A staggering $80 million worth of pharmaceuticals expired unused within Trinidad and Tobago’s public health system over a ten-year period, parliamentary hearings revealed on December 1. This massive wastage occurs against a backdrop of chronic shortages plaguing the nation’s healthcare infrastructure, where insufficient medical personnel, limited hospital beds, and excessively long waiting times for critical services remain persistent challenges.
The disclosure before Parliament’s public administration and appropriations committee highlights profound systemic inefficiencies in medication procurement and inventory management. While some drug wastage is inevitable in any healthcare system due to patient mortality, side effects, or regimen non-compliance, the scale of this loss points to deeper operational failures.
Health Minister Lackram Bodoe previously indicated to MPs during mid-year review debates that the $80 million figure actually represented waste accumulated between 2020-2025 alone, suggesting the total ten-year wastage likely far exceeds the officially reported amount. This discrepancy in reporting timelines further underscores the confusion and poor coordination characterizing the current system.
The medication procurement process reveals structural flaws: while patients receive care through regional health authorities, pharmaceuticals are centrally purchased through the Health Ministry via contracted entity Nipdec. These multiple administrative layers contribute to significant over-projection of medication needs. North Central Regional Health Authority CEO Davlin Thomas acknowledged fundamental data transmission gaps, unable to confirm how information flows between regional authorities and central procurement.
This enormous financial loss represents missed opportunities to address critical healthcare shortages. The wasted $80 million could have funded additional medical staff, expanded hospital capacity, or upgraded diagnostic equipment. Despite recent digitization improvements in tracking systems, the scale of wastage indicates that more coordinated oversight and streamlined procurement processes are urgently required to balance adequate medication supply against preventable expiration.