Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh is calling on Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh to address the concerns of nurses, especially those at the Port of Spain General Hospital, where a number of them have tested positive for Covid19.
TT Registered Nurses Association president Idi Stuart recently stated that at least five nurses had tested positive at the Northwest Regional Health Authority, with others in quarantine awaiting test results.
He said the association had been asking for continuous testing for both staff and patients at the hospitals, as currently they are only being tested if they have to go for procedures.
In light of Stuart’s comments, Indarsingh said government has still not provided an industrially safe environment for the nurses at the PoSGH and healthcare workers generally.
He is calling on the Health Minister to update the country on the distribution of protective personal equipment (PPE) and the use of the rapid testing kits “supposedly received by the Government.”
Indarsingh asked, “Are these resources being used to effectively protect frontline workers? What has the Ministry of Health been doing for the family members of those testing positive for the virus? Has the ministry been testing their families, and provided counselling services in cases where such families must deal with one of its bread-winning members in quarantine?”
“Such inefficiency on the minister’s part makes us very concerned about the incoming covid19 vaccines, and whether the Government is capable of promptly and effectively distributing such.”
He called on the minister to address the concerns of the Nurses’ Association, saying the safety of frontline personnel is critical to the overall safety of the country.
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