The Minister of Health, Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo, once again sparked controversy and ignited criticism against him after the surprising statement he made in the First Commission of the Senate when he assured that the Colombians who were vaccinated against covid-19 were part of an experiment international.
“We are playing with the lives of Colombians. We cannot be a factor of experimentation. “All of us who are vaccinated today, with the exception of those who took Sinovac, I have Sinovac, all the new technology and all the vaccines entered here without permission,” said the Minister of Health.
Debate First Commission of the Senate debate on political control over the shortage of medicines Minister of Health Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo | Photo: Guillermo Torres Reina
The particular statement was made during the debate on political control of his portfolio, in which the Legislature focused its attention on the shortage of medicines in the country.
“Irresponsible and anti-vaccine, Petro comes to his defense”
These comments did not go unnoticed and a whole wave of criticism lit up social networks with criticism of what Jaramillo said. Some congressmen, public figures and X users called him inflammatory and irresponsible, while others called him anti-vaccine.
One of the first to react to what was said in the Senate Commission was Senator David Luna, of the Radical Change Party, when he questioned what was said by the representative of the Health portfolio in his desire “to ideologize and nationalize” the health system. .
Some statements, which according to Luna, are framed in the context of the health reform promoted by the national government, which is being discussed in the House of Representatives.
“Yesterday I summoned Minister @GA_Jaramillo to political control due to the shortage of medicines. His response revealed a conspiratorial stance, a desire to ideologize and nationalize the health system just when his reform is being voted on in the Chamber,” he noted in his X account.
A health worker prepares a dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine to be administered to a person during a mass vaccination campaign to reduce the risk of infection from the new Delta variant of Covid on August 7, 2021 | Photo: Mustasinur Rahman Alvi/Eyepix Group/Future Publishing
The representative of the Chamber, Katherine Miranda, was not far behind and described the minister as “anti-vaccines”, who had an immediate response from the president, Gustavo Petro, in defense of Jaramillo’s statements.
“Colombia has an anti-vaccine Minister of Health. What could go wrong?,” Miranda posted on her X account.
The president, Gustavo Petro, responded to the representative, Katherine Miranda, for calling the Minister of Health, Guillermo Jaramillo, “anti-vaccine.” Photo X: @petrogustavo | Photo: Photo X: @petrogustavo
Immediately, Miranda responded to President Petro and continued the discussion, highlighting that the production of vaccines against Covid-19 not only saved lives but was recognized with the Nobel Prize in Medicine and “they have proven to be highly effective in the most vulnerable groups such as older adults and people with chronic morbidity.”
“President @petrogustavo with appreciation and much respect, but do not try to minimize or distort the Minister’s statements, as these were light, irresponsible and far from all scientific evidence,” said the representative.
“What I believe is that these statements are just a justification to evade responsibility for the million-dollar losses of doses and money from the COVID vaccines that your Government has allowed to perish,” he remarked.
Covid caused global havoc by killing about 7 million people | Photo: Mustasinur Rahman Alvi/Eyepix Group/Future Publishing
Medical associations respond
The situation of the minister with his arguments did not stop and the medical associations in the country also came out to question his assertions and deny what Jaramillo said. The Epidemiology Association of Colombia (Asocepic), which stated through a thread that “these statements are contrary to scientific evidence, misinform and undermine public confidence in vaccination.”
The Colombian Association of Infectious Diseases (Acin) also joined this, which with data on the achievements of anti-covid vaccination was not an experiment as Jaramillo claims. Through a statement he pointed out that: “he defends and promotes vaccination as the most important advance in public health in the 20th century for the benefit of the Colombian and world population.”
“Vaccines are the most cost-effective measure in public health to save lives, to prevent the spread of other diseases and to mitigate their consequences on quality of life. Without vaccines, more people would have died and the world would still be in quarantine and wearing masks,” he said.
Former Minister of Health answers him about experimenting with health
“According to the most prestigious medical journal @TheLancet, COVID-19 vaccines saved 14.4 million lives in the first year alone. The real experiment will be a health reform approved without any evidence.”
Incendiary and irresponsible, users defend the vaccine
Public figures such as the soccer presenter and commentator, Carlos Antonio Vélez, harshly criticized the representative of the Health portfolio and even questioned on his X account: “Is this a doctor? He looks like a plumber or a house painter. “Anything but what it says it is.”
“Every term is nonsense, every “reflection” is imbecility, and you can see the resentment and bitterness above it… a common denominator among the officials of this government,” said Vélez.
And the divided opinions among users also came to the public arena on the social network. Some defended Jaramillo while others commented that he is an arsonist.
The elected councilor of Bogotá, Daniel Briceño, assured that at least the vaccination and the pandemic were not in the hands of the Petro Government.
“Fortunately, the pandemic was in the hands of Minister Fernando Ruíz and not in the hands of Jaramillo, who is now anti-vaccine,” he said.
2023-11-30 10:05:07
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