Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan is to seek Cabinet’s approval for an additional $3.5 million to hasten the completion of the $79-million Carenage Health Centre and the Women’s Hospital in Mt Hope.
Khan said this in an interview with reporters after a brief tour of the existing Carenage Health Centre on Monday. He said increased funding for the two health facilities was necessary to ensure the construction of additional facilities. Work on both institutions is expected to be completed by May.
Khan said the Carenage hospital would be used as a major facility as many people traversed the area, especially on weekends, and would be open 24 hours on weekends.
He also said plans were afoot to have health facilities in busy communities opened on a 24-hour basis on weekends.
According to the minister, the Carenage facility was to be used “for stabilisation rather than (to) just transport (people) in the case of any disaster.”
He said because the community was located close to the sea, “I am thinking about putting a sea ambulance in this area so a patient can be stabilised here and then taken to Port-of-Spain (hospital).”
Khan said because of the traffic congestion on the Western Main Road, Carenage, the use of a sea ambulance would be more effective to transport patients.
The minister also denied there was any shortage of drugs for people with sexually transmitted diseases. People afflicted with syphilis have been unable to get a specific drug at health centres recently.
But Khan said, “There are other drugs that one can use for the STD’s.”
He said those available drugs were being used. Khan said the specific drug requested by outpatients was being sourced, but there was no crisis because, “you could use other drugs to get the same effect.”
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The two-storey, 54-room modern facility at Carenage would provide a range of services to an estimated 50,000 residents. It will include the following:
•A wellness centre
•Dental suite
•Digital X-ray facilities
•Nurses’ and doctors’ exam rooms
•Records room
•Testing rooms
•Other services such as voluntary counselling and testing and family planning services.