The Ministry of Health, Wellness and Nutrition is undertaking a broad review of Saint Lucia’s public healthcare system, with efforts focused on improving the quality and consistency of services, strengthening staffing and expanding access to care.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Sharon Belmar-George, in a video release, said the Ministry has been working to strengthen primary healthcare through a phased approach while responding to changing patterns in demand for public health services.
“It’s important for us to strengthen our public health services and also expand services as well in some areas,” Belmar-George said.
She explained that the Ministry has reviewed existing services and the public health primary care system and is now updating clinical protocols and standard operating procedures across health facilities.
“One of them is the review of all of our clinical protocols that our senior medical officers are working on now to ensure standardized high-quality care at all of the facilities, no matter where patients access care,” she said.
The review also includes an assessment of procedures within health facilities and the resources available to meet patient needs.
“We’ve looked at our human resources, looking at patient numbers, looking at the morbidity and mortality profile, that is, what are people accessing care for at the various facilities,” the Chief Medical Officer said.
Belmar-George said the Ministry has increased staffing in several areas, including district medical officers and senior medical officers.
“We have increased the staffing numbers, especially when it comes to our district medical officers, our senior medical officers,” she said.
Senior medical officers provide oversight, particularly in urgent care, with the Ministry currently having four senior medical officers covering areas including general clinical services and infectious diseases.
The Ministry is also strengthening urgent and emergency care while developing policies addressing non-communicable diseases.
Belmar-George said the increase in staffing was partly driven by greater demand for public healthcare following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Post-COVID, we also noted that a greater percentage of the population was accessing care within the public sector,” she said.
The Ministry responded by increasing the number of clinics available to the public.
“So to ensure we could reduce the waiting times, we also increased the number of clinics that we were providing to the public,” Belmar-George said.
Work is also continuing on the establishment of National Blood Bank services at the Millennium Heights Medical Complex.
Belmar-George said a committee comprising representatives from public and private health services is involved in the initiative.
She also reported continued collaboration with the St Jude Hospital commissioning team, following the successful opening of the new dialysis center in the south.
“We were very pleased for the opening of the new dialysis center successfully down in the South and also working towards the successful commissioning of the other services to the new site,” she said.
The Ministry is also working with other agencies to strengthen areas beyond hospital and primary care services.
Belmar-George said she had met with the Saint Lucia Fire Service to examine ways of improving pre-hospital care.
“I’ve also met with the Saint Lucia Fire Service looking at ways to improve pre-hospital care,” she said.
Discussions have also been held with the Saint Lucia Air and Seaports Authority, or SLASPA, on strengthening port health services.
The Ministry’s wider approach is intended to ensure that improvements are made throughout the healthcare system rather than at individual facilities alone.
“We are committed to improving the quality of care that we provide to our patients, and we’re doing so on many levels,” Belmar-George said.
The Chief Medical Officer said the ongoing reviews and investments are ultimately aimed at ensuring that patients receive consistent, high-quality care regardless of where they access public health services.