The president of the T&T Registered Nurses Association (TTRNA), Idi Stuart, wants more attention to be paid to several health institutions he believes have been neglected.
Stuart commends the recent remodelling of major hospitals—including Arima and Point Fortin, as well as the soon to be completed Port of Spain Central Block—which he says are steps in the right direction.
Speaking on today’s edition of CNC3’s The Morning Brew show, the TTRNA president highlight what he believes are major issues affecting the health and well-being of both patients and staff at various Regional Health Authorities (RHAs).
“Currently, nursing personnel and all health care workers in St Ann’s work in an extremely rat-infested environment, and really dilapidated [conditions],” Stuart revealed.
“Actually, we were calling on the authorities to do a number of studies within St Ann’s,” he said, “because we realise a number of our colleagues are coming down with particular type of cancers, which we believe may be attributed to some of the conditions within St Ann’s Hospital.”
And regarding the upcoming Budget… Idi Stuart is hoping that consideration has been given to nurses.
He notes that many of the benefits that were afforded to nurses under the Ministry of Health were taken away in 2015 when nurses were placed under the RHAs.
The TTRNA leader is calling for those lost benefits to be reinstated. He asserts that stipends for nursing students also must be included, and as well as a motor vehicle tax exemption for travelling officers.
“Our travelling officers—such as our District Health Visitors, Mental Health Officers, and District Nurses—who have to go out [into communities] ... One of the tools required is a vehicle for the nurse to get into the communities,” Stuart points out.
“[They] are the champions of reducing non-communicable diseases,” he said. “If we get the non-communicable diseases epidemic under control, then we will have [fewer] people going into the hospitals, and we’ll have less need for these massive, billion-dollar hospitals we’re building all over the place.”
The 2024/2025 Budget will be presented by the Minister of Finance in Parliament on Monday 30 September 2024.