Anguilla’s Minister of Health, Dr. Ellis Lorenzo Webster, has made the point that the island’s upgraded facilities have come with increased cost for services.
He was at the time addressing healthcare workers during the first quarterly review of the work of the Health Authority of Anguilla for 2021 on Tuesday, April 20.
He made the statement against a backdrop of complaints, by members of the public, about the recent increases in medical fees and services.
“We have given health the type of pre-eminence that it needs and deserves in Anguilla because, without a good healthcare system, Anguilla would be stuck in the abyss and would not be able to move forward,” he said. “In fact, the economy can only exist with healthcare, and even though COVID-19 is a taboo word, today, we know that over the past year it has been the focus of the healthcare system of Anguilla – the Ministry of Health and the Health Authority of Anguilla.
“As we move forward with our vaccination programme, which is the only way we feel that we can get past COVID- 19, we have done the social-distancing; the hygienic measures; and the protocols…We want to thank everyone for participating in the vaccination programme to help us to get through this.”
Dr. Webster went on: “We know that we have upgraded facilities and this comes with an increased cost. We cannot get away from that – no matter how we look at it. We slice it and dice it, but the cost of healthcare keeps going up and, as I said earlier, Anguilla cannot progress without a good healthcare system and that requires certain sacrifices.
“That is what the Administration has been working on so that we can provide the services that are needed in Anguilla; that we can continue to attract quality health professionals; and also that we are held responsible for the services that we are entrusted within the public purse.”
