Saint Lucia, September 14, 2024 – The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) and the Government of Saint Lucia have formalized contracts with two local and two Saudi construction and consulting firms to oversee the reconstruction of St. Jude Hospital in Augier, Vieux-Fort, Saint Lucia. This significant step will facilitate the transition of healthcare services from the temporary George Odlum National Stadium to the new hospital, which was severely damaged by a fire in 2009.
The reconstruction project, funded by the SFD through a concessional loan of $75 million, will provide St. Jude Hospital with 100 beds, maternity wards, emergency rooms, and surgical suites. The facility is expected to serve approximately 50,000 patients annually, aiming to significantly enhance healthcare quality, ensure sustainable service delivery, and improve access to advanced medical care for the people of Saint Lucia.
The signing ceremony was attended by SFD Chief Executive Sultan bin Abdulrahman Al-Marshad and Saint Lucia's Prime Minister Philip Joseph Pierre. Prime Minister Pierre conveyed his deep appreciation, stating, "I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the government and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the SFD, and everyone who has played a role in bringing us here today."
In his address, Al-Marshad highlighted the positive impact of the hospital’s reconstruction on local communities, emphasizing that it will bolster the healthcare sector's capacity to meet the needs of Saint Lucia’s population and foster both economic and social development.
This project is part of the SFD’s ongoing commitment to advancing sustainable socio-economic development in developing countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2024, the SFD marked its 50th anniversary of global development work, having positively impacted hundreds of millions of lives across 100 countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe. As the official international development arm of Saudi Arabia, the SFD has financed over 800 projects with a total investment of $20 billion. Since 2023, it has provided development loans to nine SIDS countries.
