The health sector has received the largest portion of the national Budget with an allocation of $7.571 billion.
This is a first for the ministry which has normally received allocation figures behind national security and education/skills training – who have generally been given the highest sums.
Finance Minister Colm Imbert yesterday noted that a unified health record system will be introduced which would allow for easy access to patients’ medical records to optimise institutional capacities. This is expected to be done by December 2025.
Referring to ongoing works at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital Central Block, Imbert added that the facility is at 60 per cent completion and is expected to enhance operations in clinical, surgical and pharmaceutical departments.
He noted that it was becoming increasingly difficult to finance the purchase of pharmaceuticals.
Imbert made the remarks during a sitting of the Standing Finance Committee in June, where a supplementation of $495,286,000 was approved for the Health Ministry for the 2023-2024 budget.
In his presentation yesterday, Imbert reported that over 265,000 people benefited from the CDAP programme at a cost of $190 million between 2021 to 2024.