Public/private specialised medical centres coming to T&T: Khan

File: State of the Art Operating Theatre

The Minister of health announced on Thursday that cabinet has agreed to a public/private partnership to design, finance, build and operate centres of specialised medicine throughout the country. 

Dr Fuad Khan made the announcement to reporters at the weekly post cabinet meeting. 

He said under the plan the state would provide the land with the private sector investing in what the minister called "five-star medical centres". He said that would be a major improvement over the country's hospitals, which have a rating of two and a half.

Khan said the centres would include cardiovascular, neuro-surgical, critical care medicine, interventional radiology, interventional cardiology, radiotherapy, haematology, blood transfusion, gastroenterology, orthopaedic and other areas. 

He did not give details of how many centres would be built or exactly where they would be located. 

He said Government will pay for services based on a rate that fits its health budget. 

“The Ministry of Health has been trying over the years to develop procedures and practices to bring about the change and the management of these high-end speciality services," the minister said.

He added, “These speciality services year by year are becoming more and more expensive. 

“The insurance companies in our country that provide these private medical insurance seem to be collecting premiums and not paying out as much as they should because a lot of our population does not have the money to pay core payments so they end up in the public health sector.” 

Khan said the establishment of the centre will also be an intergal part of plans for medical tourism.

“You will find a movement will be coming from America to Trinidad and Tobago and from South America and the rest of the Caribbean," he explained. “This is will result in a high level of healthcare for our Trinidad population and the region,” he said.