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Contact:
Rose Marie Harris
Thursday, April 10, 2003 – “A healthy work force is one of the major
factors that contribute to increasing economic productivity,” that’s according
to Prime Minister, Honourable Dr. Kenny Anthony as he delivered this years
budget presentation. According to Prime Minister Anthony, the economic costs of
avoidable disease as well as the cost of provision of health care services, are
staggeringly high and continue to rise with demographic changes and the increase
in population.
“Disease reduces national productivity and annual incomes of society, the
lifetime incomes of individuals and prospects for economic growth. Because
disease weighs so heavily on economic development, investment in health is an
important component of our overall development strategy,” the Prime Minister
said.
In an effort to ensure that the Saint Lucian population continues to be a nation
of healthy people, government will accelerate the work began on a number of
areas within the health sector. Dr. Anthony says work will continue full speed
ahead on the new psychiatric hospital and the new national hospital.
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has agreed to finance the refurbishment of
fifteen health centres to assist in strengthening the country’s human capital
base in support of its broad social and economic development agenda. The project
is part of Saint Lucia’s Economic Reconstruction Programme (ERP) approved by CDB
to assist member countries to reposition their economies in light of the
attendant fiscal and structural challenges they currently confront. The
rehabilitation of the health centres is estimated to cost $9.471 million, of
which approximately $1.515 million is the Government’s counterpart contribution.
It is expected that the project will be approved at the CDB Board meeting in
July this year.
According to the Prime Minister, “The project aims to enhance the efficiency of
the physical operations of the health sub-sector, to increase the standard of
delivery of health care and to provide vital information to the Ministry of
Health, Human Services and Family Affairs on the physical condition of its
facilities. This, in turn will facilitate the completion of a comprehensive
current schedule of capital maintenance interventions with the corresponding
budgetary proposals.”
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