On Wednesday, June 24th 2026, the Prime Minister and Minister of Health, Dr. the Honourable
Terrence Drew, conducted a visit to the Private Ward of the Joseph N. France (JNF) General Hospital
to personally assess the progress of its refurbishment and to receive a briefing ahead of the ward’s
imminent reopening.
The Private Ward has been closed to the public since June 2022, having served as the designated
isolation and treatment area for COVID-19 positive patients during the height of the pandemic.
Following the conclusion of the acute pandemic period in the summer of 2022, a decision was taken
to undertake a comprehensive refurbishment of the ward to bring it up to a modern standard of care
prior to its reopening.
The scope of works completed is extensive. The ward underwent significant structural remediation,
including complete roofing repairs executed under a contract with Taiwanese construction company,
Kuan Jun. Interior works included full repainting of all spaces and thorough professional mould
remediation to ensure the ward meets the highest environmental health standards. Each of the ward’s
fifteen private rooms has been individually refurbished and upgraded with modern furnishings and fittings.
Rooms are equipped with televisions, fully modernised en-suite bathroom fittings, improved
bed linens, guest robes, and an enhanced range of personal care and sanitary amenities. The entire unit
will also be fully air conditioned, providing complete temperature control throughout. The unit also
features a gallery of beautiful images of local island scenery, provided by the Ministry of Tourism.
Prime Minister Drew expressed his satisfaction with the progress observed during the visit and
reiterated the importance of this reopening to the people of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It was a particular
priority of the Prime Minister and Minister of Health to ensure that the Private Ward would be
operational in advance of the upcoming tourism season, given the role that private inpatient facilities
play in meeting the needs of visitors to the Federation. Equally importantly, the reopening restores
access to private hospitalisation services for the citizens and residents of Saint Kitts and Nevis who
have long awaited the return of this option.
The project has been led by Mrs. Lindsey Maynard, Director of Operations and Acting Director of
Health Institutions at JNF General Hospital, who has overseen the refurbishment over the course of
the past year. The Ministry of Health commends Mrs. Maynard and her team for their dedication and
diligence in bringing this project to fruition.
The Ministry is aware that members of the public may have questions regarding the safety of the ward
given its prior use during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry wishes to provide unequivocal
assurance on this matter. Since its closure in 2022, the Private Ward has been subjected to rigorous
professional deep cleaning on a quarterly basis. In addition, the hospital’s Infection Control Team has
conducted comprehensive environmental swabbing of the ward every three months throughout the
period of closure. Not a single swab result has returned a positive finding for any pathogen of concern
across the entire period of monitoring. The ward has consistently met, and continues to meet, the
highest standards of infection prevention and control. The public can be fully confident that the
Private Ward is safe and ready for patient use.
The sole remaining preparatory step prior to the formal opening is the finalisation of nursing staffing
arrangements for the ward, which is expected to be concluded within the next few days. Once this is
in place, the official commissioning and opening ceremony will proceed. The Ministry of Health
encourages the public to stay tuned for the formal announcement of the opening date and the details of
