Investigations continue into an early morning fire at St Jude Hospital, the main healthcare provider in southern St Lucia and once the island’s principal Catholic healthcare institution.

The September 9 fire destroyed an entire wing of St Jude, including the main operating theatre, recovery room, delivery room and emergency surgical facilities. There were three fatalities: two died in the fire while the other victim succumbed on the way to the Victoria Hospital in Castries.

St Jude, located in Beane Field, Vieux Fort, was started by the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother in 1966 on the initiative of Sr Mary Irma Hilger – “Mother Irma” as she was fondly called by St Lucians. It was built on the ruins of a US military hospital that had been closed in 1947.

Between 1965 and 1992 the Sisters contributed over EC$3 million annually in operational costs to the hospital. The financial burden was one of the reasons the Sisters terminated the lease agreement and St Jude was returned to the government in 1992, according to the Catholic Chronicle.

Two Sisters still work at St Jude: Sr Christine Henry, a nursing instructor, and Sr Fortunata Abraham, who works in the surgical department.

A section of the destroyed surgical wing of St Jude Hospital. Photo taken from St Lucia Star. Inset: Sr Christine Henry, SSM

Sr Christine told the Chronicle the entire hospital had to be evacuated during the fire with patients transferred to the Victoria and Soufriere Hospitals. The George Odlum Stadium served as a temporary health centre/polyclinic where emergency care, surgeries and deliveries were being done.

Many residents of Vieux-Fort left their homes and went to St Jude to assist with the relocation of patients and the removal of equipment.

“In the midst of the loss it was so heartening to see the whole southern part of the country come together to do what was necessary at the time…St Jude is not just a building, it is a community”, said Sr Christine, who also teaches nursing theory at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College Nursing School.

According to a St Lucia Star website report, investigations have entered the final stage. Since the fire, the hospital wing has been scoured by an investigating team consisting of two fire officers and several police officers. The police officers were included in the investigation because of the loss of life.