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  • 1 year ago
If it is returned to government, the United National Congress will review the operations of the Regional Health Authority.


This from Fyzabad MP Dr. Lackram Bodoe who expresses a belief that there are many inadequacies in that area.


Alicia Boucher tells us more.
Transcript
00:00For fiscal 2025, the health sector has been given the highest allocation of $7.571 billion.
00:08Faizabad MP Dr. Lakram Bodo says it is important that people get value for money
00:13and he notes that a large portion of that allocation will go to the regional health authorities.
00:1967.1% of the annual budget allocation goes to the four regional health authorities in Trinidad.
00:26This amounts to some $4.2 billion and of this amount, $3.7 billion is spent on salaries and wages.
00:33So it's spent on people, Madam Speaker, and we are grateful for that.
00:37We have some 21,000 workers in the health care sector amongst the RHEs and they need to be well compensated.
00:45But Dr. Bodo expresses a belief that at this time, infrastructure like health facilities is adequate.
00:51However, he says inadequacies lie in how these facilities are managed.
00:56It requires people who will put back the care in health care, Madam Speaker,
01:00and this is what this country is lacking, Madam Speaker.
01:04Madam Speaker, I dare say that this minister continues to put square pegs and round holes at the board level
01:09and as a result, several CEOs and certain managers do what they want, Madam Speaker.
01:15There's a lack of accountability in the running of some of these RHEs.
01:20Dr. Bodo says he was told of a power outage at the lab at San Fernando General Hospital on Wednesday night.
01:26And the auxiliary generator did not activate. Do you know what happened, Madam Speaker?
01:32As a result, blood products have been compromised and no blood products can be provided for elective cases at this time.
01:39The MP states that the issues of generators have been raised repeatedly.
01:44He accuses the NCRHA of focusing on taking out press ads, which he notes they receive allocations for.
01:51But he feels there are more important ways to spend the money.
01:55Dr. Bodo calls for a central recruitment agency to allow for more transparency
02:00and ensure that specialist labor is distributed based on the needs of the various health facilities.
02:07But perhaps the time has come to review and tweak how the RHEs are run.
02:12Madam Speaker, I dare say that the UNC government will undertake such a review
02:19to ensure without the loss of any jobs, Madam Speaker, because people will jump up and say you're going to fire people.
02:25That's not the idea. The idea is to review to ensure the citizens once again receive value for money.
02:30On the issue of mental health, the MP is asking for the status of the mental health policy 2019 to 2029,
02:39which he states is yet to be finalized.
02:42He endorses the call center that has been put in place to treat with NCDs.
02:46But he points to a report which was conducted in 2021,
02:50indicating that about 10,000 people in the country live in abject poverty.
02:55He's making a recommendation to the government.
02:58Identify these 10,000 impoverished citizens.
03:01You will know them because they already access services from the state.
03:04And, you know, give them a blood pressure monitor, Madam Speaker,
03:07but tie it in to the fact that they will call in their numbers on a regular basis to this new call center we established.
03:13It will cost you about $5 million, Madam Speaker.
03:15But I give you the assurance and I give the country the assurance that the country will see much more in the long term, Madam Speaker.
03:22Alessia Boucher, TV6 News.
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