Commission of Inquiry into public health services

Government has appointed a Commission of Inquiry —  to be chaired by former Speaker, Hector McClean — into the operations and delivery of public health services in Trinidad and Tobago.  The Commission will sit in public. Prime Minister Patrick Manning made the announcement yesterday in a statement to the House of Representa-tives.  The Commission is required  “to make such observations and recommendations arising out of its deliberations as it deems appropriate.” It is to report to the President within six months of its first sitting. Manning noted that within recent times there had been a number of “questionable” incidents occurring at public health institutions, some of which had resulted in “questionable” deaths.

“The Government is satisfied that it has become necessary to conduct a full investigation into these legitimate concerns,” he said. Other members of the Commission are Dipchan Rattan (medical practitioner); Yvonne Pilgrim (secretary, Trinidad and Tobago Registered Nurses Association); Wazir Hosein (president, Pharmacy Board of Trinidad and Tobago) and Glen Wilson (vice president, human resources, British Gas).

As the Prime Minister read out the Commission’s terms of reference, Opposition MPs shouted that the appointment of the Commission was an “insult” to the Minister of Health. “Why yuh don’t have a Commission of Inquiry into all the kidnapping? Who yuh mamaguying?” Couva South MP Kelvin Ramnath asked. According to the PM, the terms of reference of the Commission of Inquiry are  to inquire into the operation, delivery, adequacy and quality of public health care services with special reference to:

i) the adequacy of existing public health care facilities to meet the needs of the public, including the special needs of the elderly, visually impaired and handicapped;
ii) the adequacy and quality of the health services provided by professional and non-professional staff of public health care facilities;
iii) the adequacy of the number, qualification and training of professional and non-professional staff;
iv) the capabilities of the management and professional and non-professional staff to meet the demands of the  public for the delivery of quality health care;
v) the adequacy of the medical equipment and availability of drugs and pharmaceuticals to meet the health care needs of the public;
vi) the circumstances surrounding the procurement process and the award of contracts generally in the public health sector;
vii) the criteria used for the rendering of a proper service to patients and whether or not these are in the best interest of the patients;
viii) what machinery exists for receiving and addressing effectively the complaints and concerns of the public in relation to the adequacy and quality of health services;
ix) the number and nature of complaints received from members of the public concerning the adequacy and quality of health services.

Manning noted that an earlier PNM administration in 1994 initiated a Health Sector Reform Programme. Noting that the programme virtually stagnated after the party demitted office in 1995, the Prime Minister stated the stagnation was at the root of “a rising tide of discontent” with the effectiveness of this sector.