OREANDA-NEWS. PCS Nitrogen Trinidad Limited (PCS Nitrogen), a subsidiary of Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. (PotashCorp), officially handed over a brand new USD 4 million medical laboratory to the Ministry of Health and by extension the South West Regional Health Authority. PCS Nitrogen, in consultation with the Health Authority, funded construction of the lab for the people of Trinidad and Tobago. PCS Nitrogen is a significant employer, and active member of the community, in the region where health care operates in a public private capacity. 

The new building is 2,000 square feet and took one and a half years to be completed. The lab, operated by the South West Regional Health Authority, is located next to the Couva District Health Facility and will provide essential blood testing for the 162,000 people who use the Health Facility.

“At PotashCorp, we participate and strive to make a positive difference in the communities in which we operate. Looking at our community survey results of some of the things that were needed, this came out at the top of the list,” said Ian E. Welch, Managing Director of PCS Nitrogen. “The operations of the new lab are expected to result in a faster turnaround time for reports, shorter time for diagnosis and treatment, thereby improving the delivery of health care in this area.”

The neighboring Couva District Health Facility is heavily used with approximately 300 patients visiting it each day. The different types of testing which can now be done at the new lab include complete blood count, blood glucose, renal and liver function – and these tests are free to the public.

“One of our priority areas for community investment is health and wellness,” said Rhonda Speiss, PotashCorp’s Manager of Corporate Philanthropy at the Company’s Canadian headquarters. “We recognize that health care operates differently in different countries, and we were pleased to contribute to this important health and wellness project in Trinidad.”

About 1.3 million people call Trinidad and Tobago home. PCS Nitrogen Trinidad Limited, known locally as PCS Nitrogen, employs more than 400 Trinidadians.