Antigua and Barbuda's long-awaited cancer treatment centre is expected to open by the end of June, Health Minister Michael Joseph has announced — a development he says could significantly reduce the country's spending on overseas medical care.
Speaking on Pointe FM's On Point programme, Joseph said opening the facility is a priority for his ministry, as the government continues to bear substantial costs supporting patients who require cancer treatment abroad.
"The cancer care center, getting that open — I know when it came up in Cabinet, I was told that it should be open by the end of June," Joseph said.
The minister revealed that within the last two weeks alone, the government approved approximately US$200,000 in assistance for cancer patients receiving treatment in Colombia.
"If we look at figures of the last two weeks, I would have approved based on the procedures that are outlined somewhere about 200,000 U.S. in cancer treatment for individuals that we're currently supporting in Colombia," he said.
Joseph said those expenditures underscore the urgency of establishing local treatment options. "If we extrapolate that over the last year, we see how much we're spending just on those two cases — that we can easily reduce those costs if we're able to do them here locally," he added.
Beyond the financial relief, the minister said a functioning cancer centre would also improve access to care by eliminating the need for patients to travel overseas for treatment. He further noted that the facility could eventually serve patients from across the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, broadening its regional impact.
The cancer centre is one of several major healthcare initiatives currently being pursued by the Ministry of Health, alongside plans for a cardiac unit and expanded mental health services. Joseph said getting the centre operational as quickly as possible remains a key objective for his ministry.
