Tr i n i d a d a n d To b a g o Population over 65 Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 281 quarters between 1990 and 2015. For Trinidad and Tobago, maternal mortality should fall to 22 cases per 100,000 live births. In 2013 the country had an adjusted maternal mortality ratio of 84 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (an estimate from UN agencies/World Bank), nearly four times the target figure. Part of the goal also stipulates that 100 per cent of births must be attended by a skilled health professional. In 2012 this figure already stood at 100 per cent, so this target has been achieved. MDG 6 aims for a reduction in the prevalence of HIV, malaria and other diseases. Prevalence of HIV in Trinidad and Tobago has seen no decrease since 1990, plateauing at 1.7 per cent in the period 2008–13 for the 15–49 age group. Additionally, there has been an increase in the estimated incidence of tuberculosis (TB) and in the estimated mortality (when mortality data excludes cases comorbid with HIV) from TB since 1990. Consequently, significant progress in these areas is required if the country is to achieve MDG 6, which it is unlikely to do when the 2015 data is analysed. For definitions, sources and explanations on the Millennium Development Goals see page 314. Universal health coverage Half of all health care in Trinidad and Tobago (50 per cent) was paid for by patients or funded by other non-governmental entities – such as private insurers, charities or employers – in 2012. Total health expenditure constituted 5.4 per cent of GDP in 2012, of which 50 per cent (US$490 per capita) was covered by the government. Public health care in Trinidad and Tobago is free for all citizens and is financed by the government and taxpayers. This includes specialist care, including for the treatment of cancer. Dental care is provided free of charge to under-18s, with free emergency care is also available for those older than 18; free dental treatment is, in some cases, also extended to new mothers and the elderly. Nonresidents of Trinidad and Tobago are provided with free health treatment for injuries only. In 2013 the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization awarded specialist grants for research on universal health coverage to Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago was not an original signatory to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, but acceded to it in 1978 and has written the covenant into law. It includes ‘the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health’. The covenant commits signees to providing healthy and hygienic environmental conditions, controlling epidemic diseases, improving child health and facilitating access to health services without discrimination. Care of the elderly: Around 121,000 people in Trinidad and Tobago are over the age of 65 – nine per cent of the total population (2013). At the age of 60 a person in Trinidad and Tobago can be expected to live for an additional 18 years, on average (2013). Trinidad and Tobago’s Senior Citizens’ Pension dates back to 1939. Entitlement to a pension was legislated in 2010. Today, monthly pension credits are paid by the state at a rate of US$468 per person (2007–12) on a means-tested basis. Overall, public pension spending is equivalent to 4.4 per cent of the country’s total economic output (2010). There is a high standard of social welfare in Trinidad and Tobago. Disadvantaged senior citizens are eligible for several welfare assistance grants as citizens of Trinidad and Tobago; these grants include: a clothing grant, dietary grant, disability allowance, emergency housing repair grant and home help grant. 9% There are several programmes run by the government to help to improve and provide services and assistance to the elderly in Trinidad and Tobago. This includes the Geriatric Adolescent Partnership Programme, which is designed train young islanders in the practical skills of geriatric care. There are more than 20 senior citizen nursing homes, mainly on Trinidad, as well as day nursing centres, that provide speciality care for elderly residents. The government also provides geriatric in-home care for elderly persons in Tobago who either live alone or are left alone during the day. Senior citizens are entitled to apply for a free bus pass. Further information Ministry of Health: www.health.gov.tt Commonwealth Health Online: www.commonwealth health.org/health/americas/trinidad_and_tobago
Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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