Gov’t committed to new hospital in Marigot – Darroux

The Marigot Hospital was shut down due to mold and fungus
The Marigot Hospital was shut down due to mold and fungus

Health Minister, Dr. Kenneth Darroux, has said the government is committed to building a new hospital in Marigot and monies have been allocated for its design in the financial year.

He was a guest on Kairi’s Heng Program on Wednesday

“We’ve dedicated $300,000 or so in this financial year to begin the issue of the design, etc for the Marigot Hospital,” he said. “I really want to assure the Marigot community.”

Darroux said he does not want to turn the problems at the Marigot Hospital into a political issue.

“I said I did not want to get caught up in the whole political twist…of course if other people choose to put a political spin or twist to to that, that is their choice,” he said. “The government of Dominica is committed to building a new hospital at Marigot and we are going to pursue this come this financial year. As I said monies have been allocated for the designs etc.”

The hospital was recently shut down and due to an infestation of mold and fungus.

It was previously first shut down in 2014 because of a severe termite infestation.

Since the latest shut down, the facility has been temporarily relocated.

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37 Comments

  1. Ideal
    July 14, 2016

    We are hoping your government is committed to really building that hospital, after all this is the closest hospital to the airport. I heard the PM say a few years ago that a trauma hospital would be built in Marigot are these promise just to fool our people?. Please keep this promise.

  2. shame how
    July 14, 2016

    just leave the country for the people in government let them talk to the trees mountains and the empty roads why listen to nonsense…..

  3. Favoured
    July 14, 2016

    Garcon Darroux if I were you in your place I would just stop talking about hospital because you are just sounding like a broken record. When you ready to start just start because a couple weeks time is not a date and you guys have been saying these things for to long now.

  4. Noreen
    July 13, 2016

    Maybe if they get to rename and relocate hospital
    then things will move faster. Just throwing my 2
    cents out there.

  5. john Paul
    July 13, 2016

    Mr. Darroux get real ! You are a Medical Doctor but You are a Politician first ! What do You mean that You do not want to get caught up in the Political Twist?
    Get Your Political tail in gear and get going on this Hospital .The life You save might be Your own or that of Your Prime Minister the most frequent Dominican flyer,even mine or for that matter all the Labourites and Uwpiates. You are a Political Servant of all the People so You are already caught up in the Politics.Get on it !

    signed
    The People(Your Boss)

  6. Silver Sliver
    July 13, 2016

    But Timothy had promised a “trauma center” for Marigot over five years ago, so I guess by now it should be at the point of ground breaking!! Dominica, soon, have faith!!!!??? The same formula is being applied repeatedly. Dominican youth are still waiting with baited anticipation for the promised visit by Rihanna made before the last elections made by Scareit. They know anything sells!!

  7. Annon
    July 13, 2016

    Well here’s a business opportunity. Some of you put money where mouth is and take advantage of this opportunity to invest in your country. Build and operate a hospital there and save the heart ache of relying on the gov’t to do it. What’s up fellas?

  8. Doc. Love
    July 13, 2016

    Hon. Linton and the Marigot people, listen to me, don’t be fooled, do what you have to do and do it quickly. He fooled the Wesley people, the hurricane season is upon us, more sea water. Skeritt heard about the 1000 people match, expect more goodies to fool the people, hoping they will stay home. After so many years of begging, all of a sudden, permission is granted to start work on the Lindo Park. If you thought spending approximately $3 million to win an election was a lot, the amount of money Skeritt is going to spend between now and the 28th July, hoping people will stay home believing everything in Dominica nice, you all better think again, the money he intends to spend between now the 28th July, is it going to make the $3 million look like pocket change.

  9. Real!!!!!
    July 13, 2016

    So money is committed for its design in this financial year budget.

    Therefore we will have to assume that at the earliest any money allocated for building the hospital will be in financial year 2017.

    It would be responsible to provide the deadline date for the approval of the design like any other building project that has to be implemented.

    These guys do not behave like this is urgent and are playing games with the health and the medical attention of a nation in a blatant manner.

  10. POLITICAL OR NOT
    July 13, 2016

    Some of you people are just a bunch of idiots or you all are just wicked and have no common sense nowadays just to construct a toilet you must prepare a design drawing and it also has to be approved by the planning Division so i guess Mr. Kwame Francisco Dodds Mr Sigh and the rest they are the ones playing Politics the site has to be considered,and be approved then the design and drawings has to be also approved and then comes the Estimates.
    Therefore these idiots take note and put your Brain in gear before you comment

  11. July 13, 2016

    Dr. Darroux blame yourself for the manner in which you all handle and dealt with the matter. Showing arrogance to the citizens never goes down well. You all are there to serve. You all are not our masters.

  12. Tj
    July 13, 2016

    We are waiting for the new P M Hospital. The Marigot Hospital should be an utmost priority to all. We cannot be red nor blue. We need the health facility now! God forbid we have an accident at the airport.

  13. LifeandDeath
    July 13, 2016

    An example of poor planning and incompetency..It takes shutting down of the hospital before plans can be drawn up for renovation or a new one..
    “300,000 for designs etc.” Can these Ministers talk straight at all? From design to groundbreaking how long? This type of language is vague and reminiscent of careless and non-committed planning.

    Just recently Police stations were built in Calibishie, LaPlaine and Grandbay..Renovating Marigot Hospital was nowhere on the radar..I think this government could use a “priority meter”.
    In the mean while Commonwealth of Dominica has monies languishing in Panama, and former cops are loosing gun license for no apparent reason, Temporary bridges become permanent, Farmers keep crying and the future for Dominican children becomes more bleak..

  14. AAGabriel
    July 13, 2016

    Stop talking and show us some action!

  15. Michael
    July 13, 2016

    Is Mr. Darroux saying that if he was in the Opposition and representing the people of Marigot in the Parliament, he would not make the issue central in his political representation of his constituents?

  16. Michael
    July 13, 2016

    For three years now the Government has been saying that it is going to build a new hospital in Marigot and it is a priority. When is Mr. Darroux and his colleagues in that failed Cabinet going to realise that they are now only fooling themselves and a gullible few?

    And why the building of the hospital should not be a political issue, after all we are talking about resources, priorities and people’s health, the stuff of political debates?

  17. Poliphemus
    July 13, 2016

    But Dr. Darroux, What do you really mean that you do not want to make the closure of the hospital a political issue?
    A political decision was taken in April of 2104 to shut down the hospital without even making an announcement to the communities the institution serve. On the 3rd of June 2016 another political decision was taken to close the hospital again without having the manners to notify the people who depend on the institution for their health care. You are now talking about design work, but you guys never had any intention to build that hospital. You shut the hospital down in April 2014 and up to this day three years later you still don’t have a design. I don’t believe a word you say. You the ministry of health and the Government cannot be trusted for any hospital in Marigot. You guys are political mischief makers to the core. Shame on you

  18. %
    July 13, 2016

    The thing about this Minister,is that he introduces politics into the matter of the Marigot hospital from the outset,then he tries to say he does not!!!!Wonder how long you all DLP clowns will keep on fooling the people.

  19. %
    July 13, 2016

    You are the one playing politics everytime you open your mouth and talk about this Marigot hospital…You are Dominicas biggest disappointment and failure…Six of one,half a dozen of the other…You must stop that political twist you are insinuating in a suttle way everytime you have to address the issue of the Marigot hospital!!!!While you are playing politics,PEOPLE ARE DYING!!!!You think that you are at Lagon addressing your Red minions???You are trying hard to project that you are different from the other evil men and women in the DLP,but you are even worse…STOP USING YOUR GRADE K politics when addressing matters relating to the peoples health…GIVE THE PEOPLE THEIR HOSPITAL!!!Marigot in particular is part of Dominica too…SHOCKS MAN!!!

  20. *Sigh*
    July 13, 2016

    I guess if the hospital was a priority they’d have started it already. Stop playing mind games with the people and have them hoping that next financial year something will happen. It’s really getting exhausting and stale. SMH

  21. July 13, 2016

    we the people of marigot need a date and some action not talk and promises thus time just passing by.

    • Tell the Facts
      July 13, 2016

      Some of you are impossible to please. You also make life difficult for others.
      For now, what you have been informed is sufficient. Be satisfied with it unless you can come up with some funding to speed up the process.

    • Marguerite
      July 13, 2016

      Also an exact amount of money not $300 000 or ‘SO’.

  22. and so it goes
    July 13, 2016

    Mr Darroux come on $300 000 to begin the design work – so what is the cost for the hospital.

  23. “I said I did not want to get caught up in the whole political twist…of course if other people choose to put a political spin or twist to to that, that is their choice,” he said”.(Darraux).

    You can only fool yourself: If you did not want to get caught up into a political twist, why did you take it to the Heng Program, where all kind of political garbage are spewed?

    Spending three hundred thousand dollars to draw a plan, does not mean you are going to build a hospital, have you allocated the money pay for construction material, pay professional who will be engaged in building the hospital!

  24. What
    July 13, 2016

    Sir, I must commend you on your professionalism. Having a health epidemic in Marigot is having an epidemic spread through the entire Dominican population. Therefore, I don’t believe that the closure of the clinic was politically motivated. The baseless rhetoric and innuendos are dividing a once tranquil nation

    • Tell the Facts
      July 13, 2016

      Who is the cause of this? This once tranquil nation is divided because of your innuendos and criticisms including others who expend much time doing so. If you keep this up it will become more divided. Place the blame where it belongs.

    • john Paul
      July 13, 2016

      Dear Sir What,You seem uninformed about this matter . This has been going on for several years!
      Are You aware that the Princess Margaret Hospital is as bad and probably should be closed also?
      It is infested with Pigeons who in turn are infested with bird lice.The roof is leaky on some wards,Nurses are at their wits end trying their best to hold things together.They buy their own thermometers and Blood Pressure Apparatus

  25. NKRUMAH KWAME
    July 13, 2016

    Dr. Darroux, for heaven’s sake “stop playing smart with chupidness”. Please tell us how much money the facility will cost and the completed scheduled date and that’s it!! Everytime you speak on this issue you say you do not want it to be political but you and your govt. are the ones putting politics into it. We have heard too many conflicting statements from you and your health officials not to be skeptical. After all the hospital will serve all DOMINICANS not the people of Marigot alone. Enough said.
    HOTEP! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

    • kingman
      July 13, 2016

      You people are a special type of ridiculous or plain stupid!! if there is not yet a design how can there be a cost or completion date.

      • Soeyestay
        July 13, 2016

        Kingman you seem to be the biggest loser in this,since your confidence in your government is so high after basically making promises they always fail to keep up with,don’t you expect folks to be in doubt,that’s basically what everyone is saying,so in retro take your smart self and sit down with your condoning of this rogue government.

      • Favoured
        July 13, 2016

        So all the promises and dates and monies allocated in the pass were all lies then. Since Julius Timothy term in office that is since 2010 up recent promises made in 2014; we now in 2016 and we still looking preliminary designs. Somebody not serious.

      • Jon Jones
        July 14, 2016

        Will there be any transparency on how this money allocated? Is there any policy on how the rebuilding contractor will be appointed? If the public dont ask they will never know and this is how we wont progrees. I just hope this is not another expensive project that doesnt deliver what it promises and spends the money anyway.

    • Tell the Facts
      July 13, 2016

      Why are you interested?
      Do you really have to know?
      Is it of importance to you?
      Are you considering donating some funds toward the hospital?

  26. Peg
    July 13, 2016

    So what’s the real hold up… Priority 99 out of 100 with the main ” airport nearby”?

    • Tell the Facts
      July 13, 2016

      They are waiting for you to donate some money towards the hospital..

    • Jon Jones
      July 14, 2016

      Wouldnt a hospital near an airport seem like a good idea?

      I have to say it is embarassing now when the topic of international aiport comes up. We must be the laughing stock of the Caribbean on this issue. It still amazes me how some people can hold their heads up without shame after the amount of lies and utter bullshit told on this one.

      Many Dominicans dont seem to mind as many will defend this travesty especially if they need to visit the clinic. just sayin it like it is

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