Soufriere Residents Still Waiting for Hospital Replacement

Nearly a decade after a devastating fire destroyed critical sections of the Soufriere Hospital, residents are still waiting for the modern replacement facility they were promised. While a billboard proclaiming “Coming Soon New Soufriere Hospital” appeared in the town late last year, construction has yet to begin, with government officials confirming that discussions with developers are still ongoing.

Speaking on Tuesday, Parliamentary Representative for Soufriere-Fond St. Jacques, Emma Hippolyte, said the project remains at the negotiation stage.

“The last conversation I had with the people at the Ministry of Economic Affairs is that they are still having a conversation with the developers,” Hippolyte said.

Despite the delays, Hippolyte said the planned facility is expected to significantly expand healthcare services available to residents of Soufriere and surrounding communities. Among the services earmarked for the new hospital are a maternity ward and surgical services.

“We are definitely going to have a maternity ward, because as you know, Soufriere has not had a maternity ward. So, persons having babies have been going to other hospitals,” she explained.

The absence of these services can be traced back to 2017 when the original hospital, which was built in 1946, was struck by two separate fires. While the first blaze on November 9 caused minimal damage, a second fire less than a month later erupted into what health officials described as a “torrid blaze,” causing extensive structural destruction.

The fire wiped out key sections of the facility, including the maternity ward, mental health unit, medical supplies storeroom and newly acquired equipment funded through the 10th European Development Fund.

Following the disaster, former parliamentary representative Herold Stanislaus said feasibility studies had determined that the hospital should be relocated and expressed hope that construction of a new facility would begin before the end of 2020. However, that timeline came and went without construction commencing.

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