Kamla Persad-Bissessar recognizes new officials and addresses medication shortages

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar hosted a luncheon at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s to recognize 24 newly appointed senior public officers, including 23 Permanent Secretaries and the Chief Administrator of the Tobago House of Assembly.

During the event, the Prime Minister addressed reports of medication shortages in the country, attributing the issue to outdated bureaucracy and an obsolete medical formulary. She noted that the current list of approved prescription drugs dates back to 1975 and criticized the slow committee-based review process for new medications. Persad-Bissessar suggested that the country should more readily adopt medications already approved by international bodies such as the World Health Organization and the US Food and Drug Administration to ensure citizens have access to effective and affordable treatments.