Developing Laparoscopic Surgery on the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia: A Model for Public-Private Partnership

The first recorded laparoscopic operation in the Caribbean was a cholecystectomy performed in 1991. After a temporary peak in basic laparoscopic operations in subsequent years, the initial interest waned. While laparoscopic surgery was being popularized in the developed world, there was a stagnation in the Caribbean. There were many reasons for this stagnation, including a lack of surgical expertise, the negative attitudes of health-care workers, active opposition from surgical leaders, and equipment deficiencies, all exacerbated by the global financial recession in the early twenty-first century. A similar situation existed on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, where laparoscopic surgery remained relatively dormant. After a strong desire by community surgeons to incorporate advanced laparoscopy into surgical practice, surgical leaders in St. Lucia engineered a public-private partnership to achieve this. This review article evaluates the available data, documents the obstacles encountered, and explains the mechanisms to overcome these obstacles to incorporate advanced laparoscopy in St. Lucia. This information is important because it can serve as a template for other developing Caribbean countries.