A Dream Come True

Dear Editor,

I would like to commend the Prime Minister and her government for having the leadership and vision for a better Trinidad and Tobago. The most eagerly awaited of those is the new Couva Children’s Hospital. In the words of the Prime Minister, it is “truly amazing in our country, Trinidad and Tobago to have a facility like this, state of the art, modern (and) as doctors told us one of only three hundred 3T MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) in the world”.

In addition to the state of the art and modern equipment, the facility will create 2,400 jobs for health care professionals, administrative staff and others. It is expected that the hospital will be formally commissioned and opened on a phased basis starting with the paediatric outpatient clinic, then the neonatal intensive care systems and accident and emergency department.

The very initiation and execution of this project speaks to good governance and diplomatic relations internationally. The funds for the hospital came through a loan arrangement with China, which will be repaid over ten years. Additionally, the agreement with China-based Shanghai Construction Group is that should there be any defects during the first year, they would have to repair them at no cost to Trinidad and Tobago. This in my opinion is a good standard for future state projects.

Peter Thomas
via email