The island’s main public health facility is poised for its most ambitious expansion in history, with Prime Minister Mia Mottley announcing plans to increase capacity at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) by 40 per cent, supported by a financing agreement with China.
The announcement came during the opening ceremony of Bayview Hospital’s new Urgent Care Centre on Wednesday, where Mottley outlined the government’s post-International Monetary Fund (IMF) health infrastructure push as part of a broader commitment to improve access to quality care.
“This expansion will see us literally expand the capacity of the hospital by 40 per cent—that being the largest expansion of the QEH since its construction,” the prime minister said, noting that discussions with a Chinese company to fund and execute the project are well underway.
She added that the minister of health would soon deliver a ministerial statement in Parliament detailing the scope of the QEH upgrade, which will include the construction of a dedicated oncology centre.
The move comes as the government prepares to exit its IMF programme at the end of June, freeing up fiscal space to reinvest in critical sectors.
Mottley said her administration had wasted no time in mobilising resources for healthcare, alongside similar investments in education.
The QEH expansion is part of a wider package of healthcare improvements that includes the complete rebuilding of two polyclinics and the refurbishment of seven others.
The new Eunice Gibson Polyclinic is to be constructed in Warrens, St Michael, while the Randall Phillips Polyclinic is slated for Oistins, Christ Church and is expected to include beds for short-term admission to ease pressure on the QEH.
“We must ensure that if we face a public health outbreak or emergency, there will be an additional 20 or 25 beds available in Oistins once that new facility is completed,” Mottley said.
She also reiterated that the first tranche of over $140 million in new medical equipment being procured for the QEH has already been delivered.
This includes the long-awaited linear accelerator, which remains inactive while civil works on its housing facility near completion. The equipment, used for advanced cancer treatment, is expected to be operational before the end of the year.
In addition to her highlights of government projects, the prime minister praised Bayview Hospital for its plans to soon introduce a PET-CT scan machine, which she said is a vital diagnostic tool not currently available in the public system.
She welcomed the addition as part of a wider public-private health strategy, stating, “This is what we mean when we talk about working in partnership.”
Mottley stressed that Barbados’ small population requires strategic collaboration between sectors, adding, “Sometimes we still have to build in redundancy. As a sovereign nation, we can’t rely solely on one machine, one facility.”
The proposed oncology centre at QEH, which is expected to break ground before year-end, will form a key part of this “redundancy”, strengthening the island’s ability to deliver cancer care, expanding treatment options alongside the linear accelerator and PET-CT services, with construction expected to take 18 to 24 months.
Mottley also spoke of plans to strengthen regional health partnerships, including new arrangements with Martinique to give Barbadian patients access to nuclear medicine services.
Further underscoring the social importance of health investments, she issued a call for empathy and better communication from healthcare professionals at all levels.
“There are still too many stories of people who feel they were given short shrift,” Mottley said. “If you have to break it down four or five times for me as prime minister, then you have to do it for any and everybody in this country.”
She stressed that the ultimate goal is to ensure quality, affordable healthcare for all Barbadians, not just a privileged few.
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