In January this year, St. Vincent and the Grenadines received 200,000 face masks from TaiDoc Technology Corp, a Taiwanese medical manufacturing firm. At the same time, a total of 20,000 antigen rapid tests were handed over- 10,000 as donations and 10,000 on the basis of a purchasing agreement. So, with a surplus of masks in the country to distribute, why do we hear that nurses are having to use dust masks?
The masks, customised with a Vincy flag and given to us to protect those who need them most, somehow made their way to the Minister of Agriculture before being given to frontline workers.
The Gonsalves Administration was then met with outrage from the Public Service Union, who they have this week labelled as causing “political mischief”. But perhaps that was because the PSU have been asking questions and holding the Government to account on their promises.
The Government has been consistently elected on the premise it sticks up for the workers, but again and again, we have seen them turn their back. Unemployment is continuing to rise, businesses are closing and now nurses, who have been on the frontline and worked hard during this pandemic are now being forced to use dust masks because of this Government’s poor distribution policy. How is this sticking up for workers?
The Government must answer the tough questions; where are these masks? And why do our frontline workers not have the adequate protection they need.