JVP urges Health Ministry heads to reveal true statistics without acting as Govt’s cat’s paw

Former JVP MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa today urged the Health Ministry Secretary, Director General of Health Services and Chief Epidemiologist not to become a cat's paw of the Government by issuing manipulated data and statistics of the Covid mortality and positive cases.

He told a news Conference that the three officials as the head of the health ministry had a responsibility to reveal the true statistics pertaining to the pandemic, as they had studied from the taxpayers money.

"We appeal to them to respect what they had learnt. Don't become machines that spread false statistics on the Government's political agendas. You have a responsibility on behalf of the people. You need to reveal the true information you receive. We know that you are silent before the President and Covid Task Force. That silence resulted in losing people's lives day by day. So, we urge you three being the heads of the health ministry to reveal the truth," he said. 

He also said revealing true statistics will help save many lives of people and force them to a self-lockdown.

Dr. Jayatissa said data and information on Covid deaths and positive cases are manipulated at the need of the President.

He also said the President had got the health ministry officials to convince people that the virus has not spread in the community as yet.

He said not only the physical resources such as ICU, oxygen and ventilators, but also human resources are also becoming insufficient to treat the escalating Covid patients.

“Hospital staff is also becoming prey to Covid-19. More than 200 doctors and 4,000 nurses and minor staff have been infected with the virus. This shows that the hospitals cannot afford the spike in Covid cases,” he said.(Ajith Siriwardana)