With respect to Renal, Urology and the other services that were not mentioned, is it that you have the figures for those?

The figures that I have provided are the figures that are available.

Minority Leader

Is it that persons went to access those services and were unable to access them?

Secretary of Health, Wellness and Social Protection.

   The process that is used to admit new patients into the out-patient clinic at the Roxborough Health Facility, is one that is based on referrals either from the Health Centres in the districts, or from individuals who live in the area who currently attend clinics in the Scarborough District.

     Every person who has been referred to the Roxborough Health
Facility thus far, has been seen by the professionals in their respective fields.

Can the Secretary confirm that on the staffing organization, we currently have renal staff to provide renal services, urology and the others that were not mentioned?

Madam Presiding Officer, I will answer.

   It is important for us to recognize that this Administration came into office in December, 2021, when in fact this Roxborough Health Facility was commissioned and was opened over a year ago.

     I am sure we all remember that the Prime Minister came up to an opening, and since then we have not been able to provide renal services at the facility.

      The leadership of the Tobago Regional Health Authority is continually managing the recruitment of specialist physicians in Tobago.
We have been here for close to six (6) months.

      The dialysis team that has been recruited for the Roxborough Health Facility, has been undergoing training over the last couple weeks. They are now ready (given that the dialysis machines are brand new, and the technology associated with the dialysis machines were actually brand new) to start accepting patients who are referred from the Dialysis Centre at the Bacolet Health Centre to Roxborough, from next week.

     We have been working to ensure that the transition of specialist patients is done in a seamless manner. As a result, there are policies that are currently being developed that speaks to the implementation, that speaks to the actual functioning of each of these specialist clinics at the Roxborough Health Facility.

      Might I, Madam Presiding Officer, indicate that even though there was a huge opening for this facility years ago, this process is now happening because the process has begun. A Medical Chief of Staff was hired late last year to start managing the hospital process.

     Paediatricians will be available at the Roxborough Facility from June 01st and those referrals are being set up, as we speak. Patients from the Eastern communities who have been attending specialist out-patient clinics, have currently been transferred and they will start seeing nephrology and internal medicine from next week. The required health professionals to facilitate them being seen appropriately, will be available at the facility from that time.

     Minority Leader, again, your persistence precedes you. I think that the Secretary has answered all the questions. Any further questions you have, you can get them in writing from the Secretary of the Division.

Let us proceed. Next question.

Minority Leader.