VG med centre back after repairs

After a four-month suspension of services, the six-year-old Nurse Iris O’Neal Medical Centre on Virgin Gorda has resumed operations following the installation of an air-conditioning system and a deep cleaning, officials said.

During the closure, which was announced with one day’s notice on Oct. 16, a temporary “field hospital” was deployed on the centre’s grounds to deal with urgent matters while their services were moved to the North Sound Clinic.

Last week, however, the BVI Health Services Authority announced in a Feb. 18 press release that its team was set to start a three-day move back the same day.

“Following the completion of the [air-conditioning] installation phase, a thorough deep cleaning of the facility and the required air-quality assessment were conducted to ensure the building meets all safety and environmental standards,” the BVIHSA stated. “With these works finalised, the authority confirms that services will now transition back to the clinic.”

The agency added that the move was expected to cause brief interruptions to certain services.

“In particular, pharmacy services may experience temporary delays as equipment and supplies are repositioned and systems are fully restored,” it stated.

The clinic has faced many problems since it opened in February 2020 after years of delays.

Its second floor was never made operational, and it was among the facilities highlighted in a scathing 2023 report on healthcare in the sister islands.

That report, by the Sister Islands Unit, urged the government to staff both clinics on Virgin Gorda with a doctor 24 hours a day.

In August 2024, however, that recommendation didn’t help Revovion “Bucky” Sprauve, who died after arriving at the clinic only to find it closed.

Amid the resulting outrage, an “ad hoc committee” of Virgin Gorda residents formed to push for better healthcare on the sister island.

About 100 people subsequently attended a September 2024 community meeting with health officials, who promised to ensure that the clinic was staffed around the clock, along with other measures.