Rejecting claims made by an opposition parliamentarian, the Ministry of Health on Friday stated that no nursing students have been forced to take COVID-19 vaccines.
In a statement, the ministry noted that it was refuting claims made by a Member of Parliament on social media which alleged that nursing students at the New Amsterdam Nursing School were being forced to take COVID-19 vaccines.
When Stabroek News made checks, a post by opposition Chief Whip Christopher Jones on Thursday stated that nurses of the said school were forcefully told that they have to take the COVID-19 vaccine without prior consultation or checks.
“The Ministry of Health categorically rejects this assertion and wishes to clarify that no nursing student or staff has ever been forced to take the COVID-19 vaccine,” the ministry said in response.
It added that a number of outreaches have been made to offer vaccines to students and that subsequent to a visit by a senior health visitor in Region Six in April at the New Amsterdam Nursing School, one student had asked to be inoculated.
Further it was revealed that a team had held discussions with tutors of the school and had agreed on having another vaccination outreach at the school. “The most senior of the health visitors led a team to the Nursing School on May 27 at 9.15 AM. The team did not take any vaccine- their mission was simply one of education and awareness,” the ministry said in its statement.
After this session, it was noted that some 50 students agreed it was time for them to take their vaccines and as a result a vaccination team was sent with shots to accommodate those students. The health ministry said that the exercise, which started at 11am, saw 71 nursing students voluntarily accepting their COVID-19 vaccines.
When Stabroek News contacted President of the Guyana Nurses Association, Cleopatra Barkoye, she related that no issue of persons being forced to take vaccines was raised with the association. She added that vaccines were offered to the students and they had an option either take or to refuse the vaccines.
