Virgin Gorda residents who spoke at a recent community meeting argued forcefully that improving their island’s healthcare system should be an urgent government priority.
They are right. And the same goes for the other sister islands.
Unfortunately, successive governments have been dropping this particular ball for decades.
Their inaction was thrust into a glaring spotlight by the recent death of Revovion “Bucky” Sprauve, a 61-year-old who died after he sought treatment at Virgin Gorda’s Nurse Iris O’Neal Medical Centre only to find it closed.
Officials have not disclosed the cause of Mr. Sprauve’s death — which rightly sparked the public outcry that led to the recent meeting — but the medical emergency he suffered may have been treatable with prompt intervention and swift evacuation to definitive care.
Unfortunately, the understaffed clinic wasn’t operating 24/7 because of damage sustained during Tropical Storm Ernesto, and there was no readily available means to transport Mr. Sprauve to an open facility elsewhere.
Indeed, it appears that the BVI Health Services Authority, which runs the clinic, hadn’t even bothered to post an emergency number on the door, and residents alleged that the facility’s security guard didn’t know who to contact.
It’s no wonder that Virgin Gordans were shocked and dismayed by Mr. Sprauve’s death. But his experience was the tip of a very large iceberg.
Many sister island residents have long claimed that they are treated as second-class citizens as they struggle to compete for resources and political attention focused mostly on Tortola residents.
The healthcare situation on Virgin Gorda is a case in point. The island’s two clinics are persistently understaffed and poorly equipped. The main one — the Nurse Iris O’Neal Medical Centre — has a leaky roof despite having been opened with much fanfare just four years ago. To date, its second storey remains mostly unused, while the original promise that it would house “comprehensive” medical services is unfulfilled.
Instead, it has limped along with major failings such as a busted generator and substandard housing for medical personnel.
The North Sound Clinic, meanwhile, has operated only sporadically since the 2017 hurricanes, and it is currently unstaffed.
The situation in Jost Van Dyke and Anegada, as highlighted by a scathing 2023 report on the sister islands’ healthcare, is no better. And politicians’ repeated promises to supply a dedicated “ambulance boat,” which go back at least a decade, remain unfilled as well.
Still, finger-pointing will not improve the situation or bring back Mr. Sprauve. Instead, residents need sustained, coordinated action — and soon.
We would like to believe that the recent meeting marked a turning point. Health and Social Development Minister Vincent Wheatley and senior BVIHSA officials listened patiently as residents voiced their concerns for hours, listing years’ worth of unaddressed grievances.
In response, Mr. Wheatley noted that legislators have been occupied for months with passing reforms recommended by the 2022 Commission of Inquiry.
Now, with most of that vital work done and millions in loans potentially on the horizon, the government should be able to focus on improving healthcare across the VI, said Mr. Wheatley, who represents Virgin Gorda and Anegada in the House of Assembly.
Mr. Wheatley and other health leaders deserve kudos for meeting with residents and listening to their concerns, though we were disappointed by the absence of at-large representatives.
Now, they all must work together to follow through. To that end, they should act deliberately and efficiently in collaboration with the public.
Proper healthcare is often a matter of life and death, and sister islands residents have just as much right to it as everyone else.