Any nation bests TT.

SHORT TERM, enacted in one year –

1. Make health a right, be it public AND private, in the constitution. Currently only public catered to.

   1. Adopt the UNIVERSAL HEALTH SYSTEM – defined as the state covering medical cost. Barbados, Canada, France, UK, Mexico among the adoptors.

2. UHS application to TT –
   * private doctors and private pharmacy are heavily subsidized to affordable level. Out of pocket is $100 and $20 respectively for citizens.
   * Remainder, once out of pocket paid by citizens, is given to the doctor and pharmacy quickly by the state.

* FREE – $0 dollars up to age 18; are certain categories: ANY chronic medical condition or disabled; retirement age and up; if pregnant or ex inmate.

* Cost management – Government negotiated costs for medicine and procedures – no one place or doctor will charge different from another as government pays fees for citizens. Fees are STRICTLY regulated to keep them affordable and halt overbilling. Fees for all health care services and medicine are set every two years by negotiations between the health ministry and physicians.

* Adopt ideas from number one ranked FRANCE health system.

* Commission a study of foreign health systems and adopt where feasible – such as UK, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Barbados, Canada, Italy, Israel.

1. Open a MENTAL HEALTH AND LONLINESS MINISTRY – treating school violence, assessing military and police cadets as well as serving officers and serving the public among its missions.

2. Priority surgery – all citizens in need of life saving surgery gets all bills paid by government. The state will begin a drive to speed up their care, as in immediately they are found and aided. Should the care not be available locally, expenses for overseas all state borne.

3. Establish local medical school for SPECIALIZATION – to be opened in Trinidad to supply a pool of local professionals, SPECIALIZED DOCTORS above GP with little to no need to go abroad, FREE OF CHARGE. Will expand to include other medical and paramedical training.

4. Free medical school – for doctors and staff. Any debt is cleared.

5. Adopt South Korean national physical examination – every two years citizens AND foreigners travel to a PHYSICAL EXAMINATION CENTER and undergo a series of ROUTINE EXAMINATIONS: blood work, pap smear, x ray, lung function, ECG, kidney and liver function, blood sugar, stomach cancer screen, dental screen, urine and more.

6. CDAP & Children’s Life Fund removed – supplanted by Universal Health – state covered cost for ALL citizens of PRIVATE doctors, facilities and pharmacies, so that free or near nil. (CDAP doesn’t cover all medicine and when government supplied medicine is short, private sources can provide)

7. Mercy program – Food delivery for those too ill to shop and cook themselves. The state will deliver nutritionist supervised food free of charge.

8. Parental aide program – no matter the economic background a new-born’s parents may apply for an assistant from the government, sent to their residence.

9. Healthy eating at state institutions – low fat, sugar, cholesterol, diabetic food and drink are only what permitted at ministries and other government institutions extending to vending machines.

10. Food, soda and juice tax – a high tax, designed to reduce consumption of SWEETENED BEVERAGES and food of HIGH SUGAR, FAT, CHOLESTEROL, SALT. This policy intervention is an effort to decrease obesity and the health impacts related to being overweight.

11. Subsidized low and zero fat, cholesterol and sugar consumption – a preventative medicine measure, foods, drinks and snacks example: chia, almond butter, sourdough bread, Splenda, versions of chocolate and ice cream, Glucerna, whole wheat, so to healthy processed foods are government subsidized 30% thirty percent to help encourage good health – including foreign brands. Trinidad has very high heart disease rate.

12. Ban trans fats – restaurants fry food in oil raising health risk from consumed foodstuff. Business will be mandated to use alternatives.

13. 30 minutes tops – Prompt care mandatory. Trinidad doctors right now have patients wait HOURS. Must (keep patients waiting not above half an hour) before patients are seen to under pain of automatic suspension.

14. DISSOLVED Medical Board – replaced by a more toothy organization – rather separate to ensure independence. Are led by FOREIGNERS not locals. Responsible for investigating and punishing staff and DOCTORS who are rude, deliver service outside 30 minutes, malpractice.

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LONG TERM –

1. Second and third cancer treatment centers established – the St. James one added to. A larger, public facility able to support medical tourism and the next in Tobago.

2. Ratio – look into increasing doctor to citizen ratio such that doctors are more numerous than present.

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1. Digital medicine –

* Electronic health record. Health information in a digital format. EHRs can be shared across networks.

* Like France’s VITALE, a DIGITAL SMART CARD replacing paper medical cards.

* Electronic prescribing – defined is the computer-based electronic generation, transmission, and filling of a medical prescription, taking the place of paper prescriptions.

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1. MULTIPLE hospitals and specilized facilities – only 7 main general hospitals for 1.3 million. Top priority more are constructed.

   1. Additional medical services and medical tourism – Introduction locally of SPECIALIZED medical health procedures currently sourced abroad, by constructing relevant facilities. Serving locals and for low price, tourists. A source of foreign exchange.

2. Medical contruction speed – haste a priority to build facilities and infrastructure. To this end foreign construction workers and architects hired for numbers.

3. Establishment of a National Primary Angioplasty Network – treats better with heart conditions backed up by CARDIAC CATH devices installed across the nation, a specialized heart treatment facility and public education.

4. Medication delivery – for elderly and those too sickly to reach hospital or pharmacy, a medically certified nurse drops it off at their residence.

5. Elderly care nursing homes – a series of free STATE OF THE ART nursing homes constructed both islands, complete with internet and dietician. Are physician operated. Care costs 100 percent state borne – including food, lodging, and medical costs. JAPAN’S geriatric home model will be emulated such as Azalee care centers. Mexico also examined. Private existing facilities are from now state covered.

6. Elderly housing – any living in rundown conditions can have their abode fixed or granted a new one if fixing the original impractical. State covered.

7. Elderly living communities – are communities government builds to house the elderly (infirm younger people additionally).

8. Local medicine and equipment made locally – goal a PERCENTAGE of both, so too herbal medicine included, prioritizing the crucial. Factories built for the purpose.

9. Diabetes treatment and research hospital – The Diabetic Wellness Center replaced if needed, the new facility staffed by SPECIALIZED diabetic treatment personnel.

10. Medical science institutes and labs – Trinidad shall swiftly establish its own MEDICAL RESEARCH arm.
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French health care: Best in the world? – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGqiNplU2m4