Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh says a review of the system for procurement of drugs has to be carried out to remedy the constant drug shortages at the nation’s health facilties. Speaking at the 17th Annual Caribbean Urological Association Conference at the Royal Hotel, San Fernando yesterday, Deyalsingh said T&T’s procurement cycle is out of sync with that of it’s suppliers.
The conference took place over a three-day period, with urologists from T&T and the wider Caribbean making presentations throughout the programme. San Fernando General Hospital’s Dr Lester Goetz was also awarded for his contribution to the field of urology in the Caribbean.
“We need to review the whole system of procurement of drugs and consumables. Right now the procurement cycle is out of sync with the cycle of manufacturing from the manufacturers abroad,” said Deyalsingh. “So by the time we read the budget, monies are allocated by November, the manufacturers go on vacation and shut down in November and December.”
“That gives rise to perennial shortages year after year in the system so we have to bring the advances for finance more in sync with the manufacturing cycle.”
Heaping praise on the South West Regional Health Authority, Deyalsingh said the Health Ministry now has an opportunity to evaluate how Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) operate.
“Coming out of a conference like today, it gives us an opportunity to review how the RHA system works. As you know San Fernando has developed a very good system for urology and we need to take all these good practices and put them system wide through all the RHA’s, instead of being limited to San Fernando.”
Deyalsingh said for the provision of specialists services, the relationship between the ministry and the University of the West Indies needed be clearly defined.
“We have to clearly define the terms of reference of the relationship that exists between the Ministry of Health and the University of the West Indies and the RHA’s, the relationship is not dysfunctional but it needs to be clarified especially for the provision of specialists services.” He added that one reason T&T loses highly-skilled doctors is the limited opportunities for post graduate training, something he hopes to remedy soon.
“One of the reasons we lose our good doctors is that there are limited avenues for post graduate training in T&T and we have to review the legislation to ensure that continuing medical education, which the doctors are actually pushing for, becomes a part and parcel of training in T&T. So they can do their post graduate work here and so stay here and benefit the tax payers,” the minister said.