Moonilal: Eradicate rat disease

OROPOUCHE East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal has called on the relevant authorities to undertake emergency spraying of the affected areas in the midst of the 14 cases, including two fatalities, as a result of an outbreak of leptospirosis.

“There is now a great risk of a rapid spread of the rat-borne disease and, as a result, I ask for the urgent intervention of the Ministry of Health.”

Moonilal in a release yesterday said several patients and at least one of the casualties, Premnath Badal, are from the Penal-Debe community, and he urges a critical focus on those areas. “The deaths of the two infected patients and hospitalisation of others have confirmed that leptospirosis could become a major health epidemic crisis. Against that background, I ask for the immediate intervention of the medical authorities, through spraying and other essential exercises.”

In a second release yesterday, Moonilal said the hopes of more than 100,000 citizens have been dashed by the “remarkable betrayal” of the Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley-led PNM government with the dramatic announcement that citizens should build their own houses.

“The government has thrown its hands in the air and surrendered. This spells the death knell of the construction industry and will escalate poverty and crime.”

Moonilal said after promising to build 10,000 houses in their 2016 budget presentation and trumpeting the private-public partnership model for building homes in 2017 the Housing Minister Randall Mitchell now says “do it yourself”.

“The Minister has effectively resigned and said ‘don’t ask me to build houses.’ He has abdicated his responsibility.”

Moonilal said the initiative being advanced is not a substitute for home construction but a watered down “land for the landless” programme which was intended to work alongside an expansive construction programme. He said Government has spent $30 million doing audits and spying and “macoing who going Federation Park” and now has no money to build homes for deserving citizens.