Opposition Leader criticises health care system

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has criticised the government for its handling of the healthcare system, particularly during covid19.

She outlined a 50-point health plan, which she said the UNC would implement if voted into government.

Speaking at the UNC’s cottage meeting in Chaguanas on September 9, Persad-Bissessar said the government had mismanaged the pandemic to the extent that 5,000 people had died.

“This is a government that fooled the nation into believing that there was a ‘parallel healthcare system’ during the pandemic when the reality was different, and 5,000 people are now dead because of state-sanctioned murder during the covid pandemic.”

She reiterated when the UNC asked about the risk of covid19 in 2020, the CMO said the main concern was gastroenteritis.

“This is in January 2020 when the UNC flagged it; we asked for meetings; we sent suggestions to deal with it. 'Don’t worry about that, worry about gastroenteritis,' that’s what the goodly doctor said.

“Thereafter, 5,000 people died, hundreds of thousands were given a fake vaccine and Roshan Parasram was shamelessly awarded the ORTT when, under his watch, over 5,000 of our citizens died.

“He banned unconstitutionally the practice of open-air cremations.”

Initially, the UNC accused the government of not working hard enough to get vaccines from the Indian government, with the Opposition Leader writing to the Indian ambassador. Then the party raised concerns about covid19 vaccination, citing the safety of the vaccine following their quick development. It endorsed the vaccines and later complained about ineffective distribution by the government.

The Opposition Leader took the AstraZeneca vaccine on August 21, 2021. The party encouraged people to get vaccinated but argued against mandatory vaccination.

Efforts to contact the Opposition Leader and other opposition members for comment on these statements were unsuccessful up to press time.

Among the plans announced by the Opposition Leader were a review of the Children’s Life Fund, the installation of a centrally specialised burns unit close to the Point Lisas Industrial Complex, the creation of a national strokrehabilitationcentre and a national cardiac centre, the implementation of a national health card, and building and operationalisation of catheterisation laboratories and dialysis at all major hospitals with the requisite staffing.

Editor’s note: The Health Ministry has said it used covid19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). No vaccine was used until it had undergone rigorous scientific and clinical testing in keeping with the highest vaccine testing standards, as do all other vaccines used in Trinidad and Tobago.

In the frequently asked questions section of its website, the ministry advised, “By getting vaccinated, you are reducing your risk of disease, hospitalisation, severe complications, and even death, for both you and your loved ones. The trial results for the approved vaccines showed that they were very effective at preventing moderate and severe disease, and in most cases, preventing symptoms altogether.”

A compilation of studies by Yale Medicine showed the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the Moderna vaccines had 95 per cent efficacy for preventing symptomatic covid19. The AstraZeneca vaccine had an efficacy of 72 per cent, the Sinopharm vaccine had an efficacy of 72 per cent and the J&J vaccine had an efficacy of 76 per cent.

In 2021, the Pan American Health Organization said the use of vaccines had been politicised in many countries.

Opposition Leader's 50-point health care plan

• Review Children’s Life Fund legislation.

• Fully staff and operationalise Couva Children’s Hospital.

• Create centrally specialised burns unit.

• Buy and maintain modern equipment at all medical facilities.

• Fix drug supply chain issues.

• Establish guaranteed maximum waiting times for clinic appointments, diagnostic tests and surgical procedures.

• Treat the backlog of patients awaiting critical diagnostic tests and surgeries.

• Settle negotiations in the health sector.

• Create a national stroke rehabilitation centre.

• Treat the chronic non-communicable disease burden.

• Introduce legislation to create a unique medical malpractice court and special investigative unit.

• Establish a no-fault compensation fund for medical malpractice cases.

• Conduct a skills audit within the public healthcare system.

• Provide opportunities and funding for doctors and nurses to specialize in particular fields.

• Fully review the management of the covid19 pandemic in TT.

• Revise the Patients’ Charter.

• Implement a national health card.

• Implement data protection systems for patient files.

• Procure latest IT technology and systems for all RHAs to mitigate against cyber attacks and hacking.

• Audit the number and qualifications of foreigners working in the health care system.

• Employ local doctors.

• Employ local nurses.

• Employ local technicians.

• Focus on decreasing wait times for clinic appointments and surgeries.

• Train primary-care doctors.

• Audit equipment.

• Build, staff and operationalise catherisation labs.

• Build, staff and operationalise dialysis clinics.

• Expand the ambulance service.

• Create a national laboratory centre.

• Create a national cardiac centre.

• Form strategic partnerships with international health educators for internal medicine, cardiology, nephrology.

• Review and update CDAP.

• Legislation for front-of-package warning labelling to treat with childhood obesity.

• Implement a modern prenatal, maternal, baby, and early childhood care strategy.

• Expand access to immunisation.

• Implement a multipronged strategy to deal with reproductive issues and empower women to seek good health during pregnancy.

• Update and implement maternal and child health policy and standard operating procedures for obstetrics and midwifery.

• Improve antenatal and postnatal care services.

• Reintroduction of the baby grant.

• Develop emergency response plan to cover all possible medical crises ranging from natural hazards and oil spills to infectious diseases.

• Address the effects of climate change on human health through inter-ministerial arrangements.

• Initiate a national awareness campaign on mental health.

• Widen the Health Ministry’s reach in mental health promotion through public-private partnerships.

• Formalise the draft national comprehensive mental health implementation plan.

• Integrate mental health services into all routine health service delivery systems.

• Increase trained staff at the Health Ministry research unit.

• Formulate a healthcare financing policy, including introducing and implementing a comprehensive national health insurance system, and create mechanisms for sustainable financing.

• Develop a comprehensive plan for TT's health wellness and preventative medicine.

• Commit to the full refurbishment and proper resourcing of the Insect Vector Control Division of the Ministry of Health.