Chair gives update on NWRHA

At the annual North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) public board meeting, at the Government Campus Plaza last Thursday, chair Lisa Agard, shared with stakeholders, information on the NWRHA’s goals, challenges and achievements over the 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 fiscal periods.

Feedback was also sought on its delivery of health care to TT citizens.

She said with the decanting of the old Central Block of the Port of Spain General Hospital (POSGH), following last year’s earthquake in August and subsequent fire at the Radiology Department earlier this year, new wards and patient care areas had to be created.

As a result, the Eye Clinic and the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic had to be relocated to the St James Medical Complex (SJMC).

Agard said work on the new Cental Block will begin next year.

It is expected to be a state of the art 540 bed capacity tower, offering accident and emergency srevices, intensive care unit, high dependency unit, diagnostic and other ancillary services.

The construction of a facility to house a Linear Accelerator (LINAC) at SJMC is also in the pipeline.

Agard said: “LINAC will be the first of its kind in the public health sector, not only nationally, but in the English speaking Caribbean. “This mode of treatment offers more targeted treatment for some tumors, reduces wait time and potentially minimises treatment related side effects.”

Agard also spoke of the launch of an electronic health management system at the NRC, including digitisation of the pharmacy services.

She said: “This has led the immediate availability of data, enabling faster processing of patient information and designing their treatment plans, increased efficience of staff member and convenience for patients. For the period May to September 2019, we spent $17.1 million on drugs St James.”

Regarding expired drugs, she said they can now track the its expiry.

“When we started in May we had $33,000 in expired drugs that has now been reduced to $1,54.”

In addition, NWRHA”s mobile app Be Well TT is now available in the App and Google Play stores, affording the global community to download customised health tips and recipes, find out about NWRHA servics, outreach iniatives, healthcare blogs and more.

Agard said: “Patients of the NTC in particular can now sign up to view their clinic cards on their phone, receive clinic schedule notifications and alerts when prescriptions are ready.

This service will be extended to patients across NWRHA facilities in the future.”