Senior Political Reporter
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh says that a “fake news” video that is in circulation was a 2014 video by the made by previous government, and his ministry has claimed that the project scope for the Couva Children’s Hospital did not include a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Deyalsingh commented yesterday on the video put into circulation on Tuesday, which was said to feature the facilities at Couva Hospital built by the People’s Partnership/United National Congress government.
Following the recent deaths of babies at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital’s NICU unit, a war of words has been simmering between the Government on whether the facility has a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar last week slammed the Government for not using the Couva Hospital for children because it was built by her government. She pointed out that the hospital could have been used to care for neonates because it had a NICU.
Persad-Bissessar, calling for the Couva Children’s Hospital to be opened on Monday, trashed Government’s claim that she was “lying” when she said the hospital had a NICU. She said her government built it and the user brief had at least six NICU cots to be made available at that hospital, in the knowledge that additional capacity was needed in T&T.
The video then began circulating.
But the ministry and Deyalsingh subsequently stated that the NICU claim was false.
Yesterday, Deyalsingh maintained that the video was done in 2014 by the then-PP government to promote the hospital. He said it had a four-bed Special Baby Care Unit for less serious cases—but noted it was not for intensive care. He gave no further details.
The ministry, in a statement, said it had been made aware of the video on social media that carried “inaccurate untrue” information about the hospital.
The ministry, explaining the difference between a Special Baby Care unit and a NICU, stated that the facts are as follows:
The Project Scope for the Facility did not include a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). In fact, it was a four-bed Special Baby Care Unit (SBCU) with incubators which is used for less urgent cases that was set up at the facility.
A NICU is designed for the care of premature babies who are high-risk. Such units are outfitted with very specific equipment to aid in the treatment of high-risk babies.
Further, of the 230 beds in the facility, 150 beds were allocated to adults and 80 beds for use by children. Therefore, approximately 34 per cent of the beds were for children while the remainder of the beds were for adults. This underscores the fact that the facility was not specifically designed for children only.
The ministry added, “The Ministry of Health and by extension the Government of T&T, is committed to the provision of quality healthcare services to all citizens through its various hospitals and health centres.
Neonatal care continues to be available at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, the San Fernando General Hospital, the Sangre Grande Hospital and the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.”