The Health Minister is seeking to assure the public that, even though government seeks to save money with changes to the CDAP listing, it is also reviewing the drugs for high priority health issues such as cancer care.
Health Minister Dr Lackram Bodoe addressed the matter in response to a question from TV6 News during the post-Cabinet media briefing.
00:00Staying on health, the Health Minister is seeking to assure the public that even though government seeks to save money with changes to the CDAP listing,
00:09it is also reviewing the drugs for high-priority health issues such as cancer care.
00:14Health Minister Dr. Lacram Bodo addressed the matter in response to a question posed by TV6 News during yesterday's post-cabinet media briefing.
00:24Mr. Minister, as you talked about the CDAP program and the efforts to save money, I'm also wondering about other drugs, medications that would be dispensed by the public health sector for, say, more very serious issues, be it cancer treatment and things like that, if you have had a review of those types of medications.
00:44Right. So it's a good question, Joel. So the CDAP is one thing, of course, but the overall, again, the overall availability and cost of drugs is a big issue to the government.
00:56CDAP was one of the campaign promises that we have delivered.
00:59Another promise was to review the national formulary with a view to, you know, deciding which are the drugs that are effective, which ones need to be replaced, which ones need to be updated.
01:10You're quite right. Cancer care, cancer care is quite expensive.
01:17And he says the issue of drugs for cancer care is something he plans to have addressed in the government's upcoming budget.
01:26I might be speaking out of turn, but I do intend to bring to the cabinet a proposal and I trust that it will be accepted.
01:33To try to to ring fence in a way in the budget, the cancer drugs.
01:41But we also are looking at the guidelines in terms of of what are the most efficacious drugs.
01:48So, of course, that is that is something very much on the mind of the Ministry of Health and the government of Trinidad and Tobago.
01:54So, of course, that is something very much on the mind of the government of Trinidad and Tobago.
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