“Final Stretch”: PM Drew Updates Nation on Historic MRI Project
Basseterre, St. Kitts, 28th October, 2025 (PMO) — Prime Minister and Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew, provided a detailed progress update on the new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) facility being constructed on the compound of the Joseph N. France General Hospital (JNF), noting that the facility is in its final stages.
“Along with these ambulances, we are in the final stretch of delivering a state-of-the-art MRI machine here in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis,” Dr. Drew said during the ambulance commissioning ceremony. “…it will be here no later than the first quarter of next year.”
The Prime Minister explained that the advanced imaging unit will represent a major enhancement of local diagnostic services, eliminating the need for many citizens to travel overseas. He noted that initial inspections revealed no existing area of the hospital was suitable to house the required equipment, adding, “When they came to inspect our facility, no area in the hospital was suitable to house a piece of equipment that we have ordered, and therefore we had to build it. It had to be built with specifications to house it. It cannot just be put in any room. This room has to be a specialised room built with the specs that would allow the machine to be housed and function.”
He emphasized that the MRI project is embedded in a wider healthcare modernisation strategy, which also includes the recently acquired CT-scan unit and ongoing infrastructure investments at JNF.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Health has committed to strengthening diagnostic services via increased staffing, expanded radiology capability and the acquisition of MRI and CT-scan machines. Construction of the MRI building began in earnest in 2024.
Dr. Drew used the opportunity to reiterate his Government’s determination to ensure equitable access to modern healthcare across the Federation. “This investment in emergency medical response is a direct expression of our commitment to social justice. It is about equity, and it is about our enduring belief that healthcare is not a privilege but a human right.”
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