Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has extended an invitation to Caricom citizens to benefit from two significant developments: the University of the West Indies (UWI) Debe campus and the Couva Children’s Hospital. These projects, she said, are ready to open in the near future and offer educational and healthcare opportunities to the broader regional community.

Education and Healthcare Access

During the opening of Caricom’s 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in St Kitts and Nevis, Persad-Bissessar highlighted the new UWI Debe campus as a key educational initiative. The campus, which has been in planning since 2010, is now set to open in September 2025. The Prime Minister urged students to ‘take advantage’ of the new educational opportunities, emphasizing that the campus will provide additional spaces for Caricom students.

‘We want to open it in September in the new academic year. We welcome Caricom students to come to us for those additional spaces at The UWI,’ Persad-Bissessar said, adding that the project had been delayed for over a decade but is now on track to become operational.

Alongside the educational initiative, the Prime Minister also spoke about the Couva Children’s Hospital, which was commissioned in 2015 but saw limited use due to a change in government. The hospital was rededicated last year and is now entering the early phase of its service activation. Persad-Bissessar noted that the government had received support from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in preparing for the hospital’s opening.

Healthcare Development and Future Plans

Minister of Health Dr Lackram Bodoe confirmed that the hospital has already begun operations, with eight outpatient clinics currently operational. These include child development, paediatric rheumatology, and neonatal services, among others. The hospital has also completed over 400 sameday surgical procedures to date.

‘The Government’s long-term vision, under the leadership of the honourable Prime Minister, is for the Couva Children’s Hospital to progressively broaden its service offerings,’ Bodoe said. ‘As capacity develops, there is potential for the facility to support regional and international patient access, which is consistent with national health system priorities.’

The hospital was initially designed to be a 250-bed facility offering paediatric, maternal, and adult care. However, its use was limited following a change in administration, and it was briefly used as a parallel healthcare facility during the pandemic. Now, the hospital is being reactivated to serve the broader community.

UWI Debe Campus: From Concept to Reality

The UWI Debe campus, a $600 million project, has been a long-awaited development. The campus was first conceptualized in 2010 by Persad-Bissessar’s former People’s Partnership government but remained largely dormant for over a decade. In the 2025/2026 budget, $70 million was allocated to refurbish the campus, which is now being prepared for law, forensics, IT, and artificial intelligence (AI) training.

Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo referred to the campus as a neglected facility left to decay under the previous administration. He announced plans to operationalize the campus for law, forensics, IT, and AI training, as well as to establish a forensic science complex and national security training centre.

Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training, Professor Prakash Persad, confirmed that rehabilitation work would begin at the campus. ‘We did speak to the Vice Chancellor of The UWI and the Principal also. So, it’s being done in collaboration with the Government,’ he said, adding that the project is a collaborative effort between the government and the university.

The campus will be funded by the government, though it remains the property of UWI. Discussions are ongoing to determine which faculties will be housed there, with the need for the country’s development being a key consideration. ‘The needs change over time, and that is going to happen,’ Persad said.

With both the UWI Debe campus and the Couva Children’s Hospital set to open, Caricom citizens are being invited to take advantage of these developments. The Prime Minister emphasized that education is a ‘passport out of poverty,’ urging regional students to access the new opportunities available at the Debe campus.