Opinion

Brian Feeney: Now, not later, is the time to examine criticisms of Robin Swann's Covid-19 approach

Health minister Robin Swann, pictured left, and chief medical officer Michael McBride need to address failings in their handling of the Covid-19 crisis. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire
Health minister Robin Swann, pictured left, and chief medical officer Michael McBride need to address failings in their handling of the Covid-19 crisis. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire Health minister Robin Swann, pictured left, and chief medical officer Michael McBride need to address failings in their handling of the Covid-19 crisis. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire

LAST week the north's health minister Robin Swann gave his first interview to the Irish News since his appointment.

It was the same day he had updated the assembly health committee at Stormont alongside the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Michael McBride. On both occasions he was very defensive, not to say evasive.

In the health committee both the minister and CMO tried to bat away questions, especially from the chair, Colm Gildernew, about their approach to dealing with Covid-19 in March and April.

Their response - that "there will be a time to examine what was done but now is not the time" - is exactly wrong.

That response is a way of avoiding answers to the question, 'Why did you not do what critics were advocating two months, one month, ago and have been proved correct?'

The critics correctly said that following the shambolic approach in England in particular - now jettisoned elsewhere in the UK - was a mistake in every respect; they were brushed aside.

First, the north abandoned community testing whereas the Republic, following WHO guidelines, steadily increased its capacity after a slow start, eventually enabling them to trace, track and isolate.

As yet the north, with a much smaller population, still can't do that. Why doesn't the Department of Health admit that they couldn't follow WHO recommendations to 'test, test, test' because they didn't have the capacity in March, wrongly increased it lamentably slowly in line with England, and only now are approaching the ability to do widespread testing? Just admit it.

Secondly, despite denials, the Department of Health transferred elderly patients from hospital who had tested positive or were waiting for results of tests into care homes.

Again, despite appeals to test residents and staff in care homes, the department dragged its heels.

Only after repeated appeals by the commissioner for older people, Eddie Lynch, and by Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill, did Robin Swann finally begin what his department should have been doing months ago.

A month ago an official in his department wrote to the SDLP's Nichola Mallon - Swann was too busy to reply, an act of great discourtesy to another minister - saying among other things that there was no plan to test all residents and staff in care homes because there "was no clear scientific rationale or evidence base where there is no-one with any symptoms".

Though even then Swann, under pressure to adopt an all-Ireland approach, came out with this stunner: "We're following the science as it applies to Northern Ireland." So chemistry is different in Monaghan and Cavan?

That was just piffle. If it was true, why now will all care home staff and residents be tested, though not until the end of June, months late?

Why the resistance to those advocating tests in care homes given the evidence of what happened in Italy and Spain?

Why not admit there was not the capacity and that they were wrongly concentrating what they had on hospitals?

There are many more criticisms of failure to act on evidence from elsewhere in Europe and of being too slow to act when the Department of Health finally did U-turns.

PPE is another area where there is need for transparency. There was a chronic shortage here, like many other regions, especially in care homes, yet incredibly Robin Swann sent a quarter of a million gowns to England at the height of the pandemic against the advice of other ministers.

What did he think he was doing? Ingratiating himself with the British government?

At least he's no longer hiding behind the catchphrase of March - "we're following the science" - since clearly the British government wasn't.

Though even then Swann, under pressure to adopt an all-Ireland approach, came out with this stunner: "We're following the science as it applies to Northern Ireland." So chemistry is different in Monaghan and Cavan?

The basic point is that when Swann rejects criticism or alternative proposals he must back up his rejection with information, transparency and solid facts that can be examined.

Simply reading out a script is unacceptable.