Deyalsingh tells UNC Shannen is not a political football

Reiterating that the application was rejected because Shannen’s condition, for which a bone marrow transplant is being sought, was not deemed by the CLF’s board to be life-threatening and the fund does not provide for the reimbursement of expenses. The fund was established under the People’s Partnership (PP) government.

Deyalsingh said, “The same board under both administrations and the same chairman sat on this matter.” In terms of a second medical opinion being sought, Deyalsingh said, “Not only was there a second opinion, there was a third, there was a fourth and there was a fifth.” He said under the PP, “Ten applications were rejected because they were deemed to be not life threatening.” Deyalsingh said when the People’s National Movement was in opposition, “We never sought to politicise the issue but to let the professionals in their professional capacities do their job.” Earlier in the sitting, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young said a proper investigation is ongoing into a report that people were infected by contaminated blood from the National Blood Bank Transfusion Centre.