Manning announces major health initiative

Prime Minister Patrick Manning told the Senate Monday his government will build eight new hospitals in Trinidad and Tobago over the next 10 years.

In a rare appearance in the Upper House, Manning said the new hospitals would be part nof a framework for providing comprehensive health care.

And also announced that the Ministry of Health would be handing UDeCOTT contracts to implement the government program. He explained that UDeCOTT would be responsible for:

• design-build-equip contracts with respect to the Port of Spain General Hospital, the new San Fernando General Hospital and the Point Fortin Hospital
• design-build-equip contracts for the modernisation of the Sangre Grande Hospital as a 100-bed hospital with 72 beds in Phase 1 and for the conversion of the Arima Health Facility into a 100-bed hospital with 50 beds in Phase 1
• conversion of the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex into two major institutions: the Eric Williams Medical Centre and the National Hospital for Women

Manning said the plan involves the rebuilding of the Port of Spain General Hospital on its present site with facilities for 658 beds. He explained that the break up of the Mount Hope hospital would create a 509-bed Medical Centre and a women's hospital with 131 beds.

He also announced a new hospital for San Fernando with 704 beds. It would be built on the north-eastern side of San Fernando along the Solomon Hochoy Highway, he said.

The existing San Fernando General Hospital would be converted to a regular hospital with just 100.

Opposition leader Kamla persad-Bissessar immediately slammed the prime minister for showing contempt to citizens by handing the contracts to UDeCOTT on the day that the report on the commission of inquiry was handed over to the president.

In calling for the immediate release of the report, she also noted the plans to keep UDeCOTT in business.

Read the story: Kamla pledges to publish unedited Uff report