The long-awaited reopening of the All Saints West clinic is now within reach, with candidate Anthony Smith Jr. saying the facility could be completed within days, even as questions arise over the timing of the project so close to general elections.
Smith, the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party candidate for All Saints West, said the clinic will offer expanded services, including dental care and a 24-hour pharmacy, once it reopens. He described the development as a major step forward for healthcare access in the constituency, where residents have gone years without a functioning facility.
“The commitment was actually for last week, so I’m very hopeful that this week the clinic in All Saints West will be completed,” Smith said, noting that he receives regular updates from contractors and Public Works officials.
The project has become a focal point in the campaign, with critics suggesting that the pace of work reflects election-driven priorities rather than long-term planning. Smith rejected that view, maintaining that the clinic upgrade was in motion well before the election season.
Work on the facility began months ago, he said, following advocacy shortly after he entered office. The project was part of a broader government plan that included upgrades to other clinics before work shifted to All Saints West.
“It’s just happened that we will be completing the clinic just around the time of elections,” Smith said, adding that delays are common in construction but that the project is now nearing completion.
The clinic’s reopening is expected to ease pressure on nearby health centres, particularly the Glanvilles Polyclinic, where many residents have had to travel for care during the closure.
Smith said the upgraded facility reflects his push to improve both infrastructure and social services in the constituency, alongside ongoing road and water projects.
With voters set to go to the polls on April 30, the clinic’s completion has added to the debate over whether visible development projects should factor into electoral decisions — or whether they represent overdue investments finally being delivered.