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Port Antonio Hospital receives minibuses

Published:Sunday | March 22, 2020 | 12:00 AMGareth Davis Jr
Daryl Vaz, Member of Parliament for West Portland, and Ann-Marie Vaz (second from left), MP for East Portland speak with administrators at the Port Antonio Hospital in Portland during the handover of two minibuses to the hospital on Friday. The buses are to be used to transport healthcare workers.

Portland members of parliament, Daryl Vaz and Ann-Marie Vaz on Friday handed over two minibuses to the Port Antonio Hospital. 

The husband and wife MPs for West Portland and East Portland respectively, said the motor vehicles are to assist with shoring up transportation for health care workers.  

Some health care workers have been facing discrimination from some public transportation operators who have refused to transport them out of fear of contracting COVID-19.

The country has been trying to mitigate local spread of the disease, which has so far infected some 19 people, killing one. Several more are in isolation or have been quarantined out of precaution, including some 61 people in Portland, St Mary and St Ann.   

"We decided to lead and launch an initiative, starting in Portland, which would make sure that there is no public health care worker involved in this COVID crisis, that would have to take public transport," the West Portland MP said. 

"First of all, it is not fair... to ask you to go the extra mile and then have the frustration of having to take public transport. And it is not safe from an health prospective, because obviously you'd be vulnerable in your duties as it relates to contracting corona," he continued.

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