Former Gov. George Pataki slammed Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s nursing residence insurance policies in the course of the coronavirus pandemic as a “catastrophe” which will have unnecessarily brought about the deaths of “hundreds” of susceptible aged residents.
In a uncommon swipe at his successor Friday night time, Pataki known as for an impartial probe “so this by no means occurs once more.”
Pataki mentioned the state Well being Division ought to by no means have issued an edict requiring nursing properties to just accept coronavirus virus sufferers into nursing residence amenities full of sick, aged sufferers — the inhabitants most in danger from the killer COVID-19 bug.
Compounding the misguided coverage, Pataki mentioned, is that the nursing properties lacked the non-public protecting tools or testing functionality to isolate and comprise the unfold of COVID-19.
Pataki additionally mentioned he was dumbfounded as to why contaminated sufferers had been despatched to nursing properties as a substitute of “lots of of unused beds” on the two momentary hospitals on the Javits Heart and the Navy’s USNS Consolation hospital ship.
“Gov. Cuomo’s dealing with of the nursing properties has been a catastrophe,” Pataki, the former-three time period governor, advised The Publish.
“1000's of individuals lives won't have been misplaced apart from these tragic insurance policies.”
Pataki, a Republican who served between 1995 and 2006 mentioned, “All people knew that essentially the most susceptible inhabitants was senior residents. And essentially the most susceptible senior residents are in nursing properties.”
Pataki mentioned the nursing properties didn’t have ample private protecting tools to guard their current employees and sufferers.
“To compound the issue, the state required nursing properties to confess coronavirus sufferers. Anybody ought to have identified this is able to be an issue — to require nursing properties to soak up coronavirus sufferers,” he mentioned.
He additionally rapped Cuomo for saying “it’s not our job” to supply masks and robes to nursing properties, although state officers had been doing so.
“It's the government’s job,” Pataki mentioned.
Pataki additionally mentioned the nursing properties didn’t have or weren't supplied with the testing wanted to find out which sufferers or employees had the virus.
He additionally cited a Publish report that exposed the state Well being Division allowed nurses and different employees who examined optimistic for the coronavirus to proceed treating COVID-19 sufferers at an upstate nursing residence. Following the report, the division mentioned it carried out a brand new coverage limiting COVID-positive employees from returning to work for 14 days.
“Any approach you have a look at it …That is inexcusable. There’s no protection for this,” Pataki mentioned of the insurance policies.
He talked about Cuomo has grow to be one of many “hottest politicians in America” due to his press briefings on COVID-19.
Nonetheless, “it’s not in regards to the look however the operate of the workplace,” Pataki mentioned. “The buck stops with the manager workplace.”
Pataki later went on Fox Information and known as Cuomo’s insurance policies “incomprehensible” and a “shame.”
Cuomo’s senior adviser Wealthy Azzopardi returned hearth, calling Pataki’s assaults a “unhappy, unhappy bid for relevancy.”
“It's unhappy and unlucky that his star has fallen a lot that he’s prepared to go on TV and misrepresent the state coverage,” which relies on US Facilities for Illness Management pointers, Azzopardi mentioned.
Azzopardi reiterated prior statements from the governor that the nursing properties can solely settle for coronavirus sufferers if they've a secure facility with correct staffing and protecting tools.
Cuomo officers additionally parried widespread complaints of insufficient PPE, saying the state delivered 2 million items of protecting tools to nursing properties.
He additionally mentioned federal coverage restricted sufferers despatched to the Consolation hospital.
“George Pataki doesn’t know what he’s speaking about. He hasn’t had a clue in 20 years,” Azzopardi mentioned.
Cuomo and Pataki have a sophisticated relationship.
Pataki defeated former three-term governor Mario Cuomo — Andrew’s dad — to grow to be the state’s chief government, in 1994.
Andrew Cuomo got here below hearth throughout his first bid for governor in 2002, when he mentioned then-Gov. Pataki would simply “maintain the coat” of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani when it comes to management following the Sept. 11 assaults. He later deserted his marketing campaign earlier than the Democratic main.
However when Cuomo did win the governorship almost a decade later, he appointed Pataki to serve and co-chair on a panel that advisable tax cuts. Pataki has usually kept away from second-guessing Cuomo’s actions.
Post a Comment