Same-day surgeries start at Couva Children’s Hospital

Workmen paint the side of a building at the Couva Children’s Hospital on November 28. - Photo by Innis Francis

SAME-DAY surgeries began on November 28 at the Couva Children’s Hospital as part of a phased approach to fully operationalising the facility.

Health Minister Dr Lackram Bodoe revealed this after a meeting at the hospital on November 28. Although declining an interview at the facility, he later told Newsday the surgeries were for patients on waiting lists across all regional health authorities.

In particular, he said operations were provided for renal dialysis patients who required arteriovenous shunts and radio frequency ablation procedures for patients with severe venous disease of the legs.

Dr Bodoe said the next service to come on-stream would be specialised paediatric outpatient clinics.

Although not committing to a date, he said this would be “in the near future.”

“The operationalisation of the Couva Children’s Hospital is fully aligned with the mandate of the prime minister. The ministry remains committed to ensuring a smooth, well co-ordinated transition as additional services continue to come on-stream.”

He did not say when exactly the hospital would be fully operationalised saying work still needs to be done and decisions to be made including which regional health authority would take custody of it.

Following a laptop distribution event at the Penal Secondary School on November 27, Dr Bodoe confirmed plans were on track for opening the hospital before the end of the year.

Last week, Trinidad and Tobago National Nurses’ Association president Idi Stuart rejected the plan to open the hospital for its intended purpose as he believes there were not enough nursing personnel to adequately staff the facility.

To this, Bodoe said work is being done to resolve staffing issues.

A Udecott report in September detailed some 11,300 people were awaiting surgeries across the country, the bulk of whom require ophthalmology and general procedures.

The hospital was built and opened by People’s Partnership administration on August 14, 2015, but it was never fully operationalised when the PNM came into power and held office for ten years.

When Newsday visited on the morning of November 28, dozens of workers were seen across the campus undertaking what appeared to be painting works, especially on the front of the building visible from the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway. The “Couva Hospital and Multi-Training Facility” and “University of the West Indies” signs installed by the previous administration were removed, while the Ministry of Health sign remained.