Nine months into its term, the NCRHA Board says decisive cost-cutting and reforms are beginning to stabilize the Authority, creating room to expand services, reduce surgical backlogs and improve patient care across the region.
Read full statement below:
The North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) Board of Directors took office in August 2025 and, over the last nine (9) months, has had to address major financial and operational deficiencies inherited from the previous administration on which severely compromised healthcare delivery.
The Board inherited an organisation on facing severe financial constraints, widespread operational inefficiencies, non-existent maintenance programmes and broken-down medical equipment, while hundreds of millions of dollars were owed to suppliers for maintenance, medical equipment and essential services. In several instances, suppliers ceased providing goods and services to the NCRHA due to outstanding payments owed to them, resulting in shortages of critical supplies, including unavailable laboratory reagents and delays in equipment repairs.
Tighter financial management and corrective measures implemented over recent months have resulted in millions of dollars in recovered savings and expenditure reductions. This included:
• More than $124 million paid to a janitorial company over two years without tender or contract
• Approximately $250 million paid to security companies over a ten-year period without tender or contract
• More than $350 million owed to over 300 companies
• Approximately $98 million being paid annually in overtime wages without accountability and productivity
Major operational deficiencies affectinng patient care across the region included:
• Long waiting times for surgeries
• Significant surgical and diagnostic backlogs
• Prolonged waiting times for CT scans and MRI appointments
• Extended clinic waiting times
• Less than ideal conditions within Accident and Emergency Departments
• Non-functional lifts, standby generators and air-conditioning systems
• Broken-down MRI, CT scan, X-ray and other critical medical equipment
• Widespread lighting and infrastructure deficiencies across facilities
Drastic cost-cutting initiatives and prudent fiscal management implemented over recent months have now created the financial capacity to expand healthcare services and aggressively address longstanding backlogs and operational deficiencies affecting patient care. Expanded services and initiatves will include:
• Saturday operating theatre sessions
• Extended operating theatre hours up to 6:00 p.m. during the week
• Over me services for CT scans and MRI scans
• Additional nursing support aimed at increasing patient throughput and reducing delays
• Implementation of a $75.00 incentivized allowance rate for Registered Nurses
• Overtime compensation for other healthcare personnel
• Increased surgical operations, including cancer surgeries, cardiac surgeries and the management of stroke patients
• Reduction of inherited backlogs and cancellations negatively affecting patients and their families
The Authority maintains that no patient operation must be unnecessarily postponed and waiting times must not become unfavourable to members of the public seeking healthcare services. The Authority acknowledges the commitment and sacrifice demonstrated by nurses who volunteered to work extended shifts to maintain continuity of patient care. Over the past two months, at least 50 additional nurses have been interviewed and recruited to strengthen staffing levels, improve nurse-to-patient ratios and enhance the patient care experience. The NCRHA categorically rejects claims suggesting worsening patient outcomes. Ongoing improvements in patient flow and service delivery have included:
• Morbidity and mortality figures improving from 275 deaths recorded in January 2026 to 206 deaths recorded in April 2026
• Increased surgical operations
• Reduced waiting times for admissions from Accident and Emergency Departments to wards
• Improved cleanliness and working conditions
• Reduction in nursing absenteeism from approximately 20 percent to 18 percent
Within just nine months, many longstanding issues have already been decisively addressed, financial bandwidth has been created and the NCRHA is now strategically posi oned to con nue expanding medical services and improving healthcare delivery throughout the region.