Health Ministry throws gauntlet down on unvaccinated workers

UNVACCINATED HEALTHCARE WORKERS WHO CANNOT PRODUCE THEIR
NEGATIVE PCR TESTS AND FAIL TO SHOW UP TO WORK WILL BE
CONSIDERED AS ‘ABSENT’ said Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony addressing the sector’s
controversial locking out of employees from hospitals across Guyana.
“The only way that you can protect yourself is really to get vaccinated. I do hope that good
sense prevails and that they would go and get vaccinated. If they don’t get vaccinated then the
option would be that you can present your PCR results and come to work,” Dr Anthony said
appealing to his subordinates.
Vaccine hesitancy among Guyanese is thwarting the government’s plan to achieve herd
immunity among the 782,000 multi-racial population. The greatest pushback so far, has come
from the health sector, especially from nurses.
Anthony reminded skeptical healthcare workers they put themselves and their patients at risk by
refusing the jab.
“If they have a mild form of the infection, then unknowingly, they can transmit that to patients.
So, this is something that we have to consider. In many other countries it is the policy to make
sure that healthcare workers are protected by being vaccinated,” Dr. Anthony explained.
Anthony reiterated that healthcare workers right to protest, their refusal to take the
vaccines, and their absence from work could jeopardise vital services at the various health
institutions and trigger undue and unnecessary hardships in the vital health sector.