Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer 

With an allocation of $93.1 million in the draft budget tabled by Washington Misick, TCI Premier, the Ministry of Health and Human Services recently sat before the Appropriations Committee to explain why they needed the money and if they were getting enough.

Representatives included Renessa Williams and Temorah Howell Robinson, Deputy Permanent Secretaries; Nadia Astwood, Chief Medical Officer; Lyndon Brooks Head of Policy and Planning and Milo Forbes, CFO.

According to the budget the money was divvied up as follows:

Policy Planning and Administrative Support – $465.476,327
Dental Department – $1,493,204
Primary Health Care Unit – $3,959,254
Health Promotion and Advocacy – $946,218
Public and Environmental Health – $10,816,190
Mental Health and Substance Abuse – $2,717,185
Special Needs Unit – $2,397,497
National Public Health Laboratory – $938,878
Emergency Medical Service (Ambulance) – $2,491,784
Contract Management Unit – $1,005,185
National Epidemiology and Research Unit – $552,388
Health Emergency Management Unit – $362,538

Executives and heads of department explained to the public the reasoning behind several of the allocations

The Environmental Health Department was a particular focus that money has been allotted to, especially with the prevalence of Dengue in the region. Entomologists are being brought in to research what kind of mosquitoes are in the country and how that could affect residents.

As for the hospitals, a management company has been onboarded to help oversee the contract for the TCI hospitals. Astwood maintained that the government is aggressively recruiting, and the new pay scales that were recently announced should give them some leverage and create interest in the positions.

Increases were recorded in areas like long-term care and HIV treatment and care. HIV allocations increased this budget cycle, from $108,000 to $150,000. Representatives of the Ministry of Health and Human Services speaking with the Committee said the increase was due to an expansion of the programs being undertaken. Representatives indicated 550 individuals are enrolled in the National AIDS Programme which covers both HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.

Adolescent health policies are also being developed to make sure that even without the presence of their parents, young people can get care, CMO Astwood maintained that this was a delicate process though, and would need time for theme policy to be created with care.

Some other items budgeted for this year includes:

• The National Health Insurance Program
• Cemetery assistants for each island
• Continuation of work at the Providenciales Landfill
• Training of street cleaners
• Mobile Clinic for Blue Hills to serve the Community even as their clinic is upgraded
  Over $600,000 for ambulances as the Ministry is attempting to replace the entire fleet across the country with that allocation, a necessary expenditure, the Ministry says, as the fleet is to be rotated every five years.
• Software solutions to digitize departments
• Consultancies including a nutrition coordination consultant and aged care consultant
• Development of a training program for nurses dealing with the elderly
• Another incinerator for Providenciales due to heavy demand.
• Long term care
• Ante-natal care
• Waste disposal

Unfortunately, one area that is still struggling is dental clinics, Dr. Janice Barron, chief dental surgeon, explained to the committee that while there was increased staff, there were some programs that had been held back by the cabinet.

A new Strategic Plan created with the help of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), incorporating all departments is what the Ministry of Health is focusing on. It is to be launched in the month of May.