By RICHARDSON DHALAI Wednesday, March 26 2008

THE DELAY in the construction of the new Point Fortin area hospital has been described by residents and businessmen, including officials from the Point Fortin Chamber of Industry and Commerce, as “frustrating and overbearing.”

A senior citizen told Newsday the area was being poorly treated despite being the “energy basket of South Trinidad.” On a recent whirlwind visit to the old hospital, Health Minister Jerry Narace, reportedly stated that construction on the new hospital, was expected to begin in October and is expected to service between 90,000- 100,000 citizens, an increase of some 20,000-25,000 persons according to the latest CSO figures which was taken in 2005.

The hospital’s catchment area stretches from Icacos and Cedros on the Southwestern peninsula to Oropouche. Construction on the new hospital, three sites are reportedly being considered for the new hospital- at Clifton Hill, Bel Air and on the outskirts of the town centre.

However, health-care officials together with the Point Fortin Chamber, have stated that the new hospital should not be constructed on the site of the existing hospital as this would disrupt the services provided at the hospital.

The hospital presently provides a wide range of services including an Accident and Emergency department, obstetrics and gynecology, physiocology, general medicine, an operating theatre, laboratories services, pharmacy, a blood bank and outpatient clinics.

However, the laboratory services have been described as offering ‘minuscule’ services since blood samples have to be transported to the San Fernando General Hospital, {SFGH}, for analysis and it’s results sent back to the hospital before proper treatment could be proscribed for patients.

According to one health-care official, one reason for the delays was the transfer of hospital construction from the South West Regional Health Authority, (SWRHA) to the National Insurance Property Development Co Ltd (NIPDEC) and finally to the Urban Development Company of TT (UdeCoTT).

When Newsday visited the hospital yesterday, 77-year old Cochrane village resident, McDonald Francis, said the new hospital was ‘long overdue’ with citizens preferring to make the trip to the SFGH rather than coming to the Point Fortin hospital.

“This hospital is not up to standard and we really need a new hospital. I remember when the San Fernando hospital was a board hospital, now look at it — it’s a three story building and they just add on a new section so is about time we get a new hospital- is too much promises, promises,” he said.

“Point Fortin is the breadbasket of South Trinidad. It have no oil in Maraval or Toco so why it taking so long to build a new hospital,” he asked. Meanwhile, Chamber president Francis Bertrand, said his organization would not become “excited” until construction had begun on the new building. “Not the sod-turning, but the actual construction. For the past five budgets, we have heard that construction on the new hospital was due to begin and it is time the people of Point Fortin become part of Vision 2020,” he said.