by Linda Straker

• Hospitals Statutorisation Transition Team invites proposals from qualified consultants to review financing of hospital services
• The General Hospital and Project Polaris will be affiliates of Mount Sinai Health System
• Prime Minister said there is need to create speedy transfers, hires and fires structure

The quick firing and hiring of healthcare professionals are among the reasons the Government has agreed to convert the country’s lone general hospital into a statutory body whose line ministry will be the Ministry of Health.

Addressing the state of healthcare in the island and at the same time updating the Parliament on steps taken to improve healthcare, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, while contributing to the 2026 Budget Debate, told the Parliament that currently there are change management disruptions taking place and that the change is essential for the long-term good of the healthcare system.

“Anybody who knows about change management will tell you that something you need to disrupt in order to have change in management, and that disruption is Mt Sinai and quality health improvement, it’s Project Polaris,” he said.

Earlier in the year, the Government signed a 15-year collaboration and licensing agreement with Mt Sinai International, which will make The General Hospital and the new hospital project, Project Polaris, affiliates of the Mount Sinai Health System.

“It is the structural reorganisation that we need, that is why Mr Speaker, we are supporting the Minister of Health and championing the statutorisation of our hospital. The member was talking about systemic and structural changes, that is, structural and systemic changes,” he told the House.

Explaining to Speaker Leo Cato that the hiring of doctors and nurses in the current construct is so lengthy that by the time the decision is made, these healthcare professionals will move away from the local system, the Prime Minister said there is a need to create a structure that transfers, hires and fires speedily.

“Why, Mr Speaker in the current public service construct, the length of time it takes to retain a doctor or nurse, they move on, so we need to create the structure that will allow certain management of the hospital be able to hire, discipline, promote, transfer and fire people quickly,” he said while pointing out that there is a shortage of healthcare professional worldwide.

“So, when we talk about healthcare, Mr Speaker, we are not just talking, we are acting, we are delivering, but you are dealing with decades, if not centuries, of cultural issues and under-resourcing,” said the Prime Minister. He told the House that over the years, Grenada has become completely reliant on other countries to supply specialist doctors.

Grenada, according to a recent Request For Proposal (RFP) published on the procurement website, is undertaking significant reforms within its health sector, including the transition of key hospital services to a new statutory framework.

“This reform aims to improve financial sustainability, ensure better allocation of resources, enhance operational efficiency, and modernise hospital management practices,” said the RFP from the Hospitals Statutorisation Transition Team, which explained that a detailed and evidence-based review of current financing structures is essential to guide the design and successful implementation of the statutory Health Authority.

The Hospitals Statutorisation Transition Team in its RFP notice dated 25 November, is inviting proposals from qualified consultants to conduct a comprehensive review of the financing of hospital services. The consultant will assess the current financial systems, practices, and mechanisms governing the operations of the St George’s General Hospital, the Princess Alice Hospital, the Princess Royal Hospital, the Mt Gay Psychiatric Hospital, and the Hospital Laundry.

“This consultancy forms a critical component of the statutory transition process from hospital services being managed and provided by the Government of Grenada through the Ministry of Health to this service being provided by a new statutory Health Authority,” said the notice.

The HSTT is mandated to guide these institutions into a statutory framework that strengthens their governance, accountability, and financial sustainability. This consultancy would ensure that the statutory Health Authority, once established, is supported by effective, efficient, and transparent financial systems.

NOW Grenada is not responsible for the opinions, statements or media content presented by contributors. In case of abuse, click here to report.