Opening of the new University Hospital in Guadeloupe
On 29 September 2018, the President of the Republic laid the foundation stone for the new Guadeloupe University Hospital. On Monday 13 April, it welcomed its first patients. It took seven and a half years for one of the most modern hospitals in Europe and the Overseas Territories to be built.
Covering 85,000 m² and with a budget of €640 million, the new University Hospital is the largest building ever constructed on the archipelago. It ranks among France’s leading new-generation hospital facilities in terms of architectural design, built to withstand all weather conditions, and is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and a capacity of 526 beds.
Following several delays to the opening, operations began on 13 April with the medical imaging department. The new hospital has two state-of-the-art MRI scanners, including a 1.5 Tesla MRI, which the first patients have already been able to use. Following this symbolic first morning, a press conference was held in the presence of the Prefect of Guadeloupe, alongside the CHUG’s senior management, the Director General of the Guadeloupe Regional Health Agency (ARS) and several local dignitaries. This opportunity for discussion allowed the institutional partners to explore the medical imaging department and meet the teams involved.
A gradual ramp-up
As the brand-new equipment and new facilities have not yet all been tested, the launch of activities and services will take place in phases over the coming months. The next step is the commissioning of nuclear medicine and radiotherapy, followed by the activation of the outpatient clinic with the transfer of urology, ENT and neurosurgery services.
In an interview with Guadeloupe La 1ère, Philippe Luccioni-Michaux, the new director of the ARS for Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy, welcomed the completion of this major project, describing the new facility as the “flagship of healthcare” in Guadeloupe.
He has set himself the goal of ensuring it is fully operational by the end of the year.
