Antigua and Barbuda is moving toward the creation of a permanent neurosurgery service at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, marking a significant shift in how the country handles critical brain and spine conditions. The new direction follows a Cabinet decision to allow the hospital to formally engage a full-time Consultant Neurosurgeon, replacing the long-standing dependence on occasional visiting teams.
For more than six years, neurosurgical care has been delivered in short blocks when overseas specialists were available. While those visits provided important services, the gaps between rotations often left the system without continuous coverage for emergencies such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal trauma and sudden intracranial bleeding. The new arrangement is intended to provide predictable access to specialist care and reduce delays for patients with complex or chronic neurological conditions.
Plans outlined for the service include monthly outpatient clinics, expanded elective operating lists and a structured response system for emergencies. By creating a more stable model, health officials anticipate fewer medical transfers abroad—an option that typically requires urgent airlift coordination and carries heavy financial and emotional burdens for families and the national health budget.
Permanent neurosurgical capability remains limited across the Eastern Caribbean, where many patients are referred to Trinidad, Barbados or other larger centres for advanced care. Establishing a regular service in Antigua positions SLBMC among the few facilities in the subregion able to manage neurological trauma and complex cranial and spinal cases locally. It would also support long-term management of conditions such as degenerative spine disease and brain tumours, which benefit from consistent specialist oversight.
As part of the transition, local surgical, anaesthesia and critical-care teams are expected to participate in enhanced training to support the new service. Operational details, including the start date and contractual terms, are still being finalised.
