Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh has expressed serious concern over discrepancies in a letter from Supermarket Association President Rajiv Diptee, about a plan to vaccinate the group’s roughly 30,000 employees.

Deyalsingh said the letter indicated private medical associations had agreed to assist in procuring the vaccine, but said when he personally contacted the medical associations, they denied ever having made such a commitment. 

He addressed the matter during Friday’s sitting of the House of Representatives. 

“Mr Rajiv Diptee wrote me on Monday, March 15. On Wednesday, he put out a press release saying they are ‘working with the Ministry of Health,’ which was absolutely false,” Deyalsingh told the House.

“In his letter to me, he indicated that two private entities – medical associations, medical hospitals – have partnered with him to distribute these vaccines.”

“When I called these private hospitals, they have absolutely no knowledge, no agreement…so that issue seems to be clouded in controversy. It is shocking that these private entities have denied all knowledge of any partnership with the Supermarkets Association,” he said. 

Minister Deyalsingh described the discrepancy as “dangerous”. 

The SATT President has since stood by his statements, clarifying after the Minister’s statements in the House, that he never claimed to be in collaboration with the Ministry of Health but said the Association “will” work with government.