UNC MPs knock infrastructure, healthcare in budget debate

Moruga Tableland MP Michelle Benjamin said while her constituency had the worst roads in the country, and many were without a regular water supply, all that would change when the UNC comes into power.

She was speaking in Parliament during the budget debate which began on Friday.

“I know that we don’t have water in our pipes. I know that we have the worst roads in the country. I know that we were given a ministry of works that gets one of the largest allocations and we have the minister saying we have no funding by the next month. That Ministry eats the allocation but it never comes to Moruga/Tableland. I know that my schools are in a deplorable state. I know that my youths do not have jobs but I want to tell them to hold on, that too will come to an end and everything will be okay.”

The House got lively after Benjamin suggested that youths are starved for jobs because they need to have specific affiliations before they are employed.

“A young person is supposed to put on their Sunday best and go to any one of our ministries or public offices and qualify for a job or undergo the relevant interview (process), but that is not the case,” she said.

She was met with a barrage of standing orders suggesting a misuse of parliamentary privilege. After withdrawing several statements she suggested that the PNM only has power within the walls of the Red House.

“They will come to this House and titivate and galavant and make announcements in here (parliament) they cannot do it out there because they are now the “minority” government. We are in the majority, So we could go outside and galavant.”

“ Let them have their day…They can come to this podium and insult any one of us on this side, but we know that is all they can do. Because the day of reckoning will soon come. Soon Kamla Persad-Bissessar will sit in that seat and reign.”

During the contribution of MP for Cumuto/Manzanilla Dr Rai Ragbir he called on Government to promote healthcare in youth, saying that focusing on primary healthcare and non-communicable diseases is more important than new buildings.

"You are finding now that there is something called ultra-processed foods. Unfortunately 58 per cent of the calories that adults ingest comes from ultra-processed foods. About 67 per cent of the calories in children come from the same.” Ragbir said.

“These are more likely to trigger hypertension, diabetes and obesity.”

“We are killing our children, because that is what we give our children to eat. The tenets of management of healthcare is focusing on primary healthcare.”

He said the world’s recent experiences with covid19 should have taught the government to be proactive with healthcare.

He called for the restart of several programmes such as a grant for medication and assistance for children with cerebral palsy, a programme for specialised testing and surgery such as angiograms, hip replacement and retina surgery. He said some of the procedures are expensive, complicated and lists for surgery are long. He said this will help bring access to people who need it most.

“This country with its brilliant human resources cannot afford to be reactive when it comes to healthcare.”

On October 2, Minister of Finance Colm Imbert highlighted multiple hospitals built by Government over the past few years including a 150-bed Arima Hospital at a cost of $1.6 billion; a 110-bed hospital at the cost of $1.3 billion and the outfitting of the Roxborough Hospital at a cost of $133 million.

He also mentioned that a 106-bed Sangre Grande Hospital, at a cost of $1.1 billion, is now near completion.

The House adjourned to Monday at 10am when debate on the budget will resume.