BUDGET STATEMENT 2014
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SUSTAINING GROWTH, SECURING PROSPERITY
• the Couva District Health Facility;
• the Toco Health Centre;
• the Palo Seco Health Centre; and
• the Carenage Health Centre.
Additionally, Government will soon announce
plans for infrastructural improvements to the
Port of Spain General Hospital.
Mr. Speaker, in order to make the CDAP system
more efficient and to eliminate abuse, we will
commence implementation of a health card
system in the new fiscal year. The health card
will be electronic and will serve as a means to
access health care services. The health card
system will ensure that we have a register of
all patients accessing the health services; this
will enhance our ability to monitor and improve
health services being delivered to our citizens.
The information captured and managed
by this system will provide the basis for the
development and implementation of a national
health insurance system.
HOUSING
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to provide ade-
quate and affordable housing to our citizens and
first-class accommodation for public servants.
We are advancing work in a coordinated manner
along a number of fronts:
• home construction will commence on 3 new
sites: to yield 2,575 housing units in 3 years
at a cost of $858.0 million in Trestrail Lands,
Eden Gardens and Pineapple Smith Lands;
• full construction phase will commence on 7
sites under the Inter-American Development
Bank assisted Squatter Regularisation
Programme yielding 1,500 upgraded lots at
a cost of $60.0 million;
• full construction phase will commence on
7 Land Settlement Agency sites to deliver
upgraded lots at a cost of $60.0 million
annually under the Land for the Landless
Programme;
HEALTH
Mr. Speaker, we are working to transform our
health sector in order to deliver first-class health
care to the people of Trinidad and Tobago. In
fiscal year 2012, we successfully completed the
tendering process for construction of the long-
awaited National Oncology Centre and entered
into negotiations to build and outfit this Centre
to advance and improve clinical cancer care for
the people of Trinidad and Tobago. In September
2013, construction will commence on the
National Oncology Centre with a scheduled
completion date of January 2016. The estimated
cost for the construction and outfitting of the
centre is $891 million.
We have also put in place an appropriate
infrastructure with best practice standards
for the delivery of quality services for dialysis
patients. This venture has been long overdue.
With effect from November 1 2013, only those
private health-care institutions which meet best
practice standards will provide, at Government’s
expense, dialysis services to the citizens of
Trinidad and Tobago. This initial arrangement
will last 2 years, and will allow for the delivery of
12 sessions per month at a maximum sum of
$950 per session.
Mr. Speaker,we have a number of health facilities
earmarked for construction or expansion.
These include:
• the Penal Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre;
• the Sangre Grande Hospital and Enhanced
Health Centre;
• the Rio Claro Hospital;
• the Chaguanas District Health Facility;
• the Point Fortin Hospital;
• the Chancery Lane Teaching facility; and
• the Couva Children’s Hospital.
We will also expand and upgrade:
• the Arima District Health Facility;
