The government is moving to establish a Universal Health Coverage Authority, Health Minister Moses Jn Baptiste confirmed Tuesday, February 17, pledging to end years of stalled plans as Saint Lucia grapples with an EC$200 million healthcare bill.
The announcement came during the launch of a new SLUHC website and branding, which officials said will help the public track policies, receive emergency alerts and access enrolment notices.
The initiative is part of a broader push to strengthen accountability and expand access to medical services, following years of frustration among healthcare workers over unfulfilled coverage plans.
SLUHC Director Alisha Eugene-Ford said that since its rollout in 2022, the UHC programme has delivered thousands of free services, including antenatal care for more than 3,400 pregnant women, cervical cancer screenings for over 5,500 women, and men’s health consultations for more than 1,600 patients.
Additional initiatives have provided breast cancer screenings, snakebite treatment and other critical interventions.
Jn Baptiste said draft legislation to formalise the new authority is already advanced, with the ministry working alongside the Attorney General’s Chambers and other stakeholders before presenting the bill to Cabinet.
He acknowledged the exasperation among healthcare workers who have seen successive administrations promise but fail to deliver comprehensive coverage.
“I want to tell you, we are going to put a stop to the tiredness. We will go to Parliament… it’s not going to be easy,” the minister said, referencing challenges within the sector.
Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre underscored the financial pressures facing the industry, noting that healthcare consumed more than $200 million in 2025.
He said institutions such as St Jude Hospital and the Owen King European Union Hospital have requested tens of millions in additional funding for personnel, far exceeding what the government’s health and security levy – projected to raise up to $45 million this year – can provide.
“We have to find a way to cause healthcare to be affordable, to be equitable and to be reachable… that is the purpose of UHC,” he continued before pledging to aid the industry “within the fiscal realities of what [the country] can afford”.
Eugene-Ford said the colours and symbols in the new branding were carefully chosen to reflect Saint Lucia as well as new and old systems that form the foundation of the UHC programme.
