The controversial Couva Children’s Hospital will now be converted to a teaching hospital, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said yesterday.
He made the comment as he said Government had partnered with the University of the West Indies (UWI) and private firm Inter-Health Canada to get the hospital operational once and for all.
Last week, Rowley told members of T&T’s Diaspora that if no suitable operator is found for the hospital by month’s end it will be incorporated into T&T’s national health care system as the country’s first paying health care institution.
Yesterday, he said Government has teamed up with UWI and Inter-Health Canada to allow them “to kill many birds using one stone,” one of which was for Government to settle a $200 million debt to UWI which had accumulated over the years. He said UWI will provide the health training, while Inter-Health Canada will provide a new model of health care we have not seen before. Having held discussions with UWI’s
Chancellor and Inter-Health Canada, Rowley said in the next few weeks they will get details on how things will work with regards to advancing health care delivery at the hospital.
“Suffice to say, what we are aiming for is an offshore medical school run by UWI providing cutting edge service for the people of T&T and the world.”
This service, he said, will be the first of its kind.
The offshore school will also be a joint venture between the Government and UWI with input from Inter-Health Canada.
“We are hoping this will extend the whole question of medical tourism and extend to the Scarborough Hospital.”
Asked if the Couva Hospital, which was the People’s Partnership flagship project, will now become a teaching hospital, Rowley said yes.
“That would be the intention. There would be a commercial aspect to it. It is a novel arrangement.”
He said although the hospital was named the Couva Children’s Hospital, it has been outfitted with “more adult beds” which they would make maximum use of.
“We will use it as a basis to enter this lucrative area of offshore medical training.
“The new operators and owners will determine how far we go with this hospital.”
The PM said there was no need to look at additional specialised paediatric medical care, since the Wendy Fitzwilliams Paediatric Hospital provided this service.
Rowley said he also invited India Prime Minister Narendra Modi to offer opportunities to health care professionals to contribute to training at the hospital by teaching traditional Indian medicine, which is over 3,000 years old. He promised more details in coming weeks.