After having been run by the Health Authority of Anguilla since 2004, the island’s medical and health services are to be taken over for a second time by the Government of Anguilla, rather than function as a statutory body.
The new arrangement was alluded to by Premier and Minister of Health and Finance, Dr. Lorenzo Webster. He made the statement during the First Meeting of the Second Session of the Anguilla House of Assembly on Tuesday, November 9.
He told the Speaker, Mrs. Barbara Webster-Bourne:
“My plan to bring the Health Authority into the Ministry of Health was slowed down – as we focused on battling the COVID pandemic with testing, quarantine, tracing, monitoring and treating.
“Now that the strategy has moved to controlling the disease, rather than the elimination of the disease, the committee can move forward with the proposed transition of the Health Authority back into the Ministry.
“I must commend the Health Team, and the Health Authority, for working well together during this pandemic and for involving me closely in the planning and decision-making process.”
Premier Webster did not give any information about the name, or composition, of the committee to undertake the transition of the medical and health services to the Ministry of Health. Neither did he give a date for the transfer.
At present, the medical and health facilities include the costly renovated Princess Alexandra Hospital – which was significantly refurbished following Hurricane Irma in September 2017; The Valley Polyclinic and the Western Polyclinic at South Hill – which were built after Irma; and the Welches Polyclinic which is closed for the time being due to staffing issues. It is understood that plans are in hand for the recruitment of personnel – possibly from within the Caribbean region.
Without these modern facilities, the medical and health facilities and services would have been at their lowest level. With all the improvements, the present Government may be thinking that now is the appropriate time to become involved in the health services.
Meanwhile, commentators are of the view that Government needs to pay careful attention to its plans to take over the medical and health services. They feel that it would be a Herculean task for the public sector structure, as well as the Government, to become involved in such an arrangement. This is notwithstanding the millions of dollars in subvention that the Government provides annually to the Health Authority – mainly for salaries and other related personnel expenses – and not necessarily for patient care. The commentators are also of the opinion that the planned takeover should be a matter for public consultation, taking the above and other matters into consideration.
In 2004 the then Minister of Health, who oversaw the establishment of the Health Authority of Anguilla, as a means to improve the medical and health services, was Mr. Eric Reid. Since then, the Health Authority had been functioning on its own, with reduced responsibility by Government, but with the provision of annual subventions.
