Docs hit ‘American-styled’ hospital

In a release, MPATT said Prime Minister Patrick Manning, at the People’s National Movement (PNM) Convention, reiterated Health Minister John Rahael’s contribution during the Budget debate about a proposed new hospital paralleling the American system.

However, MPATT president Dr Chunilal Ramjit said if a new hospital is built, it should be situated in Central Trinidad.

"We would agree that all our densely populated areas are provided with hospitals, including Point Fortin and Sangre Grande. The Chaguanas region is the only urban/semi-urban area without in-patient facilities."

Ramjit said it was an "animated fantasy" that providing a hospital in association with Johns Hopkin will provide "American-style" training and medicine in this country.

He said Manning implicitly condemned the UK style of training, which has provided yeoman service for generations and continues to do so.

Ramjit said, "The PM must know that American-style means American price. Will the doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care workers at this proposed hospital get American-style salaries for providing American-style service? Or will they continue to be underpaid and the hospital understaffed as they are presently?" He referred to the World Health Organisation report 2000 ranking of health care systems in which the US was ranked at 37, which was "miles behind" most of their European counterparts including England ranked at 18, France, one, and Ireland, seven.

Ramjit said the obvious problem with TT’s health system was gross under-funding by all governments, but moreso by the PNM which had the longest time in control of the nation’s resources. He also criticised the under-funding of UWI’s School of Medicine. "The PM may well have on his agenda the aim of denying the best to our brightest students who attend the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex."