Deyalsingh denies family involved in private AstraZeneca purchase

Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh has condemned allegations of his and his family’s affiliation with a local pharmaceutical manufacturer which is said to have a contract with the ministry to distribute the AstraZeneca covid19 vaccine.

The minister issued a press release to respond to the allegations on Monday after a letter addressed to the ministry’s Permanent Secretary circulated over the weekend.

The letter suggested a local manufacturing company VARY Medical and Scientific tried to procure the AstraZeneca vaccine from a Hong Kong-based company, HewaSky Quest, on behalf of the government of TT.

A Facebook post on the social media news page Braveboy Report said the minister has a family member associated with the company.

The minister's release said there is no affiliation between Deyalsingh or anyone in his family and VARY Medical or any other covid19 vaccine or pharmaceutical manufacturer or distributor.

“VARY Medical and Scientific Company does not share a business address with any organisation linked to the Minister of Health or his family.”

It also said VARY Medical did not write to the ministry, the Secretary of Health, Wellness and Family Development at the Tobago House of Assembly, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and the Chief Medical Officer offering covid19 vaccines to TT for purchase.

It said the local authorised distributor for AstraZeneca and AstraZeneca themselves both confirmed that VARY Medical is not authorised to offer covid19 vaccines for sale on behalf of AstraZeneca.

“There is no contractual arrangement between the Ministry of Health and Vary Medical…for the purchase of covid19 vaccines, nor is any such arrangement being contemplated.”

The release said the minister has engaged the services of his attorneys to pursue legal action against Suzette Louwe and Marcia Braveboy.