Public Health Amendment Bill Moves Forward In Senate

The debate on the Public Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2026, moved to the Senate, with the Government emphasising that the proposed changes to construction approvals do not remove the Minister of Health’s oversight of public health in Trinidad and Tobago.

The amendment addresses the role of the County Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) in the construction-permitting process without removing the Minister of Health’s oversight of public health concerns.

Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen said the provision was requested by the Ministry of Health to ensure that, once the amendment takes effect, CMOH approval would no longer be required for the relevant applications.