Grenada begins construction on new state-of-the-art hospital

Grenada has launched the construction of a new 250-room state-of-the-art public and academic teaching hospital, described by authorities as one of the Eastern Caribbean’s most transformational development projects.

Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell and senior officials broke ground this weekend on the $250 million hospital, designed to withstand hurricanes and include smart power systems. It will replace the current city facility, which officials say no longer adequately serves Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique.

Authorities have signed a cooperation agreement with the New York-based Mount Sinai Healthcare system to assist in the design, development, and operation of the hospital, bringing advanced clinical services to locals and neighboring islands.

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The authorities have raised about $185 million of the $250 million needed, with major contributions from the Saudi, OPEC, and Kuwait funds. The average payback period is 20 years with low interest rates, officials said.

“For too long, we’ve been delivering 21st-century medicine within a 19th-century framework,” PM Mitchell said at the sod-turning ceremony, indicating that construction is about to begin.

“Today, the ground beneath our feet feels different. It carries the weight of history, yes, but it also carries the electric charge of a future that we are finally brave enough to build today. We are not just moving earth-we are moving the nation of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique forward. We stand on hallowed ground,” he said, noting that the area was once one occupied by the island’s early indigenous population. The hospital will be located in the capital, St. George’s.

“You cannot have a successful and wealthy nation without a healthy nation,” Mitchell stated. “A healthy nation is our greatest asset.”

Authorities also plan to raise an additional $25 million from the national treasury for the project, with Mitchell arguing that decades of patchwork repairs at the main hospital no longer make economic sense. Project head Ambassador Andrea Bernard said the $25 million comes mainly from the controversial golden passport or citizenship-for-sale scheme for wealthy foreigners. Criticized by the US and other Western nations for awarding passports to foreigners with dubious backgrounds, participating Caribbean governments say they plan to keep the program going as it is a lifeline revenue earner, funding major development projects.

Meanwhile, officials did not link the project to early noises and preparations for general elections, scheduled by mid-2027 but widely expected to be called earlier as the two main parties are already identifying district candidates. Early indications suggest the project will give the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) political bragging rights in the coming months.

“This project is our North Star, a clear direction toward a stronger, more modern healthcare system. Today we move from planning to construction. We are intentionally designing a space where healing extends beyond the hospital walls. Millions of dollars leave our shores every year for medical care abroad. Project Polaris is changing that,” the ambassador stated.