ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – The Antigua and Barbuda government has successfully tabled legislation in Parliament for acquiring the Cancer Centre Eastern Caribbean (CCEC).
(File Photo)A statement issued after the weekly Cabinet meeting confirmed that the Lower House of Parliament had passed the legislation “acquiring the property” even as it remains unclear what price would be paid for the facility.
According to the statement, Cabinet held discussions on the acquisition of the Cancer Centre at “a cost that reflects the valuation undertaken by the Governments’ Valuation Officer”.
The statement said that while the owner of the facility “was demanding US$15 million, the valuation concluded that it is valued between six and nine million EC dollars (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents).
“The land on which the Cancer Centre is built is the Crown’s. The Centre has incurred liability of EC$6.9 million,” the statement said, adding “should the Government acquire, there would be a need for both personnel and additional equipment.
“Nurses with the expertise are available and there are two doctors available to operate there; they are all ready to begin. All the equipment has depreciated and would have to be separately assessed,” the statement added.
In March, the CCEC principal owner, Dr Conville Browne wrote to the government advising them that he planned to close the facility within a month due to a lack of funds.
Health Minister Sir Molywn Joseph successfully tabled the bill for the acquisition of the facility with support from former government and now independent legislator, Asot Michael.
I was visited by Breast Friends and others in fear of what would happen if the cancer center closed … we have no alternative. This was not an invitation to talk and to see what we can do … if we do not have the cancer center operating, people will die,” the Health Minister said.
The opposition has however criticized the government for seeking to compulsorily purchase the building with Opposition Leader, Jamale Pringle, warning that such a move could prevent individuals from investing in the country in the future.
“We have to be careful because it is going to affect us in many ways because people are going to find it hard to invest in Antigua and Barbuda if the government can just take up their property,” he said.
But prime Minister Gaston Browne told legislators that while the “government is a minority shareholder” in the facility, there had been no consultation regarding the closure.
“…the gentleman has taken the high-handed approach to lock down the facility. He did not give us the option to step in and operate it in the interim; it was ‘either you [the government] pay [me] $15 million or I lock it up’.”
