Dr D. Orlando Smith Hospital Gets Signage
The Virgin Islands Recovery and Development Agency and the BVI Health Services Authority have removed the former Peebles Hospital signage and installed updated signs reflecting the facility’s current name, Dr D. Orlando Smith Hospital. The Virgin Islands Party government allocated $500,000 in November 2024 for the design, supply and installation of the new sign, part of a broader Building Cleaning and Signage Project.
Work to update the signage at the facility formerly known to many residents as Peebles Hospital is now complete, the Virgin Islands Recovery and Development Agency (RDA) said on April 29, 2026. As part of a Building Cleaning and Signage Project carried out with the BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA), the old Peebles signage has been removed and replaced to reflect the hospital’s present-day identity as Dr D.
The RDA noted that for many people the name Peebles Hospital still carries deep meaning after decades of service to the territory. The organisation said the new signs align the hospital’s physical presence with the name given in January 2019 when the facility was renamed in honour of Dr D.
Orlando Smith, the territory’s first locally distinguished surgeon and a former Premier. The hospital building first opened in December 2014, and the RDA described the signage change as a “small but powerful” step toward bringing the site’s appearance into line with its legacy and future role in local healthcare.
Funding for the work was allocated by the Virgin Islands Party-led government in November 2024. According to a Schedule of Additional Provisions (SAP) update from the government, $500,000 was set aside for the design, supply and installation of a new sign for the Dr D. In the House of Assembly in November 2024, Premier Dr the Honourable Natalio D.
Wheatley said the issue had been “long outstanding” and urged the Ministry of Finance to resolve it, adding that the update would honour his cousin, Dr D. Officials say the project involved both cleaning and signage improvements to the hospital exterior and was overseen jointly by the RDA and BVIHSA.
For residents and visitors, clearer, modern signage can improve wayfinding and emergency response times while also reflecting the island’s medical leadership and history. While many locals will continue to use the Peebles name out of habit or affection, the updated signage formalises the hospital’s current name and recognises Dr D.
Orlando Smith’s contributions to healthcare and national development. The RDA and BVIHSA said further maintenance works are ongoing as part of broader efforts to modernise and preserve public health facilities.
Primary source: VINO