Future Focused — Insights into T&T’s Healthcare Sector

March 12th, 2025

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2021, Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) scored 75% in the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Index. This is a testament to the significant progress made in the sector. UHC comprises “the full continuum of essential health services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care across the life course.”

The University of the West Indies (UWI) Health Economics Unit (HEU) at the Centre for Health Economics notes, “There have been gains in T&T’s health status, like improved life expectancy and child mortality indicators, due to the implementation of health sector and related non-health sector programmes.”

Challenges & Solutions: A Private Sector Outlook

The sector’s issues are complex and require a multi-faceted approach. “Without a doubt, the most pressing challenge is posed by the increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs),” says the HEU. Kieran Thompson, Managing Director of Biomedical Enterprises of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (BMETT), agrees, “NCDs, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and chronic respiratory diseases, are the leading cause of death or immobility in the Caribbean region.” He revealed that approximately 62 million people live with diabetes in the Caribbean and Latin America. Nearly 180 million adults suffer from hypertension, and cancer is the second leading cause of death in the Americas.

However, Thompson stresses the importance of technology in improving accessibility, efficiency, and quality of care. He observes that private healthcare providers offer diagnostic tools, telemedicine, and personalised treatment plans and are more likely to adopt new technologies. He also noted that the COVID-19 pandemic inspired a more proactive approach to telehealth, centralised data collection, and public education.

On the other hand, Thompson outlines the barriers to implementing technology in the sector, describing infrastructural limitations, inadequate digital platforms, cost constraints, insufficient qualified personnel, resistance to change, and a need for clear policies to guide use and responsible implementation.

Transforming Healthcare: The HEU’s Viewpoint

The HEU team also recognises the potential for greater use of telemedicine and telehealth technologies. Additionally, the government is investing in innovative technologies such as the National Digital ID and Interoperability Ecosystem, which will improve access to and management of healthcare services.

Regarding health sector management, the HEU team identifies challenges related to reducing trauma and violence and the high level of out-of-pocket expenditure that exists despite the presence of a public health system. However, the HEU team explains that some of the necessary resources to tackle these issues already exist. “The national capacity for healthcare is adequate to serve the nation,” they assert. “The challenge is making national capacity accessible to all.” They affirm that the secondary care segment, which is medical care provided by a specialist or facility upon referral, has been significantly expanded and upgraded. They also describe the level of training undertaken by health sector personnel as first-class.

Advancements & Innovations in T&T’s Healthcare

Managing these resources effectively to improve public healthcare is crucial. In the 2024 national budget, the health sector was assigned the second highest allocation at TT$7.4 billion. Key infrastructural upgrades include:

• The 106-bed Sangre Grande Hospital, which costs TT$1.1 billion, is near completion.
• Construction and commissioning of the new 540-bed Central Block at the Port of Spain General Hospital is scheduled for March 2025.
• The new Ministry of Health Administrative Building, costing TT$280 million, was completed in the second half of 2023.

According to the HEU team, a greater focus on prevention and health promotion is necessary. They advocate for increased public-private health collaborations, improved interactions between medical personnel and patients, and increased staff retention initiatives in the public sector. HEU sees benefits in promoting home and self-care, contracting private entities for emergency care, establishing contracts with diagnostic labs and capitation contracts with private general practitioners (for the care management of NCD patients), and investing in short-term continuing medical/professional education.

The HEU team notes, “Recent comments by the Minister of Health indicate that there is a clear understanding that the NCDs pose the greatest epidemiological threat. This suggests that the country may be poised to strengthen its primary care system to meet the NCD challenge. There is reason for optimism.” Moreover, T&T serves as a hub for specialised care in the Caribbean region; once the sector’s challenges are addressed, significant potential exists for expanding medical tourism, paving the way for a brighter future in healthcare.

By Dixie-Ann Belle