SHARLENE RAMPERSAD
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh says he will be “guided by legal advice” on whether he will file an official complaint with the Medical Board of T&T on the conduct of Dr Avinash Sawh.
Deyalsingh was contacted for comment after the Board announced it had retracted its letter to Sawh advising him of complaints made against him by the minister and five others for racist and derogatory statements he was recorded making by a former employee in early November 2020.
The board said it will revisit Sawh’s case at its monthly meeting in February. Based on whether any official complaints are filed it will decide whether to launch an enquiry into the medical doctor’s behaviour.
Deyalsingh, whose name was at the top of lists of complainants, was asked for his reaction to the withdrawal of the complaints against Dr Sawh. The board said those who initially filed complaints had not filled out forms to indicate an official complaint being lodged. He was also asked if he planned to file an official complaint,
The minister did not respond directly and instead sent a text stating he was in a meeting and that the questions be sent to the Corporate Communications Department of the Ministry of Health.
Head of the department Candice Alcantara responded: “Please note that the Honourable Terrence Deyalsingh, Minister of Health, will be guided by legal advice, as required, on this matter.”
Asked for clarification on whether Deyalsingh will file a complaint, Alcantara said the response remains the same.