Minister says NO to USD 10K for hospital....

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http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Fua ... 27503.html

Fuad bans Paediatric Hospital from accepting McDonald's US$10,000
Story Created: Oct 17, 2011 at 10:45 PM ECT
Story Updated: Oct 17, 2011 at 10:45 PM ECT
Health Minister Fuad Khan has banned the Wendy Fitzwilliam Paediatric Hospital from accepting a $64,000 donation from McDonald's because of the link between the fast food industry and childhood obesity and a number of chronic non-communicable diseases such as diabetes.
Speaking in the House of Representatives, at Tower D, Waterfront Complex, Port of Spain yesterday, Khan said that while Government was "very glad for foreign direct investment", it was not happy to see a McDonald's clown inside the paediatric ward, marketing the company and engaging in "subliminal advertising".
Khan said he was shocked to see a picture in the Business Express(of October 12) of McDonald's "Chief Happiness Officer Ronald McDonald", a clown, announcing that McDonald's had donated US$10,000 to the hospital.
"I would be writing to the Foundation (to instruct) that no money from these fast food enterprises should reach Mount Hope Children's Hospital," he said to desk thumping.
"That's right," Education Minister, Dr Tim Gopeesingh said.
"We have to protect our children and we have to decide, if we want to make sure that our children grow healthy and they don't have the expense in the future, of kidney problems, et cetera," Khan said.
He noted that this country had refused to accept $10,000 from softdrink manufacturers Pepsi and Coca Cola to replace some exercise equipment, while other Caribbean countries did.
He said there was a direct correlation between increasing obesity in the population, including alarming rates among children and adolescent, and the consumption of fast foods.
He said the correct mixture of salts, sugars and fats (especially when combined with flavour enhancers such as MSG,) created a "serious food addiction", similar to addictive drugs, alcohol or nicotine.
Noting that Trinidad and Tobago had the highest rate of diabetes in the Caribbean, Khan said the combined economic burden of diabetes and hypertension in Trinidad was over $500 million a year.
In response, Diego Martin North East MP Colm Imbert stated that the Minister of Health meant well but he tended to say the oddest of things.
Imbert said, "This is a member (Khan) who held a fete at which there was consumption of alcohol and he attempted to make a donation to the Children's Life Fund from the proceeds and it was refused because the proceeds came from the sale and consumption of alcohol.
"I believe he means well but he says the strangest of things. The first entity in Trinidad and Tobago whose contribution was refused to the Children's Life Fund was none other than the Minister of Health. And he get vex you know, get on and get vex and so on when they refused to accept the money," Imbert said.
Imbert said it was the same Khan who spoke about the fast food industry, about Mc Donald's employing a clown named Ronald and who declared that Government would not be accepting any funds from fast foods for children's facilities.
The Health Minister also listed a number of initiatives to deal with the backlog of surgeries.
Khan said the Ministry planned to ask doctors and nurses in the public sector to work on weekends and at times when they are not rostered to work using overtime, so that surgeries can be done outside of the existing hours of 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. He said the theatres in the public health sector are currently under-utilised and were vacant for 18 hours a day, except for emergency surgeries.
Noting that the waiting list of cataract surgeries in the public sector is estimated at 5,000, higher than any of the other surgeries, he said, the surgical optimisation programme would significantly reduce this backlog.
He said there would also be some outsourcing of surgeries to the private sector where they are not provided in the public sector and private sector staff may be contracted by the Regional Health Authorities (RHA) to undertake surgeries in the public sector theatres. —RT

[eliteauto]

I agree, good move

[r3iXmann]

indeed...good stuff

[BlueIce]

smart , intelligent move....two things rarely said about ministers

[ray d saint]

very good

[bushwakka]

yea....but colm have a point there wrt the Fuad Khan fete proceeds if true lol...

[K74T]

Good move

[Humes]

I can't say I'm against the move.

[j.o.e]

I disagree actually..the kids on those wards are generally there because of heart defects from birth,rare ailments etc. Most of them probably never did or can't enjoy fast food. If McDonalds makes a contribution it should be accepted but the Gov't should use the opportunity to insist McDonalds maintains balanced marketing and food options for kids. Notice what kid meals look like now in the states. Marked improvement.

[r3iXmann]

I disagree actually..the kids on those wards are generally there because of heart defects from birth,rare ailments etc. Most of them probably never did or can't enjoy fast food. If McDonalds makes a contribution it should be accepted but the Gov't should use the opportunity to insist McDonalds maintains balanced marketing and food options for kids. Notice what kid meals look like now in the states. Marked improvement.

to put into perspective for you..how's it gonna look if a firearms sales company decided to donate money to 'develop' a ghetto?

or if a company that sells pork products decided to donate money to some islamic group?

it's also a form of advertising (negative advertising in this case)

[j.o.e]

I disagree actually..the kids on those wards are generally there because of heart defects from birth,rare ailments etc. Most of them probably never did or can't enjoy fast food. If McDonalds makes a contribution it should be accepted but the Gov't should use the opportunity to insist McDonalds maintains balanced marketing and food options for kids. Notice what kid meals look like now in the states. Marked improvement.

to put into perspective for you..how's it gonna look if a firearms sales company decided to donate money to 'develop' a ghetto?

or if a company that sells pork products decided to donate money to some islamic group?

it's also a form of advertising (negative advertising in this case)

I get your point..I honestly do.....but refusing the donation offers no option for dialogue. And its hypocritical when on one hand you say u are glad for foreign investment and pretend that this is not food for your citizens to consume. The Minister should just "man up" and request responsible actions from all fast food companies in terms of marketing healthy meals for kids..or legislate it.

[uncle sam]

I can't understand how you all can say that isn't a good move?!?! When the hospital is lacking basic amenities... How stupid can you all be!

[r3iXmann]

I disagree actually..the kids on those wards are generally there because of heart defects from birth,rare ailments etc. Most of them probably never did or can't enjoy fast food. If McDonalds makes a contribution it should be accepted but the Gov't should use the opportunity to insist McDonalds maintains balanced marketing and food options for kids. Notice what kid meals look like now in the states. Marked improvement.

to put into perspective for you..how's it gonna look if a firearms sales company decided to donate money to 'develop' a ghetto?

or if a company that sells pork products decided to donate money to some islamic group?

it's also a form of advertising (negative advertising in this case)

I get your point..I honestly do.....but refusing the donation offers no option for dialogue. And its hypocritical when on one hand you say u are glad for foreign investment and pretend that this is not food for your citizens to consume. The Minister should just "man up" and request responsible actions from all fast food companies in terms of marketing healthy meals for kids..or legislate it.

ah..understood! like what they did with cigarettes

I can't understand how you all can say that is a good move?!?! When the hospital is lacking basic amenities... How stupid can you all be!

i see you'd have no problem with selling your body right? cuz you'd "need d money"

morals and ethics feller...they'll take you further in life than money can

[achillies]

Split down the center on this, in a perfect world, I can see the minister's point of view but this is not a perfect world and the hospitals are lacking. So while the minister tries to take a "noble" stand and be a trendsetter, he should be just as concerned with ensuring these hospitals have no need to accept money from a fast food restaurant.

[uncle sam]

i see you'd have no problem with selling your body right? cuz you'd "need d money"

morals and ethics feller...they'll take you further in life than money can

The reality is whether you are willing to accept it is, the government isn't providing sufficient funding for medical institutions such as this one. You prefer to put your pride before your child ? 10kusd can go a long way for a suffering child.. I do understand the ethics but don't tell me anything about morals here!

[Cid]

This is a tough choice but i think im swinging to the side of the money... Forget politics.... At the end of the day mc donalds will always be in business and if the end result is better conditions for the patients i think they shoulda accept the money and not make ah pappy show ..., or ah claim @ 2 mins ah fame by refusing....

[sMASH]

well, when u deal in the industry where there are usually 'gifts' and 'donations' u realize they they do come with strings attached. so, to prevent any future complications, best not to weave no tangled web in the beginning

wrt colvert invert, i don't understand his point. the only thing i get from it is that the minister probably learned about the publicity of having support from a source which is apparently opposite to the efforts of your organization.

is colvert saying that the minister is wrong and should have taken the money, and that the children's fund is also wrong and should accept the money?
any time colvert accuses someone of making a strange statement, he should be asked to clarify what exactly in the statement causes it to be strange. he regurgitates a piece of news and then applies the term 'strange' to it and leaves the audience to interpret what they will.

eg, ' that guy does buy and sell fish, but sometimes say strange things. he said that it was hard business. i find that quite strange.'

[Dizzy28]

Good move imo.

[Sky]

Err....For everyone saying the hospital needs it, that cash can't even run them for 2 weeks eh.
For who's gonna say "Any little will do", no, not for the message. It's not worth it.

[uncle sam]

Err....For everyone saying the hospital needs it, that cash can't even run them for 2 weeks eh.
For who's gonna say "Any little will do", no, not for the message. It's not worth it.

a little goes a long way... and with this I mean it could help a child. Right now there are many children with Scotiabank accts waiting for donations for medical procedures and this donation is being turned down


Now really, is life worth it?

[DevilZ]

shoulda tell mickey ds add a few more zeros to the cheque...10k is insulting wen mc donalds have their house charity in other countries...they should set up one here instead of donating a measly 10k

[TRAE]

that eh go stop kids from eating it-- shoulda take the money

[Cid]

lol ...wait nah.... so men have a prob with the amount ah money donated? allyu jokey yes

so if was one Million that would make it ok to accept .....?

who sellin dae self now

[FugiTECH]

lol at Ronald Mc Donald

[- Rovin's car audio -]

is not like 64k gonna drastically improve much - i agree with d principle , good stance ....

[Trini Hookah]

Kudos on the decision.

[sliderz1]

donation is good but advertising on the opportunity is poor conduct

[noshownogo]

ppl missing the point yunno, the fact that they chose to send Ronald was the issue imo. The donation is all well and good, but the subliminal advertising by sending their worldwide recognized mascot is a no no.

Let McDonalds send the money without the fanfare if they really cared.

[Humes]

well, when u deal in the industry where there are usually 'gifts' and 'donations' u realize they they do come with strings attached. so, to prevent any future complications, best not to weave no tangled web in the beginning

Precisely.

[InDeForest]

The reason the health ministry does not accept donations of any kind from any source, is because they are compelled to only buy equipment and supplies from a particular local supplier. It has absolutely nothing to do with ronald mc donald, childhood obesity, diabetes, or any other matter of advertising or string pulling. There is only one string done pull.