Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle has raised concerns over the government’s handling of the Cancer Center in Antigua and Barbuda, questioning the circumstances surrounding its compulsory acquisition and subsequent sale.
Speaking on Observer Radio, Pringle said, “The Cancer Center closed down because the owners seemingly ran into some financial trouble and they were negotiating with the government. I guess that negotiation fell through and the government would have, through Parliament as they did with Alfa Nero, compulsory acquired the Cancer Center.”
Pringle noted that despite the acquisition, the public remains in the dark about key details of the transaction.
“I heard it was sold to some people. To date, we have not gotten the name of the company that it was sold to,” he said.
Pringle added that while a well-known local surgeon was reportedly involved in discussions, the group associated with the purchase is “riddled with lawsuit as it relates to the said treatment of cancer.”
He criticized the lack of transparency, stating that the public deserves to know who now owns the facility and under what terms it was transferred.
“We are in the dark as a nation,” Pringle said. “Unless it seems as if the Americans or it’s being put before a court in one of these larger countries, because even if they are in the courts here, they are not comfortably acted upon as if it’s in an international court.”
Pringle’s comments reflect broader concerns he raised during the broadcast about the government’s lack of openness regarding major transactions and public assets.
