Health Minister Dr Lackram Bodoe: T&T Moves Closer To National Prosthetics Centre
Health Minister Dr. Lackram Bodoe says T&T is moving closer to establishing a permanent national prosthetics centre.
Addressing a Ministerial Panel Discussion at CARPHA’s 70th Annual Health Research Conference in Guyana on Wednesday, he said following India’s assistance in providing prosthetic limbs for 800 diabetic patients, T&T is now preparing to take the next major step.
« We were able to provide prosthetic limbs for some 800 of our patients, mostly diabetics, and of course some as a result of trauma. We’re very close to operationalising a permanent prosthetics centre in the country. And in terms of sharing with the Caribbean, we’re hoping that we’ll have the capacity to be able to allow sharing of services, you know, seeing patients from other countries. »
Dr. Bodoe also announced plans to position the Couva Children’s Hospital as a high-level referral centre, emphasising that the facility would be designed to serve the wider Caribbean region.
« There has been the opportunity for us to create a specialist hospital, what will be a tertiary, perhaps quaternary hospital at Couva Children’s Hospital. Because of our increase in bed capacity over the years, we are now able to focus on that facility to make it a tertiary and quaternary-level hospital, not only to serve Trinidad and Tobago, but of course to share that with the rest of the Caribbean. »
The Health Minister also revealed that a comprehensive workforce assessment, completed with support from the Inter-American Development Bank, is now guiding staffing strategies, even outside the country.
« This actually will now enable us to do some targeted recruitment and structured engagement with our diaspora. We’ve realised that there are quite a number of experienced and trained healthcare personnel who reside outside of Trinidad and Tobago and indeed outside of the Caribbean. And this is something that we’re looking at in terms of tapping that resource. »
Dr. Bodoe further reiterated that T&T is advancing its digitalisation drive.
« One of the challenges we have in our country is in terms of how to deliver better and more timely care whilst containing costs. And so, of course, in common with some of the other innovations and the other islands would be our focus on the health system digitisation. So we are currently advancing a national programme to strengthen our patient records. »
He stressed that Caribbean states must move away from isolated efforts and work more closely together.
