On June 7, The BVI Beacon turned 40. To celebrate, it is re-publishing some of the biggest stories from its archives over the past four decades. The article below was written by Chrystall Kanyuck which originally ran Jan. 14, 2010.
“Doctors and nurses based at the Peebles Hospital were so pleased to have their new facility un- veiled yesterday afternoon that they literally danced, putting on a show for government ministers and other dignitaries as they entered the hospital lobby for a tour.
The song of choice?
“Happy,” by Pharrell Williams.
Pride was the theme of the day not just for medical staff, but for donors, residents and government officials, particularly Premier Dr. Orlando Smith.
“I am pleased that my government has once again delivered on its promise to you to build a better Virgin Islands, a better health care system,” Dr. Smith said at the dedication ceremony for the hospital, which has been under construction for more than seven years and originally was scheduled to open in 2008. “The opening of this new Peebles Hospital today is evidence that we have raised the bar of health care in this territory, and there is no turning back.”
The premier, who served as the territory’s chief medical officer from 1979 to 1995, told some 600 people who attended the ceremony that he has always felt a “personal bond” to the hospital, where he and other medical professionals did not always have “all of the facilities and services at the time to meet all the needs which arose.”
In those days, they called the need to seek care outside the territory “Puerto Rico syndrome,” he said, adding that the opening of the new hospital will put an end to that need.
Health and Social Development Minister Ronnie Skelton was likewise proud of the facility, which he said has been an aspiration of the territory for “the better part of two decades.”
He added that the facility was built to international accreditation specifications, and that while full accreditation will be a long process, the hospital already is well on its way.
Mr. Skelton said that legal regulations needed to put in place the territory’s next medical measure, National Health Insurance, have been approved by Cabinet and will be coming to the House of Assembly soon. NHI software, meanwhile, should be installed and ready to use by the end of March, he said.
There are still two more weeks until the last cohort of staff and hospital operations move into the new facility, said Health and Social Development Permanent Secretary Petrona Davies. Clinical services are set to make their move on Dec. 29.
Ms. Davies said the hospital is the “best built and best designed” in the Eastern Caribbean.
All that modern technology could make the hospital a boon not only for residents seeking services, but also to the VI economy, Mr. Skelton said.
His ministry would like to open a medical or nursing school in the territory, which would pro- vide a boost to other sectors such as housing.
Governor John Duncan said the hospital could also be the foundation for the territory to move ahead with plans to become a medical tourism destination.
“Medicine could be a third pillar of the economy,” Mr. Duncan said.
Opposition Leader Ralph O’Neal also spoke at the ceremony, helping to unveil a plaque announcing the facility’s dedication.
The ceremony also featured performances by students from the Jost Van Dyke Primary School and the Robinson O’Neal Primary School, and music by the Elmore Stoutt High School Jazz ensemble.
