– The Ministry of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs, in collaboration with the Medical Benefits Scheme (MBS), has officially opened a new MBS pharmacy at the Villa Polyclinic. This new facility will expand access to pharmacy services for residents of Antigua and Barbuda.

The facility was formally opened at a brief ceremony today, marked by a ribbon-cutting by the Honourable Minister of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs, Sir Molwyn Joseph, alongside Chairman of the Medical Benefits Board, His Excellency Sir Lionel Hurst, Chief Executive Officer of the Medical Benefits Scheme, Mr Kevin Silston and Permanent Secretary for Primary Health Care in the Ministry of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs, Mrs Stacey Gregg-Paige.

The Villa Polyclinic is one of the island’s key primary health-care facilities, serving a steady flow of patients. During the ceremony, the Honourable Minister emphasised that bringing pharmacy services into the Villa Polyclinic helps to ensure that the Villa community can access care, and that prevention remains central to managing the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.

Epidemiologist and Director of Pharmacy at the Medical Benefits Scheme, Dr Andre Bovell, in his opening statement, indicated that the addition of this service at the Villa Polyclinic could not have come at a sooner time in our country’s evolving healthcare landscape. In the current environment, there is a need for care to be targeted toward an ageing population and the burgeoning chronic non-communicable diseases problem.

The MBS Pharmacy at the Villa Polyclinic provides pharmaceutical services on a same-day basis. The pharmacy operates from Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

For more information on MBS pharmacy locations and services, beneficiaries may contact the Medical Benefits Scheme on (268) 481-6366/67/