The government of Antigua and Barbuda has recently decided to reopen the Cancer Centre located on the Queen Elizabeth Highway in order to provide critical care to many cancer patients in the country.

The decision came after the parliament of Antigua and Barbuda acquired the property under the terms of ’eminent domain’ in December.

This was the first step taken by the government to reopen the Cancer Centre, which had been closed down in the first half of 2023.

The acquisition of the property under the ’eminent domain’ law was necessitated by the fact that the government and the majority shareholder of the company, Dr. Conville Browne, were unable to reach a compromise on the value of the property.

While the evaluators engaged by the government valued the centre at approximately EC$6-9 million dollars, the majority shareholder demanded a staggering EC$40 million dollars.

Despite several attempts to negotiate and reach a compromise, he had refused to budge from his demands.

The government had to intervene in order to provide critical care to cancer patients who were forced to travel abroad for radiation and other therapies.

The closure of the centre in 2023 had resulted in the government accumulating a huge bill for flying cancer patients overseas to receive chemotherapy and other cancer treatments.

These payments for overseas travel and care had mounted to significant proportions over time, and the government had to take immediate action to address this issue.

As per government sources, the Cancer Centre will be refurbished and provided with new and improved machines.

It will be operational within the first quarter of 2024, which will be a huge relief for cancer patients who have had to suffer the inconvenience and financial burden of traveling abroad for cancer treatment.

With the reopening of the Cancer Centre, the government hopes to provide critical care to cancer patients in the country and reduce the burden of overseas travel and care on the national exchequer.