Public Health Act empowers me to pick COVID testing sites — Malone
Health Minister has responded to complaints that have surfaced from within the local medical community since his ministry’s statement that the Dr D Orlando Smith Hospital is the only facility authorised and recognised to properly conduct PCR and antigen testing in the BVI.
Medicure Laboratory has said the ministry’s statements suggestively puts other established testing facilities such as itself and its sister company, Eureka, in a bad light; further arguing that the ministry has no publicly known mechanism for authorising any lab to conduct any form of tests.
But Health Minister, Carvin Malone, without directly referencing the issue of contention on a radio show this week, said he wanted to address “upfront”, a very important question that has been raised.
“Let us not have any doubt about it,” Malone stated. “The results that you need to travel must come from an official source. The only official source that we have is the British Virgin Islands Health Services Authority (BVIHSA) through the certified lab that we have. That has not changed.”
“The Public Health Act gives the minister, through the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), the right to designate facilities for testing and for giving the test results,” Malone further said.
He continued: “The Quarantine Act gives the particular minister, through the CMO, the right in terms of persons who are positive, how to protect the rest of the particular country.”
According to the Health Minister, persons were discouraged from purchasing machines for conducting PCR testing when requests were made at the beginning of the pandemic.
He suggested they were instead encouraged to swab patients and forward samples to the government’s laboratory, where the results would be produced.
And even as he pointed to its record of administering more than 13,000 COVID-19 tests since the current outbreak in the territory, the minister noted that the government’s lab would continue to build capacity within the BVIHSA.
He said while there may have been hiccups and there might continue to be hiccups, it was a commendable feat when considered.
Notably, Malone, in the same radio appearance, had to apologise to travellers who missed their flights out of the territory because of long waits for COVID-19 test results.
The minister explained that health officials were overwhelmed but are working hard to correct this challenge.
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Should have given you the POWER to eliminate this Virus with your nonsense. The Hospital can’t handle it all and crying for help but yet you here talking a bout Power. What is wrong with you People? It’s not about you! It’s about the betterment and Lives of the Residents
I and I alone can fix it….
He is a f**l just like Foy and the other ministers. In the First World virtually all labs doing testing are private. State run facilities are always slow, understaffed and the employees have no work ethic. The only manner in which anything gets done quickly anywhere in the world is by private enterprise. Malone you are totally out of your realm and return to private life. This is not for you.
I had experience with the testing site at Dr Orlando Smith Hospital a few weeks ago. The staff was very friendly and very efficient. They were at least as good as 5 or so testing labs I have gone to in the US and in Europe the last 8 months. No complaints from me only kudos.
This does remind me of how, for many years, various governments officially impeded our private solar providers and users, in order to protect BVIEC’s fossil fuel electricity monopoly. Regulate and monitor, yes, but don’t impede!
Had test done at hospital it took five days to get the results. Will say no more.
Is that what this is all about? Your power? What a sick twisted thing to be on your mind right now! Letting people know that you have the power instead of doing things right during a pandemic. People all around the world are laughing at us right now.
I cant stand him to be quite frank. He should have never been elected.
Carvin Malone, You are power hungry in a time like this when you can’t keep the demands of testing and results you are boosting about your power. It seems like the only help the BVI government wants is from this Hitler-looking Gaston A. Browne and CARICOM. You want to do this alone then you bear the blame for all that is going wrong with COVID.
This is all about maintaining power. Dear Minister, please act in the best interest of the BVI and allow the private sector to do these tests as well as HSA. This is about allowing people to get the test on the most efficient basis, not about the HSA maintaining control or earning money. Are you suggesting that you do not trust Medicure or Eureka to do it properly??? In the USA and Canada the private sector is doing these tests, and doing them well.
With people dying and the economy dead, you would think he would appreciate any help he can get. But no, the self importance and power is all they are concerned with.
Well make the most of it boys because pretty soon you are going to be joining the unemployed list.
Extra 3 days in quarantine waiting for results because you will not allow the private sector to help. This government have no plan or vision.
You are doing a good Job. Stay focus. Dont allow ignorancy and negativity to distract you
our main industries are service oriented. We should consider the clients (the people)first. The efficiency of the HSA testing results is causing the people (clients) time and money. Not good for business in a service industry. It is rather selfish and dictatorial what you are doing to the people. Let the Medical experts in the private sector help the current situation. Use the power given to you by the Public Health Act and help the people!! The tourist and the poor people are frustrated. If covid don’t kill us the stressed will.
Good point. It seems as though the intention is to create Stress & Chaos. Just look at how they are turning the people against each other when it comes to (VACCINATED vs UNVACCINATED). I really hope the people are paying attention to the hidden agenda of all Governments who know that they are Failing.
It is becoming obvious that the Government & Private sector Medical Lab are only concerned aabout Money & Power. They are both a set of Greedy Demons.
He is only confirming what we all knew all along. This Government is ALL ABOUT POWER! They do NOT care what is right or best for the Territory. Everything they do is political and always about being in control even when they have no clue what the f**k they are doing.
SO WHY POCKWOOD POND DUMPING SITE AIN’T PICK? WE IN THE WESTERN AREA IS SICK AND DYING OF TOXIC FUMES LONG BEFORE COVID. AND THE FUMES STILL PRESENTLY CONTINUING.SO WE MUST DEAD FROM FUMES AND COVID. THE GOVERNMENT IS A BOLD FACE LIAR AND DECEIEVER!!! FED UP AH AYO SHITZ!
The health minister is the SOLE responsible person responsible for the increase “cases” rise numbers in the territory! This government had plenty of time to create possible what if situations scenarios of this plandemic if they were paying attention and tracking happenings of Covid from other countries such as Uk, Australia Canada…No they spend their energies on fighting us.
How is it possible for your health service to be issuing more than (1) ONE result for any 1 person tested?? Is this your way of increasing cases?
Sole responsible person, please give us some covid number data. Or are we just pretending it isn’t happening anymore…
The Hospital is the only one you all have, they are doing their best, but if the vaccine protocols were utilized by more residents in the earlier part of the year maybe situation could have been different. People, are you all watching the news, listening to the science of this dreadful event, does it have to be replayed over and over?; of all the casualties worldwide and even close to home, this is heartbreaking. No one has to make up your mind for you, do it ASAP for yourself, family and community. Try to balance out this situation and hopefully the real normal will eventually happen, we can do this!–just think, when had to be vaccinated as kids, technology and science were not a this level and we did those without hesitation, we are still here, Its going to be OK, have FAITH!
Beautiful BVI people, If you are not happy with current effects/conditions, think of the causes you made in the past….Below is a compassionate and pretty accurate message 5 or 6 months ago from a local doctor which seemed to be taken lightly by some residents of the BVI—if this bit of advice was heeded, I believe things would be better right now, I love this place and I think we can do better, this has nothing to do with politics and who anyone likes or dislikes, nuff RESPECT:
“You’re putting yourself at increased risk for something that otherwise could be avoided. “What’s more important to appreciate is that there is a greater good and if each one of us thinks carefully about our fellow man and recognise that what we need to do is that important to protect my loved ones, family, neighbours, colleagues and country at large. If we focus on the greater good, we won’t be lost in the individuality of it,”. He reminded Virgin Islanders not to be scared of the COVID vaccines as many diseases such as poliomyelitis were brought under control by vaccines.
Carvin,do not allow absolute power to corrupt you absolutely.Do what is best for the territory.The lab at the hospital is over whelmed and overstressed. It take too long to get results.