Health sector needs more doctors: minister

Health Minister Therese Baptiste-Cornelis told the Trinidad Guardian Sunday government plans to recruit more doctors to reduce the wait time for elective surgeries.

And she said the ministry has established a Customer Assessment Committee to investigate all complaints within the health sector.

The minister spoke with the Guardian at the Eastern Regional Health Authority Sports and Family Day at the Mayaro Resource Centre.

She said it is inevitable that she would have hire some foreign doctors if locals are not prepared to work in the public health sector.

“We have a vibrant recruitment programme. Our first priority is nationals, but if they are not coming out, we will have to go foreigners,” she told the paper.

He also stated that the ministry would launch an education program to inform people about the services they can access at health centres. She said these centres provide care for minor health issues.

“We have too many cases whereby people go to the hospital for care which are accessible at the health centres,” she explained.

The minister is planning to change the system to allow some of the country's 135 district health centres to be open 24-7. However she said key to this is the recruitment of additional doctors.

She also stated that there is an administrative problem at the San Fernando General Hospital regarding the allocation of beds, noting that staff are "not managing the beds in an efficient and effective manner".

She said the government has provided as many beds as physically possible at the hospital, adding that often beds are occupied by people who can be discharged.

"Doctors have their responsibility to discharge and people do recover better at home. The hospital is not a place that you can stay until you are so well enough that you can run the Olympics," she said, adding that generally "a hospital stay should be between four and five days."
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Do you have a complaint about the health services. The Minister advises that you can contact the complaints committee at 627-0010 ext 607/610 or 643. She has promised that officials will investigate all complaints and correct problems.