The Director General of Health in Samoa has come under fire in a hard hitting editorial in the daily Samoa Observer newspaper for his handling of the case of COVID infected sailors on the Fesco Askold.
The vessel spent a day in Samoa before it traveled here.
The newspaper has taken Leausa Dr Take Naseri to task for his lack of transparency and failing to ensure information on the matter was forthcoming so the public could be informed.
‘’Given the high degree of emphasis the Government has placed on keeping Samoa coronavirus-free, it should have responded immediately. Instead, it has taken the Government nearly a full day to release information about its response and even that has been wanting,’’ said the editorial.
The newspaper contrasted the actions by Leausa to those taken by his counterpart in American Samoa who called a press conference as soon as the tests were confirmed positive.
American Samoa Director of Health Motusa Tuileama Nua said Leausa had been informed on the matter 9.30pm on Monday evening Samoan time.
‘’American Samoa’s press conference by contrast, was a textbook example of how to operate a transparent, trustworthy Government in a time of crisis,’’ wrote the newspaper.
‘’Our close neighbours in the American territory showed that leadership looks like transparency. Its officials disclosed information as it came to hand. Our Health Ministry took the opposite approach, perhaps in the hope that the population would not panic. That has only had the opposite effect.’’
‘’And for that, the Government has only itself to blame’’.
