3 West Dem hospital staff nabbed with blank COVID-19 vaccine books

Three employees of the West Demerara Regional Hospital have been arrested after they were caught with 11 blank and unstamped COVID-19 vaccine books, 17 stamped sick leave forms, and several pieces of medical equipment, including a stethoscope, sugar testing kit and pressure testing kit.
Initially, the suspects were caught with four blank and unstamped COVID-19 vaccine books, but based on investigations, Police on Wednesday went to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where a request was made to conduct a search on minibus PWW 3747, which is usually driven by one of the suspects.
Police say that in the process of that search, they found seven blue blank COVID-19 books in a compartment between the driver and passenger’s seats.
This, Police said, was brought to the attention of the suspects, but they bowed their heads and remined silent.
The arrest of the suspects was done on Tuesday when two of the men visited the Vreed-en-Hoop Health Centre, West Coast Demerara. Reports are that a female nurse was on duty at the Vreed-en-Hoop Health Centre when two of the suspects went to her, one after the other, with two blank COVID-19 books each, and told her that they want her to stamp them.
They went on to tell her that the third suspect is waiting to take them to the Diamond Hospital.
She checked the books and observed that they were all blank, and knowing that the suspects were not supposed to be in possession of them, she immediately brought the issue to the attention of her supervisor, who subsequently reported the matter to the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station.
As a result, the suspects were contacted and arrested at the West Demerara Regional Hospital, and were escorted to the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station.
During questioning, Police conducted a search on the motorcar of the third suspect and found one black and gold stethoscope, 17 blank sick leave forms which were all stamped with the West Demerara Regional Hospital stamp, and one COVID-19 book which was not stamped.
Police then went to the home of the third suspect and conducted further searches, which unearthed one machine for testing pressure and a machine for sugar testing in his bedroom.
He was questioned about the items and he stated that he had purchased them in Georgetown, but he could not produce any receipt for them. Police said these items were immediately seized.
Searches were done at the other two suspects’ homes, but nothing of evidential value was found.

Stealing vaccine cards
On Wednesday, during the search of the vehicle at the West Demerara Regional Hospital, Police said one of the suspects admitted that he would sometimes uplift the COVID-19 vaccination cards from the Health Ministry in Georgetown and take them to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, and during that process, he would have taken out 12 books.
Police said further investigations led to a nurse being interviewed, but she denied that the signature in one of the books found in the suspects’ possession belonged to her.