SAUDI ARABIA – Saint Lucia has secured US$75 million in loan financing from the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) to fund the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the St. Jude Hospital project.
The development loan agreement is part of Saint Lucia’s response activities to support the reconstruction and rehabilitation of St. Jude Hospital following a tragic fire in 2009.
This agreement is the Saudi Fund for Development’s first development loan agreement with the Eastern Caribbean Island nation.
In a press release, the Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Fund for Development, His Excellency Sultan Al-Marshad, asserted: “The project to reconstruct and rehabilitate St. Jude Hospital will help empower local communities, as well as contribute towards strengthening the health sector’s capacity to cater to the requirements of Saint Lucia’s residents.”
With financial support from SFD, Saint Lucia is now gearing up to complete the stalled reconstruction and rehabilitation of the St. Jude Hospital project, and ultimately, improve healthcare access for people in the south region.
This contribution will help speed up the government’s renovation of the hospital’s southern, eastern, and western wings, as well as its sub-buildings.
The Government of Saint Lucia will also disburse some of this money to equip the hospital with state-of-the-art facilities, including a pharmacy, maternity wards, accident and emergency department, and operating rooms for surgery, just to name a few.
The hospital’s rehabilitation will also improve climate resistance capabilities throughout the facility, improving its durability and resilience.
The loan agreement will pave the way for new employment opportunities, better health outcomes, exceptional health service delivery, and economic benefits for all individuals across Saint Lucia.
To this end, the agreement was signed by SFD Chief Executive Officer, His Excellency Sultan Al-Marshad, and the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Economic Development, and Youth Economy in Saint Lucia, Hon. Philip Joseph Pierre.
It was signed in the presence of Saint Lucia’s Minister for External Affairs, International Trade, and Civil Aviation, Honourable Alva Baptiste, Saint Lucia’s Minister for Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs, Hon. Moses Jn. Baptiste and other members of the Cabinet of Ministers for Saint Lucia.
Several government officials from both the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Saint Lucia were also present at the signing ceremony.
Welcoming the funding for the reconstruction of St. Jude Hospital, the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Hon. Philip Joseph Pierre, said: “Providing access to healthcare is a moral imperative, rooted in the values that define us as a country. It is about compassion. It is about empathy. The state must provide every citizen with accessible, affordable, safe, and reliable healthcare.”
This development cooperation reaffirms the importance of international cooperation and solidarity to achieve sustainable development goals and foster economic and social growth.
Through the development loan agreement, the Saudi Fund for Development will contribute to the completion of the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the St. Jude Hospital project in Saint Lucia.
It marks SFD’s first presence in Saint Lucia, making it the 90th nation to receive funds from the Saudi Fund for Development for a development project.
SFD’s development loan to Saint Lucia will help to provide an integrated medical facility offering secondary medical care to the nation’s population.
St. Jude Hospital will have a capacity of approximately 100 beds thus ensuring the availability of quality healthcare services for St. Lucia’s population upon project completion.
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