Soldiers reinforce doctors on health front

LOCAL DOCTORS will receive much needed military reinforcements to help them  to deliver quality health care to the people of Trinidad and Tobago. This was disclosed by National Security Minister Martin Joseph when he addressed a handover ceremony of military supplies from the Chinese Government to the TT Defence Force at the Army’s Teteron Barracks headquarters, Chaguaramas yesterday.

Joseph said during preliminary discussions between both countries since 2000, the establishment of a military hospital was one of the issues that surfaced. Following a visit to TT by Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing in August, Prime Minister Patrick Manning said both nations had agreed to the hospital’s establishment and hinted that its location could be in Central Trinidad.

The Minister said the military hospital will have a three-fold benefit for the country with one of the major ones being that “in cases of emergency, the TT Defence Force will be better able to complement our mainstream health care services.” Among the several initiatives undertaken by former Health Minister Colm Imbert to address deficiencies in the local health sector were the recruitment of Cuban and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) doctors. These initiatives were widely condemned by the Opposition UNC and the Medical Professionals Association of TT (MPATT). Imbert was replaced as health minister by John Rahael in a November 7 Cabinet reshuffle.

Joseph said the hospital will also enhance the level of training of Defence Force medical personnel and “the standard of health care and welfare of our Defence Force personnel will be improved.” He also revealed that TT and China are considering the establishment of a military liaison office in this country. The Minister indicated that since 2000, five TT Defence Force officers received critical training in military thinking, international strategy and military strategy at the National Defence University of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and the Army Command College in China. “The Government of TT is continuing in its efforts to accelerate the process to bring these two major objectives to the point of finalisation,” Joseph added.