InterHealth Canada Warns of Risks to Continued Hospital Operations

The Turks and Caicos Islands Government (TCIG) made an announcement on 18 September 2026 seeking to reassure citizens that clinical services in the islands are continuing as normal despite our ongoing contractual dispute. InterHealth Canada (IHC) today clarifies that while it has made every effort to continue to deliver services since January 2025, the Grand Turk and Providenciales Hospitals’ Facilities are facing material risks to their continued operations as a result of the ongoing dispute. Furthermore, the transition process to IHC’s successor has yet to commence.

Contractually due infrastructure payments have been withheld from IHC since January 2025, placing the company under severe financial distress. Despite this IHC continued to self-fund the operations for as long as was possible in the belief that the issues between IHC and TCIG would be amicably resolved. This has not happened and so today it is unable to carry out all the very many necessary activities to properly maintain the buildings and to ensure safe operations at the facilities.

IHC and TCIG remain in dispute regarding the application of the contract that was in place between them. IHC has maintained regular dialogue with TCIG and its UK-based advisors, since January 2025 and has continuously highlighted the material risks that flow from TCIG’s non-payment strategy. Over that extended period no progress has been made to resolve this dispute and so consequently, IHC was forced to notify TCIG that it was terminating the contract on the 17 July 2026. The parties are now obliged to work together to hand the responsibility for operating the Hospitals to the Government and to transition the services to a Successor entity. Under the contract arrangements, TCIG was to confirm to IHC in writing, within 90 Days of termination, the transition period which it required and to designate its Successor entity. As of today, TCIG has fulfilled neither of these conditions and in addition had not responded to IHC requests to ensure proper funding of the Handback process. Accordingly, no transition activities have as yet taken place. The uncertainty created by this lack of engagement and the absence of funding for the necessary transition activities is causing a significant operational challenge and great distress for the many dedicated staff members employed at the Hospitals.

Despite all of this, throughout the past 20 months, IHC’s priority has been to ensure continuity of healthcare services for our Islands’ residents to the fullest extent possible. However, the payment withholdings implemented by TCIG on the basis of advice received from their UK lawyers and consultants have deprived IHC of the financial resources needed to undertake the ongoing remediation, asset management and hurricane reinstatement works required at the Hospitals during that period.

As has been reported, the dispute between IHC and TCIG (covering the first five months of non-payment in early 2025) has been heard by the International Court of Arbitration with the outcome that TCIG should pay all of the disputed sums.

TCI Hospitals, since its opening in 2010, has sought to serve our communities to the highest possible standard, which has been recognized in its achievement of Diamond Accreditation for the services delivered. Over the years, various proposals have been made to expand clinical services and develop additional hospital space to provide key services on island such as intensive care, thereby providing some reduction to TCIG’s expensive treatment abroad costs. These proposals have not been taken up by TCIG and instead IHC and TCIG have been locked in endless and extremely costly litigation for over five years, spending large sums of money which would otherwise have brought benefit to the Hospitals.

IHC remains fully committed to the wellbeing of its patients and staff and will continue to engage constructively with TCIG and other stakeholders in pursuit of a resolution to the current dispute and to facilitate an orderly, safe and effective Transition and Handback of the Hospitals.

IHC will continue to do all it can to keep the Hospital facilities open and operational and so, at this stage, all patients should continue to attend appointments as scheduled.

Further communications will follow in due course