Dr Gopeesingh tells covid19 management team: Get some help

Former UNC MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh is calling on Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh and the covid19 management medical team to seek guidance from foreign policy to assist with local research into covid19 deaths in TT.

He was speaking during the Opposition’s media briefing on Sunday at the Office of the Opposition Leader’s office in Port of Spain.

Gopeesingh said Deyalsingh and the team have failed to do their jobs effectively and have not addressed issues surrounding the number of deaths in the intensive care units (ICUs) and the high dependency units (HDUs).

“How many died in the ICU and HDUs?” he asked.

“We have been asking for months for information relating to that from the ministry (and) the Prime Minister. Can they account for the deaths of the covid19 positive patients? No information has been forthcoming.”

He said people have been asking him if their family members go into the ICU or HDU, what are their chances of survival.

“Do the research and put it to the population.”

Gopeesingh advised the ministry’s medical team – Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram, Principal Medical Officer Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards, Thoracic Medical Director at Caura Hospital Dr Michelle Trotman and Technical Director of Epidemiology Dr Avery Hinds – two of whom he said he taught, to do more research on mortality rates.

He referred to the Covid19 Hospitalisation in England Surveillance System.

“Have you heard of this?” he asked.

“It collects data on patients of covid19 (and) 30-day mortality rates are circulated separately for HDU and ICU patients. This research assists and guides advances in clinical management, but I know that all three of you have not worked substantially long in hospitals.”

Gopeesingh said hospital experience needs to be taken into consideration.

“Get some help Dr Trotman. Get some support. Where is your research to help you in clinical management?”

He also called on Deyalsingh to resign over, what he said, was the incompetent handling of the covid19 pandemic. He condemned Deyalsingh for a statement made on Tuesday last week after a tour of the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA) mass vaccination site.

After noting that Trinidad and Tobago was, at the time, about to cross 1,000 covid19 deaths, Deyalsingh said, “What we knew at the time is what we did at the time. There is nothing that we have said that we could have done better or done differently.”

Gopeesingh called the statement cold and remorseless. “(It is) unquestionable (that) this statement by Minister Deyalsingh is abominable, callous, insensitive, and totally unacceptable.”

Deyalsingh also said he hoped the silver lining of the pandemic is that people take better care of their health and protect themselves against non-communicable diseases.

But Gopeesingh accused Deyalsingh of blaming people who are diabetic.

“Is it because you have uncontrolled diabetes you must die and something good will come out of this? These people had normal lives. If you have covid19 (the ministry) is supposed to take care of them.

“Imagine the Minister of Health saying something good has come out of 1,000 patients dying of covid19. This is a disgraceful and heartless statement, and he should be fired on this statement alone. He should have resigned himself.

“Imagine the immeasurable grief and suffering of those 1,000 families. Where is the humanity and compassion for the grieving families, some of whose generations have been wiped out, as we saw recently on the news?”

Gopeesingh also said the Prime Minister refuses to appoint an independent team of inquiry into the covid19 measures taken by the government.

“Prime Minister, one day it will be done. This commission of inquiry will be done.”

He said he has been advised that many family members are contemplating legal action against the state.

“Under the Freedom of Information Act, they will be seeking full disclosure on their loved ones…You (Dr Rowley) keep saying you are not a dictator (but) your refusal to fire Deyalsingh for his ongoing and dangerous blundering and incompetence and your refusal to accede to the wishes of a traumatised population (says otherwise).

“To refuse a commission of inquiry into these deaths, is this not proof of being a dictator? This inquiry must be done now.”