Public Invited to Suggest Name for Montserrat’s New National Hospital

LITTLE BAY, Montserrat -The Ministry of Health and Social Services is inviting residents and Montserratians in the diaspora to help choose a name for the island’s new national hospital.

The public consultation opened on Friday, August 21, and will continue until Thursday, September 3, 2026.

Participants must submit a proposed name and explain its significance. A naming committee will review the submissions, recommend a final name and announce the decision publicly.

“This hospital belongs to all of us and therefore its name must be informed by the people,” said Minister of Health Dr Ingrid Buffonge. “It’s being built for the people of Montserrat, so it’s only right that the people of Montserrat help to choose its name.”

Suggested names may draw on Montserrat’s history, geography, language or its story of resilience and rebuilding following the start of the Soufrière Hills volcanic crisis in 1995.

People of all ages are encouraged to participate. The ministry has particularly urged residents to involve children and elders, noting that the selected name will be used for generations.

Submissions will be assessed according to several criteria. The proposed name should reflect Montserrat’s identity, be clear and suitable for everyday use, and remain relevant over time. It should not already be used by another hospital or protected as a trademark.

Names considered politically divisive, controversial or exclusionary will not be selected. The ministry said the chosen name should also not be associated with a passing trend, sponsor or short-term reference.

Suggestions may be submitted online at https://forms.gle/tpenSyaAmidKmE8W9.

Printed forms are also available at all health centres and the Ministry of Health and Social Services. Completed forms may be delivered to the ministry’s offices in Little Bay.

Montserrat has relied on Glendon Hospital, which operates from a converted primary school in St John’s, for nearly three decades. The facility was established as a temporary solution after the volcanic eruption forced the evacuation of the original hospital in Plymouth.

The new national hospital is being developed on the site of the existing Glendon Hospital by the Government of Montserrat in partnership with Article 25 and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Funded through the Capital Investment Programme for Resilient Economic Growth, the project is expected to provide a modern, hurricane-resilient facility designed to meet Montserrat’s long-term healthcare needs.