UPP MP Lewis calls for reopening of Five Islands Clinic

St John’s Rural West Member of Parliament, Richard Lewis, has recently called for the reopening of the satellite clinic in Five Islands.

The clinic has been closed for a significant period, leaving those needing medical services with no choice but to travel to the Grays Farm facility, which is a considerable distance away.

According to Lewis, the Five Islands clinic has been closed twice by the Antigua Labour Party Administration, leaving residents in a difficult position.

It is unfair to have sick individuals travel such a long distance for medical care, especially given that the Five Islands facility was constructed to avoid such a situation.

Residents are now crying out for using the community healthcare facility, and the clinic must be reopened as soon as possible.

The closure of the Five Islands clinic has left a significant gap in the healthcare services available in the area, and Lewis believes that reopening the clinic will not only be beneficial for residents but also for the overall healthcare system.

“That was a satellite clinic established by Baldwin Spencer and the United Progressive Party. The Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party closed it twice. They reopened it after we made noise about it. Now it is closed. The people are crying out in five islands who have to find their way up to Grays Farm Clinic. It is a challenge and need that clinic back”, he said

Residents of Five Islands have also expressed their frustration with the unavailability of the local clinic.

The facility not only provided a convenient location for parents with newborn babies and those needing vaccinations, but it also offered a separate space from the elderly population.

With the current situation, parents are now being directed to the Grays Farm Clinic, which is often overcrowded with elderly and other community members seeking assistance with chronic diseases.

The absence of the Five Islands Clinic also means that parents are forced to endure long wait times at Grays Farm, which wasn’t the case at the former location.