TANCOO: Crisis at Point Fortin Hospital

This malfunction of the air conditioning system has affected the entire hospital including departments such as Administration, X-Ray, Ultrasound, and also the Operating Theatres.

MP for Oropouche West, Dave Tancoo says that he has been reliably informed that patients and staff have complained to management for over a month citing the hazards of these obviously unsafe conditions but no response has been forthcoming. There are also reports of mold on the ceiling which poses an additional health risk to EVERYONE using the Hospital (see attached pictures)

In a desperate bid to afford temporary relief, the Ministry has been installing split air conditioning units to primarily cool equipment. Despite this, however, patients and staff have complained of extremely hot temperatures on wards. The situation is so dire at the main operating theatre which is so hot that management have been cancelling surgical procedures.

Tancoo says that through all this, Minister Terrence Deyalsingh has kept quiet on the issue and is now calling on the Health Minister to provide an immediate response to these reports.

The Oropouche West MP says that Minister Deyalsingh must advise as to whether he is aware of these issues and for how long, as well as what immediate actions have been taken to address these and other issues? Furthermore, why have staff been cautioned about raising these concerns publicly? Finally, and of critical concern is the question of why have measures not been put in place to facilitate surgeries at other facilities instead of having patients rescheduled.

This hospital serves the Southern peninsula of over 100,000 citizens and residents of Trinidad & Tobago. Is the Minister and the Government waiting until someone dies before action is taken?