Project Polaris Groundbreaking Ceremony

Friends, fellow citizens, we stand today on hallowed ground. Not just because of the steel and concrete we are about to pour into it, but because of the history that breathes beneath our feet and the future we are planting in this soil.

From an Amerindian settlement to a slave plantation, to a sugarcane and agricultural plantation, to our new General Hospital. But 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 we are finally brave enough to build. Today, we aren’t just moving earth; we are moving a nation forward.

A legacy of care: From colonial roots to modern necessity

To understand where we are going, we must look at where we began. For centuries, the Colonial Hospital, first built by the French — now our General Hospital — has been the silent watchman over St George’s. It survived the Great Fire of 1850; it weathered the winds of Janet and Ivan; and it bore the weight of a revolution.

Over the centuries, we have made changes. We added wings, we expanded wards, we painted walls, and we patched roofs. But for too long, we have been trying to practice 21st-century medicine in a 19th-century shell. Our healthcare professionals have performed miracles with limited space, and our citizens have shown incredible patience. Today, we acknowledge that ‘patchwork’ is no longer enough. If the history of our healthcare is one of resilience, its future must be one of excellence.

The journey to Project Polaris

The road to this sod-turning ceremony was not paved overnight. Project Polaris was born from a simple, non-negotiable premise: Grenadians deserve world-class healthcare at home. We must move forward. We must modernise. And we must expand access to care for all our people. This new hospital will do exactly that. It will provide modern, high-quality care. It will expand services. And it will ensure that more Grenadians can receive treatment right here at home.

This is what intentional progress looks like. The land on which we stand today was acquired in 2023. This administration came into office in 2022. In just one year after we assumed office, this land was purchased and designated for the new Grenada General Hospital.

I pause to acknowledge the Neckles family, led by Mr Leroy Neckles and Margaret Neckles, for selling the land to the citizens of Grenada and for keeping the land from 2013 and not cutting it up and selling it off, because I suspect they knew the strategic value of the entire lot and kept it since then until a second chance, 10 years later.

The purchase of the land within one year of our administration assuming office was not by accident. That was a deliberate decision to move this project from discussion to delivery. Because we are serious. Serious about improving healthcare. Serious about delivering for the people of Grenada. And serious about building a future that works for everyone.

This journey involved and will continue to involve years of rigorous feasibility studies, environmental impact assessments, and late-night negotiations. We had to ensure that this wasn’t just another building, but a sustainable ecosystem of healing. There were sceptics, and there are still sceptics; those who say it’s a con job, or it’s pie in the sky. There were hurdles — and are hurdles- and there will be hurdles-both financial and logistical — but our North Star remains clear.

We moved from concept to blueprint, and today, from blueprint to breaking ground.

Vision 75: Building the Future

Today’s ceremony does not exist in a vacuum. It is a cornerstone of Vision 75 — our national roadmap to transform Grenada by the 75th anniversary of our independence. That vision is to transform Grenada into a resilient, inclusive, innovation-driven economy by 2050 — but most importantly, a healthy nation. You cannot have a wealthy nation without a healthy nation. Project Polaris is the pulse of Vision 75.

This is a vision that places the health and well-being of our people at the centre of national development. Because a healthy nation is our greatest asset. No country can truly prosper if its people are unwell. No economy can grow if its workforce is burdened by preventable illness. And no society can thrive without a healthcare system that is modern, accessible, and fit for purpose.

Today is a reflection of Vision 75; our national commitment to build a resilient, inclusive, and forward-looking Grenada. And at the heart of that vision is one simple truth: our people must be healthy to fully participate in and benefit from that future.

And today, we take a major step forward in that odyssey. Project Polaris is more than a new

General Hospital. It is national infrastructure, just like the Maurice Bishop International Airport in 1984, and St George’s University in 1977. These investments changed the trajectory of our country. They expanded opportunity, strengthened our economy, improved our social well-being and connected Grenada to the world.

Just as we build roads to move goods and ports to move trade, we build Project Polaris to move our human capital. A healthy nation is a productive nation. This facility is the ‘hardware’ of our health development. It will create hundreds of jobs during construction and thousands of high-value clinical and support roles upon completion.

The transformation of public healthcare

While Project Polaris is the ‘hardware’ of our healthcare revolution, it is supported by critical ‘software’ changes:

1. Statutorisation of Hospitals: We are moving toward a semi-autonomous hospital management system to ensure efficiency, faster procurement, and better maintenance
2. National Health Insurance (NHI): We are laying the groundwork so that no Grenadian has to choose between their life savings and a life-saving procedure
3. Strengthening Primary Healthcare: While Polaris handles the acute, we are revitalising our community health centres and medical stations to ensure preventative care starts at the village level
4. Quality improvement programme: Even as we build this new facility, the current General Hospital is undergoing a rigorous quality overhaul to improve patient experience and clinical outcomes immediately

An invitation to the world

But beyond our shores, Project Polaris positions Grenada as a titan in healthcare in the OECS. We are signalling to the region that the Spice Isle is becoming a hub for medical excellence, a destination for health tourism, and a sanctuary for specialised care that will draw eyes — and investment from across the globe.

By way of example, this morning, the Government of Grenada signed a Letter of Intent with CAF — the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean to further strengthen our health sector. This Letter of Intent establishes a framework for enhanced collaboration between the Government of Grenada and CAF, with a focus on institutional strengthening in the health sector and advancing digital integration. It reflects a shared commitment to collaboratively identify and develop impactful initiatives that support sustainable development and improve outcomes for all Grenadians, as part of a broader effort to build partnerships that support our vision and accelerate delivery.

To our local private sector, our diaspora, and our international friends: Project Polaris is an open door. We invite you to partner with us in technology, in research, and in service delivery. Grenada is no longer a passenger in the story of Caribbean development; it is a pilot. Join us as we set a new standard for what a Small Island Developing State, or Big Ocean State, can achieve when it dares to dream big.

Our personal responsibility to be healthy

But today is not just about Government, or the Project Polaris Team. This is about all of us. As a demonstration of our commitment, every member of Cabinet has pledged one month’s salary each year toward this project until its completion in 2029. We have made that commitment because we believe in this project. We believe in its impact. And we believe in its importance to our country. And today, I invite you, the people of Grenada, and our brothers and sisters in the diaspora, to join us on this journey. Because building a nation is a shared responsibility.

Whether through your support, your advocacy, or your personal commitment to living healthier lives, you are part of this transformation. This project is about healthcare, yes. But it is also about mindset. It is about understanding that health is not only something we seek when we are ill, but something we must protect every day.

So let this moment inspire us, not only to build a hospital, but to build a healthier nation. A nation where people live longer, stronger, and better lives. A nation that invests in its people and reaps the rewards of that investment. A nation that is confident in its ability to shape its own future.

Today, we break ground. But more importantly, today, we are moving forward.

Expressions of Gratitude

This milestone belongs to all of us. I wish to extend my deepest gratitude to:

• The Project Polaris Team: For your tireless technical expertise.
• The Cabinet Office and the Ministries of Health, Finance, and Infrastructure: For the ‘all-of-government’ approach that made this viable.
• Our Development Partners and Financiers: For believing in the Grenadian vision and providing the capital to make it a reality.
• St George’s University (SGU): Our long-standing partner. Your commitment to medical education and your synergy with this project will ensure that Project Polaris will be a hub for learning as much as it is for healing.

May God bless this project, and may God bless our beautiful nation. Thank you.

Office of the Prime Minister