Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Philip J. Pierre, has reiterated his government’s commitment to completing St. Jude Hospital, assuring Parliament that the long-delayed facility will be opened “at the soonest possible opportunity.”
“Finally, we can see the light,” Pierre stated in a video online showcasing the developments at the facility “One of the happiest days of my parliamentary journey… to say to the people of Saint Lucia that we have the money, when the process is complete, to completely and finally make St. Jude’s Hospital available to the public of Saint Lucia, and the people of the south in particular… I want to give you the solemn promise that you will get your hospital at the soonest possible opportunity.”
The Prime Minister’s comments follow a landmark financing agreement signed on 13 September 2024, when the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) and the Government of Saint Lucia concluded contracts with two joint ventures involving Saint Lucian and Saudi Arabian construction and consulting firms. The deal secured a concessional loan of US$75 million to complete the reconstruction of St Jude Hospital at its original site in Augier, Vieux-Fort.
The project will deliver a 100-bed hospital with maternity wards, emergency rooms, and surgical suites, expected to serve thousands of patients annually. According to the government, the facility will improve access to advanced medical care, strengthen healthcare delivery, and relieve the burden of services still housed in the retrofitted George Odlum National Stadium.
The signing was witnessed by SFD’s CEO, H.E. Sultan Al-Marshad, and Prime Minister Pierre.
In his remarks, Mr Al-Marshad said the hospital’s reconstruction would “empower local communities, strengthen the healthcare sector’s ability to meet the needs of the people of Saint Lucia, and promote economic and social growth.” He added that the project was consistent with SFD’s mission to support sustainable socio-economic development in developing countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
St. Jude Hospital, originally opened in 1966, was devastated by fire on 9 September 2009, forcing health services to be relocated to the George Odlum Stadium in Vieux-Fort. What was intended as a temporary arrangement stretched into more than a decade of stop-start reconstruction, marked by changes in administration, rising costs, and repeated delays.
The 2024 Saudi-funded deal marked what government officials described as a “turning point” in a process that had become one of the most politically sensitive infrastructure projects in Saint Lucia.
With financing secured and contracts awarded, construction has advanced through 2025. The government has maintained that the hospital will open within this calendar year, allowing the stadium to return to its original role as a national sporting venue.
