April 3, 2020

Kamla Calls For Medical Public/Private Partnership To Ensure Widespread COVID-19 Testing

By Newsroom

Saying there is an urgent need for the Ministry of Health to significantly increase its testing capacity of suspected Covid-19 cases” Opposition leader Kamla Persad Bissessar  has called for a joint medical Public/Private Partnership venture  to ensure widespread testing in Trinidad and Tobago. “Very worryingly, the map provided yesterday clearly depicts the potentially very wide spread of Covid-19, especially in three of our most densely populated regions—Chaguanas, the East/West corridor and Port of Spain,” the Opposition leader said. “It is simply unacceptable that only 688 samples have been tested for Covid-19 out of the 20,000 exposed persons (by their given statistics) in the past month.” “Global statistics readily demonstrate that the countries which have prioritized early detection in their fight against the Covid-19 spread via large scale testing of their populations have had low mortality rates and are most successful in containing the spread. “I therefore call on the Ministry of Health to immediately undertake:
  • Widespread testing of all primary, secondary and tertiary health care workers deemed to be exposed/at risk for Covid-19 from any positive patient thus far.
  • Re-testing of all persons with symptoms consistent with infection who initially tested negative.
  • Posthumous testing of all persons who died in the target period of flu-like or related Covid-19 symptoms, and who were not tested before their deaths. This is for the protection and peace of mind of the families of the deceased and health care workers who may have treated these persons.
  • Re-testing of all persons who have recovered from infection and were deemed to be adequately immune.
“Daily media reports reinforce the fact that our public health sector is already overwhelmed by the crisis in the face the very severe, longstanding limitations of the public health institutions,” The opposition leader noted.   “I therefore further recommend that the Government amends the necessary regulations to undertake a joint medical Public/Private Partnership venture. This would allow Private Medical Labs across the country to undertake testing and thereby greatly assist with this much needed large scale Covid-19 testing.   “Increased large scale testing as a matter of priority now falls within this ‘must do’ range of solutions at this very fragile state of our nation’s life, if we are to ensure our very survival,” Mrs Bissessar said.  
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