St Kitts and Nevis’ public spending on health was 2.5 per cent of GDP in 2011, equivalent to US$592 per capita. In the most recent survey conducted between 1997 and 2010, there were 110 doctors, and 471 nurses and midwives per 100,000 people. Additionally, in the period 2001-12, 100 per cent of births were attended by qualified health staff and in 2012, 95 per cent of one-year-olds were immunised with one dose of measles. In 2011, 98 per cent of people were using an improved drinking water source and 96 per cent had access to adequate sanitation facilities.
The most recent survey, conducted in the period 2000-11, reports that St Kitts and Nevis has 50 pharmaceutical personnel per 100,000 people.
St Kitts and Nevis has four public hospitals; three are in St Kitts and one is in Nevis. Of these hospitals, the largest is the Joseph N. France General Hospital in Basseterre. There are also 17 health clinics spread across the two islands. The country has no private hospitals but there are a number of private doctors’ clinics. The St Kitts and Nevis Government is an active participant in the Eastern Caribbean Drug Service, which is a regional pooled procurement scheme for importing pharmaceuticals and medical supplies. This enables the country to maximise the value of health care services to its citizens through the advantage of collective bulk buying along with neighbouring countries. The country’s pharmaceuticals industry remains largely unregulated, with the exception of dangerous drugs.
The most recent act of parliament relating to mental health in St Kitts and Nevis is the Mental Health Act of 1956. There are 13.4 mental health outpatient facilities and 22.9 psychiatric beds in general hospitals per 100,000 people (2011).
