In a country where the Prime Minister thinks he needs a new Jet to fly around and a huge mansion to show off...Imagine a 10 months old baby girl dies waiting for the Ministry of Health to help her to finance an operation that could have saved her life.
But the "help" (if you want to call it that way) came too late and in the sum of $60,000TT.
This is absolutely disgusting. You can check the link to see a picture of this poor child. Heartbreaking.
QUOTE |
Health Minister Jerry Narace said yesterday that the Ministry approved $60,000 to help baby Maurisa get a liver transplant which was set at $1.8 million. At yesterday's post-Cabinet media conference at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's, Narace extended condolences to the family of ten-month-old Maurisa, who died on Divali day, Tuesday. Maurisa, who was born on January 2 this year, urgently needed a liver transplant, which was to be done at the John Hopkins Hospital in the United States. Her mother, Judy Khan, has blamed Narace and Prime Minister Patrick Manning for her child's death, saying her life could have been saved if there was action. Narace said his Ministry did the "maximum possible" under its present policy. "We can only operate within our budgetary circumstances," Narace said, adding that Government was working to establish a special fund under the promised National Health System (NHS), which will work to help cases such as Maurisa's. Narace also boasted of Government's aim to become a first-world healthcare system with new hospitals. Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar said last night that she tried to assist baby Maurisa, whose family live in her constituency. She said her office sent numerous letters to Narace and a mere acknowledgment was returned. She added that she was able to get an appointment with a medical specialist at Mt Hope to see Maurisa and the specialist sent an immediate letter to the Chief Medical Officer appealing for the child to be helped. Persad-Bissessar questioned whether the Ministry did in fact approve $60,000 for Maurisa, adding that if this were true, it was insulting and inadequate. She added that people now fear to approach the Ministry because, only recently, a mother whose child is suffering from Down Syndrome appealed for help and was treated in a rough manner, when officials at the Ministry learned she had also contacted the Opposition for help. "My condolences go out to Maurisa's mother. We in the Opposition don't have money but we try to access the Government services with no reply," said Persad-Bissessar.... |