Cancer Centre to Reopen Next Year After IAEA Safety Tests
The Cancer Centre Antigua is expected to reopen next year following international safety verification and the installation of new radiation treatment equipment.
Health Minister Sir Molwyn Joseph said the government has asked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to send a team to Antigua and Barbuda to certify that the facility is free of radiation before the old equipment is removed.
“Even though there is professional evidence that there’s no radiation, I want the highest authority in the world—the IAEA—to test and confirm it officially,” Joseph said during his press conference. “The day we take that equipment out, there are malicious people who would say Antigua and Barbuda is exposing its citizens to radiation, so I’m being cautious.”
Once the IAEA confirms that the site is safe, the old machinery will be removed to make way for a new, advanced radiation system. Joseph said the private-sector investor involved in the project has already paid for the new equipment, with installation planned in the first quarter of next year.
The reopening of the Cancer Centre will restore access to local oncology services that have been unavailable since the facility’s closure. According to Joseph, the upgraded centre will operate under private management with government oversight to ensure safety and quality standards.
He said the government’s priority is to guarantee public confidence in the centre’s safety and performance, while strengthening access to critical cancer care for patients across Antigua and Barbuda.
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