A new committee has been installed to review medical cases in Tobago and decide on funding where the required care is not available on the island. It’s been named the Medical Assistance Review Committee (MARC), and will be led by Chairman Dr. Ifeanyi Ojuro, a specialist medical officer in surgery at the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA).

Secretary of Health, Wellness and Family Development Dr. Agatha Carrington is urging the committee to ensure accountability, and that the best possible decisions are made for the patients.

“The expectation is that this committee will be diligent in its undertakings, since public funds will be used,” Dr. Carrington said. MARC will assess applications for medical assistance where patients cannot afford the cost of seeking care off the island.

Dr. Carrington believes the committee will “bring some structure to the medical assistance process”. “We want to see the extent to which we can respond to their needs,” Dr. Carrington said.

The Medical Assistance Review Committee is a multi-sectoral body established to assess applications for medical care for persons who are unable to pay for specific types of care not available on the island. Among the considerations, MARC will also focus on medical necessity and indigence, as well as the individual eligibility of each patient. The other members serving under Dr. Ojuro are Accountant Selma Graham, community representative Marilon David, Medical Liaison Officer Edwina King-Ince and Social Worker NJale Douglas. The appointments was made at the Division’s head office on Wilson Road on Friday (January 18, 2019).