to ensure that patients could be transferred safely to the new unit.
“The team has been working very hard to ensure a safe transfer to the new unit and I really have to acknowledge the team and congratulate the team on the measures that they have put in place to ensure the safe transition of our patients from the St. Jude Hospital to the new center,” she said.
The Chief Medical Officer said the dialysis service has followed established standards during the transition.
“So with the support of Renal Dialysis, so they have adhered to both the local and the regional protocol for dialysis services,” she said.
“They’ve been able to make the move. The Ministry of Health supported that commissioning initiative. They’ve been able to make the move safely.”
She said both patients and staff had responded positively to the new facility.
“The patients as well have been very pleased to utilize both the patients and the staff to utilize the new dialysis center,” Belmar-George said.
The dialysis unit is expected to be expanded to accommodate 14 dialysis stations, increasing the capacity to provide treatment to patients in the south.
Belmar-George said the number of patients currently receiving dialysis has not yet increased following the commissioning of the new facility, but the Ministry expects that to change.
“So at present the numbers are the same, but I know the team will be working to see how we increase the numbers being dialyzed over in the south of the island,” she said.
The expansion is part of the Ministry of Health’s wider efforts to strengthen public healthcare services and respond to the growing burden of chronic illnesses.
With renal failure among the serious complications associated with chronic non-communicable diseases, increased dialysis capacity is expected to reduce the need for patients in the south to travel for treatment and improve access to specialized renal care.
Belmar-George’s visit also provided an opportunity to recognize the work of healthcare professionals involved in commissioning the facility and managing the transition, as the Ministry continues efforts to improve access to safe and reliable healthcare services across Saint Lucia.