The long-awaited reopening of the Cancer Centre Eastern Caribbean at Michael’s Mount, which has been closed since last April, is on the horizon, with expectations that it will resume patient services within the next few months.
The refurbished facility equipped with new and improved machines is anticipated to be operational in the first quarter of this year, according to this week’s Cabinet notes,
The closure of the Cancer Centre more than eight months ago forced local cancer patients to seek life-saving radiotherapy treatment overseas, incurring significant expenses for travel to places like Colombia.
Eunetta Bird, a member of the cancer support group Breast Friends, emphasised the financial burden on patients, sharing the challenges of covering the costs of airline tickets and accommodations.
“It’s very costly. We thought that Medical Benefits was paying for the treatment as well as for the tickets for patients, but that is not the case. It’s not automatic really, but they do pay for the treatment but patients are responsible for their tickets,” she shared.
She revealed that an airline ticket costs roughly $5,000 and accommodation is also costly for a six to nine-week treatment period.
Expressing the urgency for the government to fulfil its promise, Bird said: “The sooner the better; it would really be a relief for cancer patients and I just hope that they would hurry up and do something about it and have it open. We don’t want talk and promises; we want to see action.”
She also highlighted the emotional toll on patients who have had to travel abroad for treatment and leaving their families behind.
The closure of the centre, attributed to financial difficulties, has been marred by disagreements over its value.
The government’s valuation, ranging between EC $6 and $9 million, was significantly lower than the majority shareholder’s demand of $40 million.
The government resorted to a compulsory purchase last month to acquire the facility.
Originally established in June 2015 to serve cancer patients across the OECS, the Cancer Centre Eastern Caribbean provided radiotherapy for both private patients and those covered by the Medical Benefits Scheme.
While private patients could also pay for chemotherapy at the centre, MBS patients had access to chemotherapy for a nominal fee.