Imbert, Gopeesingh in drug feud

FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert on yesterday slammed Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh for "playing to the gallery" and trying to create the impression there were insufficient funds to purchase pharmaceuticals.

Imbert and Gopeesingh crossed verbal swords during yesterday's Standing Finance Committee meeting in the House of Representatives. After noting an allocation of $144 million in fiscal 2020 for pharmaceuticals, Gopeesingh claimed this was a $500 million decrease from the allocation for pharmaceuticals in fiscal 2019.

After Imbert gave the assurance there was adequate funding for pharmaceuticals, Gopeesingh disputed Imbert's statement and claimed people's lives could be at risk.

"Look he's screaming at me. He wants to make sound bites for the camera. I answered in English and in a complete sentence," Imbert complained to committee chairman, House Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George. In an immediate response to Gopeesingh, Imbert told him, "You are playing to the tv."

Gopeesingh claimed that Imbert was being arrogant. "Have some respect for the House," he said.

After Annisette-George restored calm, Fyzabad MP Dr Lackram Bodoe questioned Imbert on the same issue.

Imbert explained that pharmaceuticals for TT were provided by Nipdec. "All necessary funding will be provided for the funding of pharmaceuticals in 2020."

Some Opposition MPs quarrelled when Imbert quipped that pharmaceuticals would be provided "without any problems, any delay, any corruption." He added, " We don't have corruption in the purchase of pharmaceuticals. We don't have waste either."

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh explained that a $1.6 million allocation towards the national oncology centre (NOC) project was a settlement to the contractor for the project which was "fraught with difficulty from day one."

He observed that three previous administrations had failed to get the project off the ground.

"It was simply too costly for the taxpayer to hold on to this dream."

But Deyalsingh said the dream was still alive and the St James Medical Complex had been turned into a "mini NOC" through the acquisition of a linear accelerator."

In response to questions from Barataria/San Juan MP Dr Fuad Khan, Deyalsingh said $200 million has been allocated towards a review of the national health insurance system. Before this system can be launched, Deyalsingh said medical records must be digitised first. He added that Cabinet has allocated $15 million to kick start this process and hoped the platform for this would be laid down in the PNM's second term.

Deyalsingh also said the ministry is changing its focus to include promotion of wellness as part of its health thrust.

He confessed that as minister it had been a steep learning curve for him over the last four years and he had to fix many problems. Deyalsingh was pleased that those efforts had resulted in a 20 per cent reduction in consumption of soft drinks by school children.

Deyalsingh identified decentralisation of mental health facilities and new hospital infrastructure as other aspects of the ministry's focus in 2020.