Prime Minister Gaston Browne is not happy with the manner in which the disclosure of the four latest covid-19 cases was made.
Media reports indicated that private medical doctor Joseph ‘Joey’ John said he tested 66 hotel workers, four of whom tested positive for the coronavirus.
“It is unfortunate that Dr. John went as far as announcing the name of the hotel that was very very unfortunate.
“You have to understand that when you dealing with health issues there is a level of confidentiality that should not be breached,” the prime minister said on radio today.
“I don’t believe he did this purposefully, but I just want other health officials to understand that they have to be more cautious in their public articulations about health issues.
“It was not appropriate for any health official to be going to the public and giving that type of information to the public, it has to be centralized.
“And maybe it was done out of exuberance and we hope that there will not be any such repeat from Dr, John or any other health practitioner in this country” Browne said.
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PROOF THAT THE INFORMATION SHARED BY CENTRAL GOV IS DOCTORED PRIOR TO PUBLIC CONSUMPTION. IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT WE CANNOT EXPECT TO BE TOLD THE TRUTH.
I’m lost.
I don’t understand
If the doctor is making a factual statement, then what’s there to hide? Yes there’s confidentiality, so I think that it would be inappropriate to release the NAMES of the infected persons, but I don’t see the logic of stating the name of the hotel as it’s a fact.
This is a national health issue, and there should and need to be full transparency.
I’m hoping that this is not a easy of Mr Browne attempting to muzzle information
So you cannot imagine the damage that would have done to the hotel future bookings. I guess if you had planned to be staying in that hotel in the coming week or so you would not consider cancelling your reservation for fear of getting infected. In the USA you hear about Nursing Homes that have become clusters for the corona virus, but to date not one name of the nursing homes are mentioned.
I’m guessing it varies from state to state, where I live there is a disclosure of what nursing home have covid-19 infections, it tell you how many patients that test positive and how many that are no longer among the living so I guess it’s buy state to state. Also being a nurse here nursing homes are required to disclose if they have covid19 patients and if not they will be fine. Me personally I don’t think the doctor did anything wrong he didn’t violate hipaa no names where mention just the facility. It’s important to disclose these facilities, yes if I was visiting back home and heard that particular hotel workers tested positive I wouldn’t want to stay there. But please please remain safe wash your hands sanitize often social distance as much as possible and don’t take this for a joke it’s VERY SER RASS US(serious).
Wow! This is indeed a Doctor-patient priviledge information but the doctor never disclosed the names of the patients. I’ve been having a hunch that the dashboard have inconsistent far too long with what I deemed incorrect data. Go. Fix it. Let’s get it right. This is a national crisis.
Then another hunch RIP Lady Saunders died. Her death in covid times made me wonder how many bodies sent to Straffies were Covid- related that were never tested or disclosed and which she had touched, embalmed.
It’s only unfortunate if you were planning on keeping it from the people! This is a ridiculous comment from the PM! He didn’t reveal names, so no breach of confidentiality. Is he questioning Dr John’s medical ethics or is it a thinly veiled threat?
A doctor’s ethics are working to the betterment of public health, respecting value of non-maleficence, autonomy , beneficience and justice. For that everyone needs to know where the clusters are.
Well I wonder why Dr. John was looking for public attention. Cause I cannot see why a doctor with his background and experience would first go public before checking with the ministry and the CMO. Maybe it was his arrogance undermining the little black girl.
Speech is free! If the hotel workers have covid .. and it’s a proven fact .. he doesn’t need permission from anyone .. do you realize that multiple doctors can test for covid .. this is a democracy! Private doctors all over true world test for covid, not just state or government .. if they wish to disclose, they can!
You are wrong with the disclosure part. They can test as much as they want. Disclosure is not up to them. That becomes the right of the state or country. If that were so we would never really have an idea what the total count is in any country. The WHO only acknowledge the numbers given to them by the authorities. You are advocating for chaos and confusion. All the numbers that the WHO or PAHO makes public are submitted by the relevant and authorized health agency. And that is not alone the case in this pandemic, but any other decease like AIDS/HIV. Dr. Ramsey would have never go outside of the CMO to announce how many HIV patients he has.
@Sideline. Even with foolishness before your eyes, you still trying to spin? Dr John is a bigger comrade than you so imagine what they will do to you if you ever decide to tell the truth. That Spanish woman they plan to deport comes to mind.
You are missing the point again. This has nothing to do with party or politics. The protocol of the profession dictates how information of national importance is been publicized. Dr. Thwaites spoke about it s well. Joey was wrong to take his findings public. and he was in breach of simple clients/doctor confidential information. He was hired and got paid to do a job. The information technically is not his. He may have wished to alert the CMO in order to ensure the hotel does the right thing and also to highlight a certain risk factor that they may have overlooked. Which they now will have to do. Test hotel staff more frequently to ensure there is no community spread. Just like any other front line worker.
He was at the Hotel with a Cabinet Member.He then forwarded the information to the CMO and released the info to the media.He did not do any thing wrong.Go job Dr.Joey John.Keep on testing and letting the real people what is going on.
They don’t want anyone to say anything.. the government want things hush hush so they can lie to the public .. speech is free !
Apparently, Joey didn’t get the memo that pandemic infomation has to be filtered through the lodge protocol. If Joey did not make a statement, neither Dr Molwyn nor the Chief Mouse would have informed the public of the new cases.
I really don’t understand why the PM and Dr Molwyn have chosen to chasten Joey for releasing the name of the hotel. How could that possibly be construed as a breach of confidentiality? Did he identify the patient? No. Can the identity of the patients be deduced through a process of elimination? No. So what the heck is the problem?
If I recall correctly, wasn’t it the PM, on his Saturday radio programme, who notified the nation about the 1st victim of COVID-19?
What is the “LODGE PROTOCOL”???
Come on antiguans doctor john as much i love him should not mention the name of the hotel. What ever the information should have past on to the health authorities for them to make they announcement. Tourism is our business and so it maybe unfair for the hotels. When this information goes out it can hamper business for the hotel and for antigua on a hole
This is getting out of hand now! Please hurry and release those nuclear missiles so we can get this over with omg!!! I’m tired of this crap we have to put up with world governments especially this one in this small poor country of enslaved people who are blind dumb and retarded!
Dr. John He was wrong on many fronts on this occasion as well. If the government disclosed 39 positive, I do not see any reason they would hide 4, hence all this nonsense about hiding is BS.
And ofcourse since he so great about disclosing,
Sharing the name of the hotel is not breaching the privacy or confidentiality of the patients. He did not mention their names. The general public deserves to know what is going on. This sounds like a borderline bullying tactic to silence the messenger.
Thank you Joey John. The government cant be trusted
Its obvious Joey John would have gotten permission from the hotel first, before he made the announcement. Joey John is NOT a fool.
The truth must be too painful for the Gaston machine.
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