Health Minister favours upgrading clinic on Anegada over costly medevac
Hon Wheatley was responding to questions from Anegadians during the Virgin Islands Voice on April 16, 2025, regarding medical evacuations from the sister island.
The issues of medical emergencies and how they are dealt with on the sister islands have always been in existence.
$1M to buy a boat- Hon Wheatley
The Health Minister, who is also the district representative for Anegada, informed that a team had been sent to St John to consult with them as they were in the process of acquiring a boat.
“They could tell me that same boat they have in St. John, what it would cost to buy one just like it now…so a million dollars and about a million dollars to operate that boat annually.”
Hon Wheatley said the ministry has received commendations for conducting these evacuations through the airport, instead of in the event of bad weather conditions, which would make travelling by sea dangerous or impossible.
He also said they have received suggestions to upgrade the health clinic to the point where extreme emergencies would need to be evacuated off the island.
“And the same thing with Virgin Gorda, that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Time to stop talking and decide- Hon Wheatley
Hon Wheatley said it all comes down to making a decision.
“Do we buy this boat and probably not use it, or do we upgrade the facility?”
The Health Minister said he is leaning more towards upgrading the medical facility on Anegada.
“I will be led by the experts, it’s something I’m prepared to do…because it has been kicked around for some time, so I think it’s time to stop talking and do something.”
Work is either ongoing or will begin on repairs to some clinics across the Territory, with major renovations on the cards for the Dr D. Orlando Smith Hospital.
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15 Responses to “Health Minister favours upgrading clinic on Anegada over costly medevac”
2) Anegada needs an enhanced ferry service in order to keep their economy going. Logistics of both people and goods to Anegada are a challenge. Why not consider a government-subsidised ferry service with the capacity to run as a medical vessel when needed? This generates revenue when the vessel and crew are not working in a medical capacity. Medical expertise could be provided by the existing EMTs with minor additional training.
3) ALL of the sister islands need access to MEDEVAC, not just Anegada. The value realised by a vessel with MEDEVAC capabilities would be realised by Virgin Gorda, Anegada, JVD, and perhaps other islands in situations where patients are not suited to the fast-boat service provided by VISAR. As the Virgin Gorda representative, the Minister should know better than to compartmentalise this to Anegada.
4) Private sector groups have offered funding for the capital expenditure for this venture in the past to the tune of 100%. That's a non-issue. The main issue is the effective management and operating cost incurred, which comes down to multipurpose usage and a revenue-generation model.
5) Airlift options will undoubtedly come up as an alternative. When they do, remember these arguments. They are exponentially more expensive than a maritime option. The maritime option IS the budget option.
6) The government has a duty of care to provide this capability to its citizens.