Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC has announced the expansion of services at the Couva Children’s Hospital.
Speaking at the ‘Gift Of Life’ Christmas Concert at the Couva Children’s Hospital on Sunday evening, she lamented that the facility was left to deteriorate for ten years, noting that hundreds of millions of dollars in equipment had been left abandoned at the facility. She deemed this malicious neglect, which had cost families “years of care and children access to life-saving treatment.”
The Prime Minister said UDeCOTT has confirmed that $78.2 million will be required to restore and replace equipment at the hospital, but assured that procurement and commissioning have begun, and activation is progressing in structured phases.
“Already, the first operating theatres were certified in September 2025. Patients began receiving health care in this hospital in November 2025. And on November 2025, the first surgery was successfully performed at this hospital. I am proud to share with you that as of December 5th 2025, 86 surgeries have been completed using surgical teams from all our RHAs, 86 surgeries. We have been prioritising day case procedures to scale capacity safely. And let me share with you some of those procedures, including fistulas, varicose veins with ablations. Lump extractions, complex hernia repairs. This work begins to address a waiting list which exceeds 11,300 cases. The task is monumental, but we’ll never ever give up. We will put our shoulders to the wheel. That list I just shared with you, that number includes more than 4,600 delayed ophthalmology procedures. I’m sure many of you here, your constituents, they come to you, it’s a run and running cause for pain. So, my friends, I say this evening is a truly turning point.”
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar said the Couva Children’s Hospital remains firmly dedicated to the nation’s young patients, noting that it is now a key part of the national strategy for strengthening health care.
“On December 1st, 2025, the first paediatric specialist clinic was held right here. Since then, children have received care in paediatric neurology, rheumatology, neonatal care, and endocrinology, and paediatric cardiology. Big words, big things, but in the end of it, at the end of the day, our children have been receiving paediatric care right here in this children’s hospital. Sixteen children have already been attended to in the last few days. Children who once waited, as I said, for months or never survived or had to fly abroad at great expense to you, the taxpayers. This re-dedication forms part of a wider national reform, including a national child health and disability strategy, expanding NICU and paediatric ICU capacity, improved oncology, trauma, and neurology pathways, digital medical records and telemedicine, modern workforce development and procurement, and maintenance reforms to prevent neglect. These steps position T&T not only for self-sufficiency, but for regional leadership in paediatric care. “
The Prime Minister further announced that a significant expansion of clinical services is underway at the Couva Children’s Hospital, with additional specialist procedures and diagnostic capabilities expected to come online in the near future.
“In the coming months, services will continue to expand, including full MRI and CT imaging, cataract ophthalmology surgery, expanded endoscopy, continued recruitment of specialised staff. This is the beginning of a new era in advanced paediatric and tertiary health care in Trinidad and Tobago. Again, I’m very proud to say, this reopening continues a journey that we began in 2010.”
The Couva Children’s Hospital was built and opened by the People’s Partnership administration in August 2015, but was never fully operationalised when the PNM came into office for the following ten years.