Cobbs Cross Clinic Reopens After Two Decades of Closure
The government of Antigua and Barbuda on Monday reopened the Cobbs Cross Clinic in St. Paul, restoring primary health services to the community more than 20 years after the facility was shut down due to disrepair.
The new facility was officially opened during a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Health Minister Sir Molwyn Joseph, and St. Paul MP and Foreign Affairs Minister E.P. Chet Greene.
Permanent Secretary for Primary Health Care Stacey Gregg-Paige said the reopening marked “a reaffirmation of equity and dignity in healthcare,” adding that the clinic would provide maternal and child services, immunizations, chronic disease management, family planning, wound care, and home visits for residents.
“This reopening is more than an infrastructure project,” Gregg-Paige said. “It is about ensuring that care is accessible to every resident close to home.”
Minister Greene described the event as “a new chapter in healthcare for St. Paul,” recalling that the original facility closed in 2003 after conditions deteriorated to the point where staff could no longer work there.
“This is a promise made and a promise kept,” he said, thanking the Ministries of Health and Works for completing the project and announcing plans to establish an eye and dental clinic nearby.
Health Minister Sir Molwyn Joseph called the reopening “historic,” noting that it was the first time in the nation’s history that a parliamentarian had opened two clinics in one year. He said 17 of the country’s 23 community clinics have now been rebuilt or renovated.
“Our goal is a strong primary healthcare network,” Joseph said. “This government has consistently delivered on its promises, and by early next year, we will bring legislation to establish national health insurance.”
The ceremony also featured remarks from Acting Principal Nursing Officer Clarissa Christopher and performances by the Cobbs Cross Primary School and local singer H.L. Cochrane.
Following prayers by Reverend Raleigh Veale of the St. Paul’s Anglican Church, officials unveiled the clinic’s new sign and cut the ribbon, officially declaring the facility open.
