Who are these UNDP medics? Rafeeq wants to know

Saying that there were horror stories involving foreign doctors,  former minister Hamza Rafeeq on Friday called on Health Minister Imbert to lay in Parliament, the agreement under which the UNDP doctors would be coming to Trinidad and Tobago. He was speaking during the debate on the Pharmacy Board Amendment bill in the House of Representatives yesterday. He also called on Government to subsidise the more expensive drugs under its Chronic Disease medication programme. The programme allows for free medication for pensioners with chronic diseases such as diabetes. Noting that under the programme only the cheaper drugs were listed, he said the programme was not freeing up the public pharmacies and the public clinics. It was impractical to ask a pensioner to pay $70 to a  private doctor to get a prescription for drugs worth $30,  he said. Therefore, people were still going to the public sector pharmacies. Rafeeq also accused Imbert of “mamaguying” the population with his promise since six months ago to bring Cuban doctors within a short time. “It is either the minister is mamaguying us or the Cubans are mamaguying him,” Rafeeq stated.

On the UNDP doctors, Rafeeq said the population should know what countries the UNDP doctors were coming from, what medical schools they were trained in, how many years experience they had, could they speak and understand English properly, how would they be supervised and monitored, are they to be paid any stipend and how long they are being employed for. Health Minister Colm Imbert, in piloting the bill, said that it would reduce the period of internship for pharmacists from three years to one year. He said the bill would also formalise a category of persons called pharmaceutical assistants. The bill also increases the penalties for breaches of the act and the regulations. Rafeeq noted that the bill would immediately elevate a number of pharmacists. He said it would allow a number of pharmacists who are currently employed in the public service to become available to the private sector. This, he said, could cause an exodus from the very sector Imbert was trying to help. Rafeeq also called on Imbert to ensure that the flow of herbal products coming into Trinidad and Tobago were being properly regulated. “We have a vulnerable population,” he said, adding that many of the products were making claims that were “outrageous.” He said some products claimed to solve sexual problems while others claimed that they cured diseases like cancer. Rafeeq said the Health Sector, which was “buzzing with activity” under the UNC, was now collapsing.  He cited the ambulance services, which went from 55 working ambulances in 15 centres under the UNC, to six to eight working ambulances under the PNM.