St. Vincent and Grenadines

Routine or standardized cognitive assessments, such as MMSE or MoCA, are not documented in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Their application appears clinician-dependent, without formal protocols or published documentation. Following regional PAHO guidance, cognitive screening primarily identifies patients with red-flag symptoms for rapid referral to specialists or imaging, while others are monitored through repeated evaluations to track progression.

Since 2023, CT scans are available at MCMH and MRI at MMDC, with private options in Kingstown. Amyloid PET imaging is not available locally, so patients needing advanced diagnostics must travel abroad. This dependence on international centres imposes financial, logistical, and continuity-of-care barriers, particularly impacting patients undergoing cognitive assessments or dementia management.

Genetic testing for dementia, including APOE and monogenic panels, is not routinely available in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Testing is limited to early-onset or familial cases and conducted via overseas or regional laboratories.

CSF and blood-based Alzheimer’s biomarkers, including Aβ42/40, tau, and NfL, are not routinely available in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, requiring referral to external centres for specialized diagnostic testing.

There is no national memory-clinic network. Generally, dementia diagnosis and care are anchored in hospital neurology/psychiatry at MCMH and diagnostic services at MMDC. It is also conducted in a small number of private imaging clinics in Kingstown. At the same time, SVGADDA runs awareness, caregiver sessions and health-fair activities in Kingstown that help families navigate services32. Still, palliative care capacity remains limited in the literature, with regional assessments listing SVG among countries with no or minimal structured primary-care services.

For outpatient public dispensing, EC$5 is the standardized fee for EML medicines, and partial coverage is possible for inpatient setting through National Insurance Services 37. However, when they are unavailable in public stock or when patient is using private specialists and clinics, families typically pay private tariffs out-of-pocket. Ancillary needs, such as repeat imaging, transport from outer islands and time off work, are all additional financial burden to the patients and are not covered by medical care.

There is no national cash benefit specifically for dementia caregiving. SVGADDA provides caregiver education, support meetings and awareness events. At the state level, the Elderly Assistance benefit exists but is modest and not dementia-specific. Still, draft Older Persons (Care and Protection) Bill (2023) aims to set standards for elder-care institutions and oversight, which could indirectly support dementia families as they mature

SVG currently does not have a dedicated national dementia plan. Instead, dementia sits within the wider frameworks of non-communicable disease (NCD) and mental health policies. For example, the draft National Health Policy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Towards Universal Health recognizes the multiple health-strategic documents needing updating and alignment under the umbrella of universal health coverage. However, this is still a working draft updated in 2025, after consultations in June 2023. Meanwhile, the National Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases 2017-2025 acknowledges that while NCDs are a priority, the draft mental-health policy remains pending formal endorsement. In general, dementia-specific policy and operational planning, including covering case-finding, long-term care, caregiver support, are implicitly addressed but not clearly articulated. This means health-system actors often default to broader NCD frameworks, limiting tailored coordination for dementia care, prevention or services. As dementia increasingly contributes to morbidity in ageing populations, the absence of a stand-alone strategy may constrain service planning, resourcing, monitoring and accountability.

Recent government reports highlight prospective legislative and policy developments that could impact dementia-relevant supports. For instance, the Older Persons (Care and Protection) Bill, 2023 was reported to have stakeholder consultations in May and June 2023, with the objective of establishing a legislative regime for the care and protection of older persons. This bill addresses the issues like licensing of homes for older persons, oversight mechanisms, and rights of older persons. Simultaneously, there are draft disability-related legislative movements referenced in broader disability‐rights surveys that once enacted might enhance protection for persons with dementia by improving access, safeguarding, and complaint pathways. However specific dementia-rights frameworks are not yet evident. These emerging strategies indicate a pro-active legislative initiatives. If passed, the Older Persons (Care and Protection) Bill, 2023 would help strengthen the regulatory and service environment relevant to dementia, including oversight of care homes, quality standards, safeguarding, guardianship, supported decision-making).

Dedicated AD-specific innovations are not yet documented in SVG. As already mentioned, system-level upgrades have strengthened the diagnostic environment, most notably the introduction of in-country MRI at the MMDC, which the Ministry of Health lists among recent radiology expansions. This reduces the need for overseas referrals and shortens diagnostic pathways for neurological conditions, including suspected dementia and cerebrovascular disease.
Beyond imaging, SVG benefits from regional platforms that modernize infrastructure and information systems. PAHO’s Smart Health Care Facilities in the Caribbean initiative, implemented in seven countries, including SVG, aims to deliver safer, greener, more resilient facilities and has been scaled across the Caribbean countries. These investments create the foundation for inclusive facilities improving hospital infrastructure which may benefit dementia-relevant services. In parallel, Eastern Caribbean projects to strengthen prevention, preparedness and response to health threats, which include SVG, are improving systems integration and readiness, indirectly supporting chronic-care programs that would encompass dementia.