Rahael visits possible hospital site

HEALTH MINISTER John Rahael disclosed yesterday on Monday December 29 around 10 am he would be visiting a location at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, which could be the new site for the Mt Hope Women’s Hospital. However Minister Rahael told Newsday that the hospital will not be moved from its present location unless he is satisfied that all the medical systems, protocols and management systems are first put in place. At a media briefing at the Health Ministry’s Port-of-Spain office on Tuesday, the contents of a report filed by Dr Petronella Manning-Alleyne on the recent deaths of infants at the hospital’s neonatal unit were disclosed. Rahael said “action has been taken on some recommendations” made by that report such as the purchasing of new incubators for the neonatal unit. The Minister however added that at this stage, it would be difficult to say when he would be approaching Cabinet regarding the hospital’s location.

Rahael said the Medical Professionals Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MPATT) should not adopt a “we told you so” and claim they were vindicated by a Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) report about the status of neonatal units at TT’s major hospitals, the country’s perinatal and infant mortality rates.  The contents of the PAHO report were also disclosed at Tuesday’s meeting by PAHO’s representative to TT, Dr Lilliam Reneau-Vernon. That report suggested that the Health Ministry decide whether it should either refurbish the Mt Hope Women’s Hospital or shut it down and the decision be made once a proper technical analysis is done. The PAHO report also indicated that after examination of the neonatal infrastructure at the Port-of-Spain General, San Fernando, Sangre Grande and Mt Hope hospitals found the facilities were not designed to be intensive care units.  The Minister said it was instructive to note that while PAHO was suggesting the option of relocating the Mt Hope Women’s Hospital, MPATT was admanant that the hospital should not be moved. He identified lack of proper management systems as a critical issue affecting the efficient operations of the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) and said this area will receive special attention in the new year.  Former Health Minister Colm Imbert frequently complained about poor management practices at the RHAs and took particular issue with certain practices at North-West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) during his tenure.