Gopeesingh repeats call for Deyalsingh, covid health team dismissal

FORMER Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh repeated the UNC's call for the dismissal of Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh and the public health team over the handling of covid19 in TT over the last three years.

Gopeesingh did so at a news conference at the Opposition Leader's Office, Port of Spain, on Thursday.

The briefing took place shortly after the Prime Minister held a news conference at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's, to update the population on new covid19 developments.

Dr Rowley gave the assurance that the Government would continue to monitor and manage the spread of the virus. He said Government did not intend to disrupt travel, the economy or Carnival given the high level of covid19 immunity in the population.

Rowley added that the Government was prepared to act “if the increased numbers become threatening with respect to our ability to provide the care that would be required.”

He encouraged the population to follow all covid19 protocols and get vaccinated.

Gopeesingh described Rowley's comments as "a waste of time."

He reiterated UNC claims that Government presided over the deaths of 4,200 people from covid19 over the last three years and its measures to curb covid19 "caused thousands (of people to be stateless and homeless."

Gopeesingh claimed that many lives could have been saved if the Government listened to the UNC.

He reiterated the UNC's blame on Rowley for this.

"He is a callous coward."

He reiterated the UNC's call for Deyalsingh and the public health team led by Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram to be fired. Gopeesingh said a team that was trained in clinical health management should be appointed to manage the virus.

Gopeesingh and Seecharan claimed that Government had not implemented any of the recommendations in the report of a committee chaired by Professor Terrence Seemungal relating to the management of covid19 in TT.

That committee was formed on January 15, 2022.

Its terms of reference were to identify the profile of the patients who died from covid19; review the definition of “covid19 death” used by the Health Ministry for consistency with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and standard practice; and comment on the different methodologies for calculating case fatality rate.

The committee's report was laid in the House of Representatives on February 18,2022.

On February 23, 2022, Deyalsingh said he took the findings of the report very seriously, Deyalsingh described the report as balanced, acknowleging successes while identifying deficiencies and possible solutions to solve them.

"Some of the recommendations have to do with operational issues at the RHAs. The CEOs have the report. I met with them yesterday (February 22, 2022)."

Issues such as staff accommodation, burnout and meals for staff were discussed in that meeting, Deyalsingh said.

"Those are very important recommendations which we can look at almost immediately."

He added the deficiencies highlighted in the report "really showed up at the height of the pandemic, when systems were most strained."

At that time, Deyalsingh questioned the UNC's opposition to the report.

Recalling that the UNC was making allegations against the committee before and after it submitted its report, he said, "That is why you can never take anything that the Opposition says seriously."