Spotlight: Trinidad & Tobago's health infra portfolio amidst the COVID-19 crisis

Trinidad and Tobago has the most hospital projects this year in the Caribbean, just as the coronavirus crisis threatens to hit health infrastructure.

Two hospitals were completed in the past six months and operations at a third one could start before May.

Another two hospitals are expected to be completed in 2022, while state-owned infrastructure company UDeCOTT has other proposals awaiting investment confirmation so it can start construction.

Overall, the company has a portfolio of eight health infrastructure works.

BNamericas takes a look at Trinidad and Tobago’s health infrastructure outlook for this year. 

(ALMOST) COMPLETED

The two hospitals UDeCOTT completed were equipped just in time as demand increases due to the pandemic. A third hospital is expected to be completed this month.

The Couva Hospital and Multi-Training Facility (CHMF) that UDeCOTT built in Couva region with the cooperation of Shanghai International (Caribbean) has already been completed, according to UDeCOTT. 

Although the hospital was scheduled to be completed in September 2019, UDeCOTT said in a video that the facility was opened on February 13.

Its two three-story towers add up to a total capacity of 230 beds, and on its website, Shanghai International (Caribbean) said construction for the US$140mn facility took 36 months. 

The 150-bed, US$1.6bn Arima hospital in Arima region and the 100-bed, US$1.2bn Point Fortin hospital in Point Fortin region were also supposed to be completed. 

Although they are “active” facilities, according to the health ministry’s website, and should have been opened in December and January, respectively, Daily Express newspaper reported recently that the Point Fortin facility will not be ready before the end of April. It was financed by Austria and built with with help of Austrian firm Vamed Engineering. 

ONGOING WORKS

The government has plans for one new hospital and one upgrade, but both works are expected to take two years, according to the last update from health minister Terrence Deyal­singh from last year.

The three-story, 106-bed Sangre Grande Hospital received US$1.2bn in financing from Austria according to newsportal LoopTT.

Upgrades for Port of Spain general hospital are also expected to finish in 2022. Works for the 540-bed hospital’s central tower have been underway since mid-2019 and involve replacing the old tower that was damaged during an earthquake in 2018. 

According to UDeCOTT, the upgrade is in the “conceptual” stage, but a US$146mn construction contract for the new tower was awarded to Shanghai Constructions in February 2019.

EARLY-STAGE PROPOSALS

Of the three proposals for new facilities in the country, one is in the planning stage while two remain just concepts.

Planning for the one-story, 12,000ft2 Moriah Health Center in Moriah community is underway and two concepts UDeCOTT proposed include a US$1bn, 150-bed hospital in Penal-Debe region and the expansion of Port of Spain general hospital to 750 beds.

Photo credit: UDeCOTT