By Chantalé Fletcher
TOBAGO’s healthcare sector will benefit from $10 million to aide in the purchases and installation of “sophisticated equipment.”
This according to Finance Minister Colm Imbert during the second session of the Standing Finance Committee in Parliament on Friday.
In response to Couva South MP, Rudranath Indarsingh, Imbert said, “This allocation will account for upgrades in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the neonatal ICU, dialysis units for the ICU, HVAC, the electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for mental therapy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines and various other bits of diagnostic and general equipment for the health sector.”
Indarsingh also questioned a consistent expenditure of $1 million in the Oncology Unit.
The minister said, “Oncology equipment needs to be constantly upgraded as the technology advances and as the knowledge of how to deal with cancer evolves.
“This particular expenditure is for state-of-the-art diagnostic treatments, surgical treatment and other sophisticated equipment for the Oncology department in Tobago.”
Purchases of Ambulances in Tobago
Indarsingh also questioned the minister’s projected expenditure of $2.5 million on the number of ambulances that was intended for procurement, to which Imbert responded, “Four ambulances.”
Imbert said, “One was aimed to transport medical gas and the other is to transport general goods and the remaining two ambulances two to prop ambulances.”
