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Gros Islet Poly Clinic – A Holistic Approach to Health Care

Contact: Julita Peter

Wednesday, March 20, 2002 – Saint Lucia’s lone polyclinic located in the northern town of Gros-Islet was opened, officially, on Monday. The $2.1 million facility was established to improve community access to health services, and provide a level of service higher than that which would normally be received at a regular health centre.

The polyclinic currently operates from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day and provides a range of services including ambulance, dental, radiology, and pharmaceutical services as well as all the other services which would normally be provided at a regular health centre. It will have the capacity to treat minor illnesses and stabilize more serious cases before transfer to Victoria Hospital.

According to Health Minister Honourable Damian Greaves, the establishment of the polyclinic is part of his ministry’s holistic approach to the development and delivery of health care, focusing primarily on “wellness and health promotion as a strategy to improve the health of all persons”.

“I am therefore honoured to present the policy clinic, an intermediate level of care, as one strategy which will allow us to respond to those pressing concerns and challenges,” Minister Greaves said.

The polyclinic’s administrator, Bernadette Springer, says its mission is to provide a high level of community health care which is accessible and affordable and to deliver clinical and social services and educational programmes in an efficient and cost effective manner.

The Member of Parliament for Gros Islet, Honourable Mario Michel noted that due to budgetary constraints the polyclinic could not be operated on a 24-hour basis at the moment. However, he noted, a request had been for funds to be made available in the 2002/2003 budget, for the polyclinic to move from an eight hour to a twelve hour operation. “In time, we should get to the stage where the Gros Islet polyclinic would function as a full 24-hour facility,” he ended.

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