Couva hospital may open in September

TWO flagship projects started under the former People's Partnership government could be opened in September. These are the Couva Adult and Children's Hospital and the University of the West Indies (UWI) South Campus in Debe.

UWI St Augustine campus principal Prof Brian Copeland expressed optimism about both projects after a news conference at the campus yesterday.

During the conference, UWI Vice-Chancellor Prof Hilary Beckles said the university will replicate the Couva hospital model in other parts of the region. Beckles disclosed Barbados is the first place this could happen.

Copeland said, "We would like to start up (the hospital) in September. That's our aim. But there are still some kinks to be worked out going forward."

He explained the "kinks" have to do with "the whole issue about how the vesting will go forward."

The critical point, Copeland continued, is how the hospital will operate. The objective is for the hospital to deliver high-quality medical care for the people of TT.

"We are much further along than we were a few months ago," Copeland said, adding that he had meetings with the Government later in the day and today about the hospital.

The Debe campus is on target for opening in the new academic year in September. Copeland said this project is "much further on stream," with the buildings at the campus completed. There were delays with the information technology infrastructure and air conditioning, but he said the latest report he had received is that at the end of May "we will be fully operational as far as the infrastructure is concerned."

In the interim, Copeland said, "We are working with our colleagues to nail down the exact programmes that we will be delivering there."

The campus will have with a initial intake of 500 students, most from South Trinidad.

Copeland said "the most certain offering" for students at the Debe campus will be from UWI's Faculty of Humanities.

The campus is being designed to be self-financing in the medium to long term, and whatever programmes offered at the campus must bring income to UWI because the university cannot operate a campus which is "fully dependent on the public purse."

Beckles said Couva and Debe are projects which UWI is not rushing to develop in a way that it would later regret. The Couva hospital, he continued, is a pioneer project which could be replicated by UWI throughout the region. Beckles said it offered a new way to develop medical education in the Caribbean and a new way for regional governments and UWI to collaborate.

Last April, the Prime Minister said the Couva hospital would serve as a teaching hospital and would be owned by Government, run by UWI, and InterHealth Canada will provide healthcare services.

The hospital was opened before the September 7, 2015 general election, but never commissioned. Dr Rowley also said this arrangement could help Government settle a $200 million debt it owes UWI.