Gopeesingh: Minister failed to change poor diabetes drug

CARONI East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh has claimed Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh has failed to change an ineffective drug for diabetes and one for hypertension and patients are dying.

He was contributing to budget debate in the House on Monday.

He said heart disease, hypertension and stroke were the most common causes of death among men in TT and for women it was cancer and heart disease. Gopeesingh said the giving the right medication for diabetic and hypertensive patients was critically important but the drugs for diabetes and hypertension have been found to be useless.

"Their illnesses have become worst."

He said the "five-cent drug" Metformin was not controlling diabetes and patients were becoming worse with the anti-hypertensive drug Elanapril.

"So they developing strokes. They developing cardiac attacks and heart attacks and death."

Gopeesingh said Deyalsingh was asked about changing the two drugs but had not yet come to inform the Parliament or the country that the drugs were changed to the new ones.

"Because he has not done so. And the patients are not receiving the proper treatment."

Gopeesingh advised patients with diabetes and hypertension to monitor their blood sugar and blood pressure levels very carefully.

"Because if they don't do that they will end up with problems."

Gopeesingh also expressed concern about the University of the West Indies receiving a 51 per cent share in the Couva Hospital and he stressed this facility has to belong to the people of TT and not Caribbean countries under the university. He said when the UNC gets back into power it will once again become a children's hospital.

He also blamed Government's lack of policies to combat Zika for children born with microcephaly.

"It is unpardonable and unacceptable."

He said the care of the 100 babies with microcephaly (he did not state the source of his figure and it could not be confirmed yesterday) should be on the hands of the state.

He also said Deyalsingh was the worst health minister ever and should be removed. He said the minister has presided over $26 billion in four years, and will receive another $6 billion this year, with "nothing to show for it." Gopeesingh said there were patients waiting for surgery for two years and women with breast lumps who were not being diagnosed.

"(The minister) is presiding over this mess."