The Ministry of Health, Wellness, the Environment and Civil Service Affairs intends to reintroduce childbirth services to Barbuda, ending a nine-year absence that has required all expectant mothers on the sister island to travel to Antigua to give birth since Hurricane Irma devastated the island in 2017.

Last week, Minister Michael Joseph led a high-level delegation to Barbuda as part of an assessment of healthcare delivery and public health infrastructure on the sister island, touring the Hannah Thomas Hospital, the Barbuda Health and Wellness Centre and the dental department, where discussions were held with healthcare personnel on existing operations, challenges and opportunities for improvement.

The ministry said a comprehensive three-month assessment will be completed before implementation measures are introduced, to allow for a full evaluation of the health sector and the development of a national healthcare framework.

Joseph subsequently presented his findings to Cabinet on Wednesday, and Cabinet approved a series of healthcare upgrades for the sister island flowing from that assessment.

Director General for Communications Maurice Merchant said the restoration of maternity services forms part of government’s broader commitment to ensuring Barbudans have greater access to essential healthcare closer to home.

Photo Credit: Ministry of Health, Wellness, the Environment and Civil Service Affairs

“The Minister wants to develop that department at the Hannah Thomas Hospital to reintroduce childbirth on Barbuda so that Barbudans can have their children on Barbuda,” Merchant said.

He confirmed that the plan extends to handling high-risk pregnancies on the island, with the government working toward full maternity capabilities at the Hannah Thomas Hospital rather than a limited service that would still require some mothers to travel.

Cabinet also approved the introduction of laboratory services at the hospital, which Merchant said would improve diagnostic capabilities and reduce the need for Barbuda residents to travel to Antigua for routine medical testing.

A new patient booking system is also among the approved measures, to be developed in collaboration between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Information Technology under Minister Melford Nicholas.

The system is designed to allow Barbudans to schedule appointments for specialised medical services in Antigua, including X-rays and MRIs, directly from Barbuda.

“Currently what happens, Barbudans will have to travel to Antigua to make appointments, then they return to Barbuda to await the date for their appointments, then they travel back to Antigua for those appointments,” Merchant explained.

He added that “what the Ministry is trying to do is to ensure that Barbudans can stay on Barbuda, make their appointments, do their paperwork and so forth in relation to these tests, and then when they receive the appointments, they can travel to Antigua to fulfil these appointments.”

The delegation last week also discussed the need to strengthen emergency response capabilities on the island, including provisions for an ambulance for Barbuda, and visited the Barbuda landfill site as part of the ministry’s focus on environmental health and sanitation.

Members of the delegation included Permanent Secretary Stacey Gregg-Paige, Senator Kendra Beazer, Health Committee Chairman Devon Warner, Deputy Chairman Wayde Burton, Secretary/CEO O. Shari Cannegieter, Head of the Health Department Karie Williams-Cephas, Resident Doctor Jeremy Deazle and Public Health Nurse Jenita Cuffy.

Minister Joseph also advised Cabinet that the ministry intends to introduce imaging services to Barbuda within a short period, which would further reduce the need for residents to travel to Antigua for diagnostic care.