Cabinet Approves New Neurosurgery Service as Antigua Modernizes Health System

Antigua and Barbuda is moving toward a year-round neurosurgical service as Cabinet has authorized the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre to formally engage a consultant neurosurgeon, a shift from the country’s long-standing reliance on occasional specialist visits.

The decision was announced Friday by Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant during the post-Cabinet media briefing.

Merchant said the move follows a detailed proposal outlining the need to replace the current episodic model, in which a neurosurgeon visits roughly every six months at Mount St. John’s Medical Centre.

According to the briefing, Cabinet agreed that a predictable and sustainable service is necessary to meet growing national and regional demand for cranial and trauma care.

The neurosurgery initiative forms part of what the government is calling the most significant year of health-sector modernization in decades. Merchant highlighted several key developments planned for 2026, including the opening of a $10 million renal care centre, the reopening of the cancer centre in the first quarter of next year, and the launch of a chest and cardiac centre in partnership with the People’s Republic of China.

The government also plans to implement a national mental health policy and continue upgrading community clinics, with 17 of the country’s 23 facilities already repaired. A National Health Insurance system is scheduled to roll out as part of the wider reform agenda.

Merchant said the Cabinet’s health decisions align with the Prime Minister’s broader strategy to expand universal access and improve specialist care, supported by ongoing medical cooperation agreements signed this week with Hangzhou Normal University.

Those agreements include joint research, digital health exchanges, specialist training and the development of an Eastern Caribbean Chest Pain Centre.

The neurosurgery approval is expected to significantly reduce wait times for patients requiring advanced neurological care and strengthen Antigua and Barbuda’s capacity to serve the wider region as the health-sector expansion continues into 2026.

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