A massive healthcare scandal involving approximately $180 million in wasted medical resources has ignited public outrage and demands for criminal accountability in Trinidad and Tobago. The controversy centers on two separate but equally alarming revelations that expose systemic failures in the nation’s healthcare management.
According to explosive reports, approximately $80 million worth of pharmaceutical drugs were allowed to expire over the past decade while the red party held governmental power. These essential medications, funded by taxpayer dollars, reportedly sat unused in Health Ministry warehouses despite critical shortages affecting public healthcare facilities. Simultaneously, an additional $100 million in advanced medical equipment, including MRI machines, has been left to deteriorate at the mothballed Couva hospital facility—a project originally constructed by the opposing yellow party.
The situation highlights the devastating human cost of political tribalism in healthcare governance. Patients across the nation face extended waiting lists for basic diagnostic services, with some reports indicating wait times so prolonged that injuries heal before imaging appointments become available. The CDAP program, designed to provide affordable medication to vulnerable populations, has reportedly seen beneficiaries expire while awaiting treatment.
This revelation raises serious questions about the ethical responsibility of previous administrations. Critics demand to know why functional medical equipment from the unused Couva facility wasn’t redistributed to operational healthcare institutions rather than being left to decay. The deliberate neglect appears driven by political animosity rather than practical considerations for public welfare.
Calls for justice include demands for financial restitution from the red party equivalent to the wasted $180 million in public funds. There are growing appeals for criminal investigations into former officials, including ex-prime ministers, health ministers, and permanent secretaries who may have been complicit in these decisions. The public sentiment reflects profound disappointment in leadership that prioritized political rivalries over human lives and responsible stewardship of national resources.