Prime Minister Gaston Browne has announced that Antigua and Barbuda's long-shuttered Cancer Centre is expected to reopen in June 2026, following years of delays stemming from ownership disputes and equipment complications. According to Antigua News Room, the Prime Minister also outlined ambitions to establish the facility as a regional medical hub serving patients across the Caribbean.
The centre has been closed since April 2023, when financial difficulties forced it to suspend operations. Browne said the facility has since been fully refitted with new medical equipment under the ownership of a U.S.-based investment group.
The centre first opened in June 2015 as the first oncology facility of its kind in the Eastern Caribbean, offering radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other cancer treatment services to patients from across the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
Efforts to restore operations have been protracted. The government moved to compulsorily acquire the facility after negotiations with former majority shareholder Dr. Conville Brown broke down over valuation disagreements. Dr. Brown's asking price of US$30 million far exceeded the government's own valuation of EC$6 million to EC$9 million. The property was subsequently sold to U.S.-based investors for EC$13 million, with the building and equipment dealt with separately. Disputes over the equipment purchase led to further delays.
June 2026 represents at least the third projected reopening date. Investors had initially targeted a first-quarter 2026 restart, a timeline that passed without the centre resuming services.
Advocacy organisations, including Breast Friends, have repeatedly sounded the alarm over the prolonged closure. As reported by Antigua News Room, these groups have highlighted the hardship faced by patients forced to travel overseas for treatment, often for extended periods, placing considerable strain on families despite financial assistance available through the Medical Benefits Scheme.
