The St Joseph Outpatient Clinic in Horse Hill was reopened earlier today after being closed on March 18, 2020.
During the opening ceremony, Minister of Health Jeffrey Bostic said the facility was in dire need of repairs for years before its closure.
Bostic said he had a commitment to make healthcare services more accessible to people in rural parts of the island, which was also a campaign promise of the current administration.
Parliamentary representative for St Joseph, Attorney General Dale Marshall, said he was emotional as the reopening of the facility was a matter close to his heart.
He said residents in the country often felt as though they were forgotten and were the last to benefit from initiatives implemented by Government.
He said the facility was bigger than before and could facilitate more people, adding it had a gazebo that could use as a waiting area.
Marshall lauded the workmen and others who had a role to play in the renovations, pointing out that the team was able to do a great job in a short time frame. On March 1, 2020 he said the old building was still there.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley was also at the event and she said it was important that Government decentralised social services and contributed more to the development of rural Barbados.
Residents said they were glad the clinic reopened as they had to use the St John polyclinic (David Thompson Health and Social Services Complex) in Gall Hill or the Eunice Gibson Polyclinic in Warrens, St Michael to access medical care. They added that for those without transportation, it was inconvenient catching two buses to get to their destination and two buses back. (SB)
