Khan: Making Couva hospital a pharmacy 'colossal waste'

Former health minister Dr Fuad Khan has described the opening of a CDAP pharmacy at the Couva Medical and Multi-Training Facility (formerly the Couva Children’s Hospital) as a “colossal waste” of a facility originally designed to function as a modern children’s hospital complete with burns unit. In a social media post, the Ministry of Health and with the North Central Regional Health Authority, (NCRHA) said the CDAP pharmacy has been open to citizens since July 22.

Using the "3 Cs" concept – come, collect and consult – patients were encouraged not only to fill their CDAP prescriptions at the pharmacy but also talk with medical personnel about their medications and the right way to use them.

Interviewed yesterday, Khan said the opening of the pharmacy shows the “serious infantile thought pattern in commissioning a structure (such) as the Couva Children's Hospital.“A pharmacy where 275 others exist in TT is useless. And to give CDAP drugs – what a colossal waste of commissioning foresight.”

He said a better approach would have been to offer radiological services.“The commissioning should have begun with the use of the radiological investigative equipment such as CT scans, MRI scans and other similar services.“That would have been much more useful than a CDAP drugstore. Also the radiological approach would be the foundation to start the other services.

"But we are ruled by a non-innovative set of clowns.”