OPPOSITION Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has reiterated her call for Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh to resign or be fired.
She cited Thursday's alphabetical rollout system for the first jab of the Sinopharm covid19 vaccine as: "another day, another manufactured disaster."
In a post on her Facebook page on Thursday, Persad-Bissessar said Deyalsingh, who presided over the "superspreader event" on Wednesday when thousands of people jammed up outside health centres across Trinidad for the walk-in for the Sinopharm jab, was at the helm once again on Thursday when people whose surname began with the letters A-E were again turned away.
"After Wednesday's super spreader vaccination event," she pointed out, "the minister apologised and said a new alphabetical system would be used. The impression was given that the elderly with the surnames A-E can visit a health centre Thursday and receive their vaccines.
"At no time did the minister indicate that only 50 jabs would be available," she said.
Persad-Bissessar said another nightmare unfolded for the elderly, who came out in their numbers on Thursday only to be disappointed once again.
She said in her constituency of Siparia, there were reports of many being turned away from the district health facility. The elderly stood in lines for two and three hours only to be told there was a limit on vaccines available.
Why expose the most vulnerable to the virus, she asked.
"Why is such cruelty being inflicted on our elderly? Why can't Government admit that it is unable to handle the management of this pandemic on its own and accept help?"
She said it was unconscionable, reckless, heartless and irresponsible for Deyalsingh to treat people in this way and continue defiantly walking on a failed path.
It was also illogical and "downright foolish," she charged, to allocate 50 vaccines per health centre, thereby vaccinating a mere 1,800 elderly people a day, when a proper plan could be implemented with the assistance of the Opposition and stakeholders to allow mass vaccinations in a shorter timeframe.
She called for Deyalsingh to be held to account.
"The Prime Minister must rein in his minister and take control of the Health Ministry himself or replace him (Deyalsingh) with someone who is competent."
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