Linton Gordon
The Chickungunya Virus outbreak is now in full flight in Jamaica and it appears that only the Minister of Health, Dr Fenton Ferguson and his technical team are taken by surprise.
Citizens were of the view that the Chick V virus had become an epidemic while Dr Ferguson was up and down shouting that only 35 cases had been confirmed or tested positive. It cannot be denied that the Ministry of Health failed in its response to the citizens in the way it handled the Chick V epidemic.
The Ministry failed to explain fully to the public the nature of Chick V. The Ministry failed to explain to us that the virus is likely to spread through the country which means these tests the minister was mentioning would in no way give any explanation or indeed comfort to the public. More importantly, the Ministry of Health and its technical team failed to explain to Jamaicans the crippling and disabling effect that the Chick V would cause on those infected.
It is only when news broke that a school boy who was affected fell and died from injuries sustained in the fall that we all became aware that the Chick V can have an effect on one’s gait and can result in one falling.
IRRATIONAL
It is more from experience shared with victims than from the Ministry that the public has become aware that when you are infected, you are helpless and would need assistance even to get up, to get in bed, to get out of bed and in some instance even to have a cup of tea.
It is obvious that Dr Ferguson and his team were not aware that once the Chick V landed here it was likely to run thought the population and could affect as much as 70% to 90% of the population over a three-month period. (blurb) Instead of bringing such information to light, Dr Ferguson was busy indulging in political sparring with members of the Opposition Jamaica Labor Party and indulging in self denial while holding on to his 35 positive cases.
The reliance on tests showing 35 cases was irrational of the Minister, as field experience and reports from medical practitioners, especially in St. Thomas, were indicating that there were far more cases than the 35 confirmed test cases.
But there is a more frightening aspect of the Ministry’s failing and it is that the minister had the experience of the Eastern Caribbean countries where the Chick V had landed and in some instances over a year ago. In all those countries, the Chick V affected well over 50% of the population.
The Minister of Health has therefore failed to craft a policy of giving the Jamaican population adequate warnings of the potential or indeed the likelihood of the Chick V arriving on our shores.
They should also have commenced destroying the breeding ground for mosquitoes, in particular the aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the ones that carry the Chick V. Dr. Ferguson’s failure in this regard is unforgivable and his continuing as a Minister with responsibility for Health is inconsistent with the standard we should expect of a Government Minister.
But it is not only Dr Ferguson, a dental surgeon who should bear the responsibility of the failings of the Ministry. The epidemiologists and other experts employed by the Ministry have either failed to advise the minister properly OR Dr Ferguson failed to take the advice of his experts in his ministry.
Whoever is to be blamed is not the issue here. The fact is the buck stops with the Minister Dr Ferguson who traversed the land quarrelling with Opposition politicians who were questioning the country’s readiness.
Dr. Ferguson has stated that he will not resign as he did nothing wrong, that might be so. However he should resign for the reason that his Ministry and he in particular failed to do the right thing.
