The long-awaited reopening of the All Saints West health clinic is days away, according to Antigua Labour Party candidate Anthony Smith Jr., though the project's timing — just ahead of general elections — has drawn scrutiny from critics.
According to Antigua News Room, Smith, the ABLP candidate for All Saints West, confirmed the facility is on the verge of completion and will offer expanded services once it opens, including dental care and a round-the-clock pharmacy. He described the development as a significant improvement for a constituency that has gone years without a functioning clinic.
"The commitment was actually for last week, so I'm very hopeful that this week the clinic in All Saints West will be completed," Smith said, adding that he receives regular updates from contractors and Public Works officials.
The project has become a flashpoint in the campaign. Critics have argued that the pace of construction reflects election-driven priorities rather than sound long-term planning. Smith rejected that characterisation, insisting the upgrade was already underway well before the election season began.
He said work commenced months ago, following advocacy shortly after he took office, and that All Saints West was part of a wider government programme that had already seen upgrades completed at other clinics across the country.
"It's just happened that we will be completing the clinic just around the time of elections," Smith said, acknowledging that construction delays are common but maintaining that the project is now in its final stages.
Once reopened, the facility is expected to relieve pressure on surrounding health centres — particularly the Glanvilles Polyclinic, where residents have been forced to travel for care during the closure. Smith said the clinic is one element of a broader push to upgrade infrastructure and social services in the constituency, which also encompasses ongoing road and water projects.
With voters heading to the polls on April 30, the clinic's imminent completion has deepened the debate over whether visible development projects represent genuine long-overdue investment or calculated pre-election deliverables.
