Opposition Member of Parliament Shurwayne Holder posted a video on his Facebook page last Friday showing millions of dollars in medical supplies dumped at a site at Queenstown Backdam in Region Two. During the video he stated that the supplies that were dumped appeared good and relatively new.
The video was shared by many and attracted over seven thousand views. It also has taxpayers questioning the apparent waste of their hard-earned dollars.
However, Regional Health Officer Dr Ranjeev Singh says that the supplies that were dumped were either expired or spoilt. He also informed that the supplies were discarded at a location at Zorg-en-Vlygt in Region Two.
There are protocols that have to be followed in the disposal of such items.
Dr Singh explained that the medical supplies were donated by Food for the Poor Inc in 2018 and 2019 and they were all expired. He said some of it was used by doctors and nurses while the others were placed in a room. He said that the room was bat infested and as such the supplies became contaminated and unhealthy to use.
He made it clear that the supplies were not purchased by the Ministry of Health or the Regional Democratic Council but rather they were donated.
“The items were contaminated, expired and spoiled and as such a decision was taken to discard the same from the compound since it was not good or safe for usage”, he said.
The RHO opined that the video was circulated to create mischief and assured that the regional health services will continue to provide quality service to residents of the region.
