Pharmacist calls on Health Ministry: Vaccinate more pharmacy workers

Former vice president of the TT Pharmacy Board and proprietor of PCL Pharmacy Glenwayne Suchit is calling on the Ministry of Health to prioritise the vaccination of pharmacy workers as the vaccination drive continues.

Speaking with Newsday at his San Juan businessplace, Suchit, who served as vice president from 2012 to 2014, said he and his staff have not yet received their covid19 vaccinations despite repeated attempts to do so.

He said other pharmacies are facing similar difficulties and asked the Ministry of Health to accommodate pharmacy workers in its vaccination campaign.

Noting the emphasis placed on supermarkets and pharmacies as essential services since the beginning of the pandemic, Suchit said he hoped the government would do its part to ensure the safety of their staff.

He reminded the government that pharmacy workers interact with the public on a daily basis and are at risk of spreading the virus to their families.

"My wife had six angioplasties (a procedure to restore blood flow through the artery) and two years ago she had open heart surgery. Both she and my oldest daughter are locked down at home for two months. We have to order groceries online but I am still putting them at a risk everyday when I go home to them.

"I am no different from the majority of the employees who are going back home to their families who may have different comorbidities. I am not asking for everyone to be vaccinated as a priority, I am just asking for these important, essential healthcare workers to be vaccinated.

"We tried doing the walk-in vaccinations, but again there were so many people we couldn't get in. We tried making appointments. It took two weeks before one person could get an appointment and when they got there they were finished for the day. This is how it has been going."

Suchit said while he was not against the vaccination of CEPEP and construction workers, he questioned the reasoning behind this as construction activities have stopped as part of a rollback on public health measures.

Supermarket and pharmacy workers were recently vaccinated at Centre Pointe Mall in Chaguanas, but Suchit claimed the doses were limited to a "select few" pharmacies.

Despite these concerns, he also offered assistance and advice to the Ministry of Health.

Newsday attempted to contact Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh via phone call and WhatsApp.

Messages were also sent to officials from the ministry's corporate communications unit who acknowledged receipt but did not provide any response up to Sunday afternoon.