Former Opposition Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh is demanding that Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh resign, following the alarming revelation that TT reached 1,000 Covid-19 deaths and his recent comments concerning the milestone.
In a statement to media, Dr Gopeesingh wrote: I note with deep appall and alarm the truly abominable, callous, and unacceptable latest statements of Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh regarding Trinidad and Tobago’s official recording of 1000 Covid-19 deaths to date. In a Guardian report today (July 21, 2021), he reportedly states:
“There is nothing we could have said to have done better or differently…The fact is people all around the world have died from COVID…So some good could come out of this if those who are diabetics take better care of themselves so they don’t become statistics for other pandemics.”
Gopeesingh said: “For a Health Minister to react in such a cold, remorseless manner to the historic, preventable loss of lives of so many citizens and the immeasurable grief and suffering of their families is simply incredible! Where then, is Deyalsingh’s humanity and compassion for his fellow citizens, to whom he has taken a sacred Constitutional oath to serve as a public servant paid by taxpayers of this country?”
He added, “What makes his comments all the more shameful is the fact that this outright tragedy could have most definitely been prevented if Deyalsingh had done his job effectively, competently and without dangerous, misinformed, and unwarranted hubris!”
“Indeed, his ridiculous, insensitive, inhumane claim that there is nothing he or his Health Ministry officials could have done better or differently to avoid this tragedy of Covid-19 deaths is simply false, misleading, and a devious attempt to gaslight the population.
It is a well-established fact in the public domain (which I have personally pointed out on numerous occasions since the beginning of this Coronavirus pandemic in January 2020) that Deyalsingh has deliberately failed to protect and preserve the health, safety, and lives of citizens, due to his acute and often questionable mismanagement of the public health sector.”
He said the Opposition has consistently offered Deyalsingh, and the Government which he serves, a plethora of advice, suggestions, and recommendations as to how to adequately treat with the pandemic and save lives, but they chose to “blatantly, arrogantly and dangerously ignore them.”
Gopeesingh noted that Deyalsingh has yet to address a number of issues, among them, government’s refusal to have the Covid-19 pandemic discussed, in the nation’s interest, at a Parliamentary level; government’s refusal of repeated invitations from the Opposition UNC to meet to formulate a bipartisan approach to battle the pandemic’s deadly, ravaging effects; the use of less experienced junior doctors to manage ICU and HDU patients, while marginalizing the more experienced medical practitioners; the failure to procure enough Covid-19 vaccines at an earlier and timely date, and the current slow rate of administration—the 400,000 vaccines should be administered by the end of July, 2021, ideally, among other issues.
He said “Had these issues been addressed in a timely fashion, T&T would have never had to face this tragic, sky-high Covid-19 death rate, which ranks among the highest per population in the world! Indeed, Deyalsingh’s comments are reminiscent of his equally appalling previous statements that his responsibility as Health Minister stops at the doors of the Hospital.
Once again, his utterances amount to his admission that he has failed in his duty and responsibility to protect the citizens’ lives, and is guilty of overall gross negligence and mismanagement of the entire Covid-19 pandemic. HE MUST BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY!”
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