Kingstown St. Vincent May 18,2026-Opposition Leader Ralph Gonsalves has claimed that the Modern Medical and Diagnostic Centre in Georgetown is under threat of being stripped of key medical services under the current administration.
Speaking on radio, Gonsalves said he was concerned that the New Democratic Party government was “increasingly” moving to downgrade the facility, particularly in relation to surgical services.
“I want to find out when the surgical facilities are going to return,” he said, noting that surgeries had been suspended temporarily because of staffing shortages.
The former prime minister argued that maintaining surgical capacity at the Georgetown facility was critical for residents in eastern St Vincent, especially in emergency situations where travel to Kingstown could cost lives.
He recalled the case of a man from his constituency who survived a serious abdominal injury after undergoing emergency surgery at the Georgetown centre by a Cuban surgeon.
“If he had to go from Georgetown to Kingstown, he’d have been dead,” Gonsalves said.
He also referenced another case involving a man from South Rivers who died years ago while being transported to hospital in Kingstown after suffering a severe injury.
“If Modern Medical and Diagnostic Centre existed, more than likely he would still have been alive,” he added.
Gonsalves accused critics of the facility of attempting from the beginning to undermine the project, recalling objections that the centre should have been built in Kingstown rather than Georgetown.
“They said if you’re building it, you should build it in Kingstown,” he said, dismissing concerns previously raised about the facility’s location in an area vulnerable to volcanic activity.
The Georgetown-based medical complex was opened in 2018 under the former Unity Labour Party administration as part of a broader effort to decentralise healthcare services across St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Gonsalves said the policy of the former government had been to establish three major pillars of hospital care on mainland St Vincent the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, the Georgetown medical complex and the acute care hospital under construction at Arnos Vale.
He claimed the current administration instead wanted to centralise services into “a one-stop place”, a move he argued could weaken healthcare access in rural communities.
The opposition leader also raised concerns about patients reportedly being redirected from the Georgetown facility to private medical providers for tests previously available free of charge.
According to Gonsalves, a constituent recently told him he had been required to pay EC$120 for a medical test after being informed it was no longer available at the facility.
The Modern Medical and Diagnostic Centre in Georgetown was opened in 2018 as part of efforts by the former administration to decentralise healthcare services and improve access for residents in eastern (windward) St Vincent. The facility became a major political issue over the years, with debate surrounding its location, role and long-term future within the national healthcare system.
Critics had questioned the decision to build the facility in an area close to the volcanic red zone near La Soufrière, while supporters argued the project was necessary to expand healthcare access to rural communities.