By Sue-Ann Wayow
IN order to reduce the mortality rates of Covid-19 patients, the population, Government and the parallel healthcare system must share responsibility and not cast blame for the current grim situation.
This is according to Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh. He said, “We must treat our country and our country’s response fairly and rationally. It is not a blame game. It is a shared responsibility game.”
Speaking at the Ministry of Health’s Covid-19 update on Saturday, Deyalsingh mentioned that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its report praised the parallel healthcare system in its response to Covid-19.
Deyalsingh said, “The IMF report recently, the article for consultation, which is an objective, independent report, praised the country’s Covid response on two pillars. One the economic response and two the health response. In that report, it was mentioned that the parallel healthcare system saves lives.”
The health minister again stressed the need for vaccination against the deadly virus reminding that vaccination may not prevent contraction but greatly reduce death and hospitalisation.
The Covid-19 related death figure as of Friday was 2,061 and the number of patients in the hospital was 265.
Deyalsingh is also hoping that soon there will be no distinction between the vaccinated and unvaccinated population.
“The way forward is for more people to get vaccinated… The figures conclusively show that the unvaccinated will bear the brunt of mortality and fatality that is an international fact, I could discount the ascribing of the responsibility to the parallel healthcare system.”
Deyalsingh said, “The parallel healthcare system cannot take responsibility for 2,000 deaths. The deaths over the past year is a shared responsibility between all of us.”
He said from day one, the ministry has been urging persons to take care of their health especially those with non-communicable diseases as Trinidad and Tobago has been for years, a country with high rates of diabetes and hypertension to name a few and to “know your numbers, exercise, eat properly.”
He also said since August, the ministry had been telling the country, the Delta variant was going to be here, it was more transmissible and to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
The ministry also has been consistently advocating for persons to strictly adhere to all health protocols including the proper wearing of the mask, washing or sanitising of hands and watching their distance but yet still persons were still having overcrowded functions and parties.
Deyalsingh said health officials have also been pleading with sick persons to get treated early and not wait too late to seek medical care but again, too many persons were showing up in need of critical care at hospitals with medical personnel having to plead with patients to access the care.
Referring to the death figure, Deyalsingh said, “The parallel healthcare system has no way contributed to that. It is human behaviour that has contributed to that.”
He added that was an occurrence not only in Trinidad and Tobago but also in other countries.
Deyalsingh said, “We need to work together and not blame the parallel healthcare system. We need to admit that we have a shared responsibility, government, healthcare workers and the population to work together. Come in early for treatment, get vaccinated and we could decrease the level of mortality.”
