PARAMARIBO, Suriname. Dec 11, CMC – Health Minister Amar Ramadhin has denied allegations by an opposition legislator that vaccines worth an estimated US$100,000 had been destroyed due to a defective cold room.
Opposition National Democratic Party (NDP) legislator, Melvin Bouva, told the National Assembly that the vaccines were destroyed due to a defective cold room and poor maintenance and management by the ministry.
He said the vaccines were used against yellow fever, tuberculosis, influenza and all childhood vaccines. He said also that the construction of the new public health building had been halted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
But Ramadhin described Bouva as “a big liar,” adding “it probably hurts him that we will deliver the new Public Health building at the end of February 2025. I would also like to invite him to the groundbreaking ceremony for BOG on December 18″.
Ramadhin acknowledged that vaccines had been destroyed buut noted that they were no longer safe for use due to a defective cooling unit.
“At the moment, the stock is good for three months and a new annual order will be placed in January. The PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) supports us in this. Member Bouva is trying to instill fear in society, but we can reassure him that the vaccine supply is a high priority for the management of the ministry,” Ramadhin added.
During his contribution in the National Assembly, Bouva had also claimed that while health care is a fundamental right, under Santokhi government it has become a luxury.
“Health care is in an alarming state. Patients are confronted with long waiting times, high prices for medication and medical procedures, shortages of medicines and a dire lack of qualified personnel.
The shortage of medicines, the poor state of hospitals and the continuing exodus of medical professionals abroad make it clear that the government is not prioritizing public health,” Bouva told legislators.
He said while patients wait ‘their lives’ for basic care, the government remains deaf to the call for structural reforms and investments, adding “all this while the costs of healthcare continue to rise.
Bouva later questioned aloud, why Ramadhin has not yet been fired, urging that his deputy be put in place so tha the “a problem can be solved”.
CMC/ag/ir/2024