Mixed healthcare legacy of Rowley

LOOK carefully and healthcare emerges as a key aspect of the tenure of Dr Keith Rowley.

The most graphic illustration of this came on March 10 when, as promised, the prime minister presided over a ceremony to mark the practical completion of the 540-bed Central Block of the Port of Spain General Hospital.

Appearing in the pink of health, and fresh from a trip abroad, Rowley, 75, delivered an assured 42-minute speech, which will enter the history books as being among his most revealing.

The outgoing PM disclosed the origins of the project was a deep-seated personal fear, stemming from a 2009 engineering study that the old block was a “calamity” waiting to happen.

For one minute, when an earthquake struck in 2018, as he was undressing after work, he held his breath. The structure survived. But the need for action was clarified.

Prime ministers are judged by the physical things they leave behind.

This has resulted in many vital interventions over the decades, but also many white elephants. Right at the very end, the Diego Martin West MP has delivered something that undoubtedly falls under the former, not the latter.

Under his watch, the Ministry of Health has also opened new headquarters. And there are fresh facilities in his constituency.

Yet, arguably towering above all is Rowley’s management of the covid pandemic, an achievement he once touted as being his greatest.

The Opposition, during that pandemic and since, consistently criticised the state's response. But there is no denying the international acclaim the PM received, as well as his key role in lobbying for global vaccine equity. The electorate in 2020 returned the PNM to power, at the height of the pandemic, over the UNC.

However, a true failure of Rowley relates to his disastrous attempt to deem crime a public health emergency.

This policy reorientation was an instance of a leader thinking outside the box. As refreshing as that was, the approach never took off, despite expensive regional conferences.

At least $64.4 billion – that is how much has been spent by the Ministry of Health under the PM.

Was this money well spent?

The lack of reform of the regional health authority system, inconsistent regulation of the medical profession and the serious questions that arose from a NICU legal scandal also linger.

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh survived the latter and has been re-selected by the PNM to contest St Joseph (Dr Rowley this week called him the longest-serving health minister).

But these issues show the fact that while we should see the glass half-full and be grateful for free healthcare, new buildings, vital as they are, form just one part of the overall legacy of any leader.