Reviewing hospital contract will be costly, says UK officials
Reviewing the TCI Hospitals contract will be a very costly exercise, according to officials from the Turks and Caicos Islands Governor's office.
In email sent from the office of former Governor Peter Beckingham on September 26, 2016 and copied to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the United Kingdom, the TCI official, whose name was removed from the email, stated: "Before it enters the next phase of the contract the ministry wishes to review its position but lacks the expertise and experience to understand its options and how to maximise benefits from the contract for TCI."
It added: "The ministry has asked if (Public Health England) PHE/DoH could identify an expert from either department with hands-on experience and knowledge of complex PPP hospital contracts who could work with the ministry to advise it on how to get the most out of the contract with IHC going forward. A team from the ministry led by the Premier (then Dr. Rufus Ewing), who is also the Minister for Health, will be travelling to the UK at the time of the annual UK/Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council at the end of October. If someone could be identified before then, that would be an ideal opportunity for the Premier and ministry to set out their concerns and to discuss various scenarios. Separately, the ministry would like to send the existing contract to whoever might be identified to assist so that they can do an independent review of the contract and suggest ways of maximising leverage before entering the next phase of the contract. Ideally, if someone could be identified to help, the ministry would welcome an attachment in TCI for 6 months or so to provide guidance and expertise. All the above is likely to come at a cost, especially a secondment to TCI, unless PHE/DoH might fund such a project under HMG’s commitment to provide cross-Whitehall support to the OTs. TCIG are likely to be hard pressed to meet secondment costs."
The email was provided following a request under the Freedom of Information Act, asking UK officials to please disclose ALL documentation - whether written, audio or video - regarding discussions between the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) Government and the FCO, within the last 24 months, with respect to the TCI National Health Insurance Plan and the TCI Hospitals contract with Interhealth Canada.
The request also asked UK officials to, in particular, please disclose any and all documentation concerning the following: 1) Any agreements or understanding between the TCI and the UK with respect to the TCI Hospitals contract . 2) Correspondence between the TCI government and UK government. 3) Minutes of any meetings between the TCI government and UK Government. 4) Any other information in this regard that is accessible to the public.
From: *TCI Governor’s Office+ Sent: 28 September 2016 21:38 To: Public Health England Cc: FCO London Subject: ASSISTANCE TO THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS MINISTRY OF HEALTH
The email said: "Further to your exchange with [OTD FCO] below and in your new capacity as oversight point person for support to the OTs, I am writing to follow up the TCI Ministry of Health’s request for assistance. I met with, the Permanent Secretary of the TCI Ministry of Health and PS to the Premier, to discuss the ministry’s request for expert advice from PHE or the Department of Health on how best to manage the TCI Government’s (TCIG) PPP contract with InterHealth Canada (IHC) for the operation of TCI’s two main hospitals built and operated by IHC. "
It added: "In a nutshell, TCIG signed a PPP contract with IHC in 2008/09 to build and operate two new hospitals in TCI, I think over 25 years. The contract was signed during the time of a former Premier who is now on trial with several of his former ministers on charges of corruption. There is a suggestion that the former regime was overly-generous with IHC when concluding the terms of the agreement which has left TCI in a disadvantaged position over the medium-long term. TCIG now finds itself in a position where it does not have the technical expertise to understand and manage what is a huge, complex and extortionately expensive contract."
In email sent from the office of former Governor Peter Beckingham on September 26, 2016 and copied to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the United Kingdom, the TCI official, whose name was removed from the email, stated: "Before it enters the next phase of the contract the ministry wishes to review its position but lacks the expertise and experience to understand its options and how to maximise benefits from the contract for TCI."
It added: "The ministry has asked if (Public Health England) PHE/DoH could identify an expert from either department with hands-on experience and knowledge of complex PPP hospital contracts who could work with the ministry to advise it on how to get the most out of the contract with IHC going forward. A team from the ministry led by the Premier (then Dr. Rufus Ewing), who is also the Minister for Health, will be travelling to the UK at the time of the annual UK/Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council at the end of October. If someone could be identified before then, that would be an ideal opportunity for the Premier and ministry to set out their concerns and to discuss various scenarios. Separately, the ministry would like to send the existing contract to whoever might be identified to assist so that they can do an independent review of the contract and suggest ways of maximising leverage before entering the next phase of the contract. Ideally, if someone could be identified to help, the ministry would welcome an attachment in TCI for 6 months or so to provide guidance and expertise. All the above is likely to come at a cost, especially a secondment to TCI, unless PHE/DoH might fund such a project under HMG’s commitment to provide cross-Whitehall support to the OTs. TCIG are likely to be hard pressed to meet secondment costs."
The email was provided following a request under the Freedom of Information Act, asking UK officials to please disclose ALL documentation - whether written, audio or video - regarding discussions between the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) Government and the FCO, within the last 24 months, with respect to the TCI National Health Insurance Plan and the TCI Hospitals contract with Interhealth Canada.
The request also asked UK officials to, in particular, please disclose any and all documentation concerning the following: 1) Any agreements or understanding between the TCI and the UK with respect to the TCI Hospitals contract . 2) Correspondence between the TCI government and UK government. 3) Minutes of any meetings between the TCI government and UK Government. 4) Any other information in this regard that is accessible to the public.
From: *TCI Governor’s Office+ Sent: 28 September 2016 21:38 To: Public Health England Cc: FCO London Subject: ASSISTANCE TO THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS MINISTRY OF HEALTH
The email said: "Further to your exchange with [OTD FCO] below and in your new capacity as oversight point person for support to the OTs, I am writing to follow up the TCI Ministry of Health’s request for assistance. I met with, the Permanent Secretary of the TCI Ministry of Health and PS to the Premier, to discuss the ministry’s request for expert advice from PHE or the Department of Health on how best to manage the TCI Government’s (TCIG) PPP contract with InterHealth Canada (IHC) for the operation of TCI’s two main hospitals built and operated by IHC. "
It added: "In a nutshell, TCIG signed a PPP contract with IHC in 2008/09 to build and operate two new hospitals in TCI, I think over 25 years. The contract was signed during the time of a former Premier who is now on trial with several of his former ministers on charges of corruption. There is a suggestion that the former regime was overly-generous with IHC when concluding the terms of the agreement which has left TCI in a disadvantaged position over the medium-long term. TCIG now finds itself in a position where it does not have the technical expertise to understand and manage what is a huge, complex and extortionately expensive contract."