The United Workers Party is appalled by the continued lies being told by the Prime
Minister Philip Pierre about the real state of the St Jude Hospital reconstruction
that his government found when it assumed office in July 2021.
In statements published in the local media yesterday, 19 th . September, Mr. Pierre is
quoted as saying that the project left the United Workers Party 14 months ago, was
just 30 percent completed at the time,
Anyone who has seen the St Jude hospital at the stage left by the UWP will
immediately recognize that Mr. Pierre is not telling the truth, and we are calling
out the Prime Minister for what he is.
But even more disturbing is the statement alluded to Mr. Pierre that after his
government has sat on by for 14 months refusing to take the St Jude Hospital
project forward, it will resume works in November, not at the site of the state-of-
the-art hospital that was being built by the UWP but rather at the original site
where a building undertaken by a previous St Lucia Labour Party administration
had to be abandoned because of structural problems, among other things.
More alarming too is the statement by the Prime Minister that when the project
resumes in November “the first phase of the construction will be the fencing of the
original site and external exterior works” and that “full construction” of the
remaining buildings will continue in the new year”.
Commenting on the latest developments, UWP political leader Allen Chastanet
said that one of deliberate lies which the Pierre government continued to peddle in
relation to this project, was that the building the UWP left was 30 percent
complete.
He added: “This is a blatant lie. When we left office in July of 2021, the hospital
which we had started to construct was over 70 percent complete, only 6 months
away from full completion. The external work on the structure had already been
completed which includes the complete installation of the cladding, windows and
doors. Work was ongoing on the sewage, electrical and the partitions inside of the
building and we had already begun placing orders for the equipment”.
Chastanet added: “People are free to go take a look at the building and ask
themselves whether this is a building that is only 30 percent or 70 percent
completed.”
The former Prime Minister said another important fact which the SLP continued to
conveniently omit was that the main contractor for the St Jude Hospital was
Taiwanese construction firm Overseas Engineering and Construction Company
(OECC), adding: “We relied heavily on the expertise and experience of OECC to
ensure that this project would live up to the world class standards and expectations
that we had set for this project. One year later, all Prime Minister Pierre can
announce about the St Jude Project is that they will proceed with the fencing of the
old building. If this project wasn’t so serious I would think that this was a joke.”
Chastanet recalled that the problems associated with the structure proposed by the
Prime Minister had been well documented: low ceilings, poor ventilation and
lighting, electrical wires mixed with the plumbing system, in other words, he said,
a disaster waiting to happen.
He added: “Anyone who goes to the site can see for themselves which direction the
government should adopt. Again, I call on the Prime Minister to reconsider this
decision and do what’s best for the people of the south by delivering a world class
hospital which will serve Saint Lucians for decades to come.”
Equally, appalling to us is the fact that people, including important professional
organizations in this country are standing by and allowing the government to
proceed with its ridiculous plans, without raising their voices in protest.
“I hope we do not end up paying a heavy price for this folly”, Chastanet said.
