Deyalsingh: UNC blanks Children Life Fund

SINCE losing office three years ago, United National Congress (UNC) parliamentarians have contributed “zero dollars and zero cents” to the Children’s Life Fund. Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh made this disclosure in the House of Representatives yesterday.

The fund was created under the former People’s Partnership (PP) government, of which the UNC was the lead party.

Responding to claims from Princes Town MP Barry Padarath, Deyalsingh said the legislation governing the fund ensures that children with life-threatening medical conditions received funding for treatment. Recalling how the PP criticised the People’s National Movement (PNM) for not contributing to the fund while in opposition, Deyalsingh said it is clear now the fund’s main benefit for the UNC was public relations.

Deyalsingh said expanding the fund to include non-threatening medical conditions would be “opening a Pandora’s box” because the money in the fund would be rapidly depleted. This would prevent money being available to ensure treatment for life-threatening cases, Deyalsingh said.

The fund is sourced by taxpayers’ dollars and the public demands transparency in the use of the fund, Deyalsingh added.

A total of 232 children have been treated using the fund from 2010 to now. The conditions for which these children were treated included kidney transplants, cardiac repair and retinal glaucoma.

Deyalsingh also revealed that by July, Government will clear a backlog of 629 unregistered drugs that was left behind by the PP.

Government MPs thumped their desks when Deyalsingh said the PP’s only answer to the country’s health problems was to build the Couva Adult and Children Hospital but never commission it. Referring to ongoing talks between Government, UWI and Interhealth Canada, Deyalsingh said the hospital will be operationalised. He also said the issue of fake drugs dovetails into the question of unregistered drugs and this is being dealt with.