Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley has announced the formation of a special committee, who will be tasked with examining the level of COVID-19 care given at hospitals.
He made the announcement at a media briefing held today.
The Committee consists of:
- (Chair) Professor Terrence Seemungal, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, UWI
- Professor Emerita, Phyllis Pitt-Miller, Consultant Anesthetist and ICU Specialist, and Former Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, UWI
- Dr. Anton Cumberbatch, Public Health Specialist and former Chief Medical Officer
- Dr. Vidya Dean, Consultant Anesthetist and ICU Specialist
- Professor Donald Simeon, Director of the Caribbean Centre for Health Systems Research and Development
Dr Rowley estimates that their task will take about a week, and promised that their report will be released to the public in its entirety.
According to a notice from the Office of the Prime Minister, the Committee’s tasks are:
- To identify the profile of the patients who died from COVID-19 by:
a. Number and types of comorbidities including obesity
b. Ethnicity
c. Age
d. Gender - To review the definition of ‘COVID-19 Death’ used by the Ministry of Health for consistency with WHO guidelines and standard practice; and comment on the different methodologies for calculating case fatality rate (CFR) and make recommendation for the appropriate methodology for Trinidad and Tobago.
- Examine the Admission, Discharge and Transfer (ADT) policy and procedure to determine the impact, if any, on clinical outcome.
- Determine if the treatment and management protocols adopted by the Hospitals are consistent within WHO guidelines and international best practice, with access to adequate:
a. Levels of Staffing appropriate in a mass response to a global pandemic;
b. Essential Medicines;
c. Laboratory and Diagnostic Imaging Services;
d. PPE; Oxygen; other. - Review the standards of care of COVID-19 patients, based on acuity, for uniformity and consistency within and across hospitals in the Regional Health Authorities (RHA).
- Identify any other factors that may affect clinical outcomes including, but not limited to:
a. suboptimal home treatment, for e.g., utilizing non-WHO approved therapeutics;
b. delayed presentation to health facilities;
c. efficiency of the transfer system in transporting patients from home to hospital and inter-hospitals in the RHA health network.
