Nurses Association head calls for real changes to health sector

TT Registered Nurses’ Association president Idi Stuart is calling on government to make real changes to the health sector after the reading of the 2021 budget on Monday.

He said there is no real impetus for change other than building new buildings, although this was expected after the unveiling of the PNM manifesto.

“We want the government to focus on and fix the health sector and implement proposals that are on the cards.

"It’s been 26 years since there was health sector reform, which had to do with the national health insurance system. The association thinks the health insurance system should be under the national insurance scheme (NIS) so the health sector can access additional funds and doesn’t have to depend solely on the consolidated fund. It’s our thrust going forward that we have a lot of work to do to get the government to see the purpose of the national health insurance system, health sector regulation, health sector accreditation council, quality councils, all of these things to improve the quality and level of care our citizens rightfully deserve.”

Stuart said a properly functioning health system is essential, as was shown by the recent death of parliamentary procedural clerk assistant Sheranne Samuel.

“She lost her life because neither the Port of Spain General Hospital nor the Mt Hope Hospital had a working CT scan machine. Her death could have been avoided if the sector could have managed its own resources. The ministry can’t maintain the existing plants and equipment or staff the facilities it already has, so we would like to see how they will stick to the commitment of opening four new hospitals soon.”

Stuart said the association was concerned about the immediate freezing of the filling of all vacancies in the public sector, as he said there is a severe shortage of personnel in all the RHAs, which was why the association had protested in June and July 2020.

He said the nurses were grateful for the focus on agriculture and hoped this would lead to a reduction in the consumption of fast food, as he said consuming unhealthy food makes people sick and puts a strain on the health sector.

Stuart said the new housing initiatives announced in the budget were welcome, as the association was trying to help its members access public housing, since nurses did not fall into the ranks of essential personnel who qualify for 20 per cent of public housing.

He said they were also grateful to see the increase in the personal tax allowance from $72,000 to $84,000 a year, although since the nurses have not had a pay increase since 2013, it would not be as high an increase as for others.