Citizens often face difficulty on the homefront when having to obtain documents to travel across the channel to neighbouring Martinique to access their health facilities.

The Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Jenny Daniel, met with various stakeholders, including the Immigration Department, to provide some recommendations which will enhance and simplify the process for patients.

“We aim to ensure that Saint Lucians who need to access those services whether it be through our medical assistance programme or otherwise can do so in a manner that causes as least stress and emotional distress as possible,” explained Daniel.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Sharon Belmar-George, says the Ministry will work alongside agencies both in Saint Lucia and in Martinique to ensure a smooth referral process for patients out of Saint Lucia.

“We do get complaints from patients in relation to the different steps that's needed in an effort to access care and many times the care is needed in an emergency case. So we were able to discuss the referral processes that are in place for the processing of documents through the Immigration Department with the Consulate in Martinique,” she said.

The government is in the process of settling its debt owed to hospitals in Martinique obtained from the patients’ referral programme.