A Motion put forward by Opposition Leader Tillman Thomas calling for a Parliamentary Inquiry into the shortage of oxygen and other critical supplies including manpower at the St. George's General Hospital was defeated in Parliament Monday during a sitting of the House of Representatives.

The motion attempted to get a joint committee of the Houses of Parliament comprising one from government, another from the opposition and a third from among Senators - none of whom should either be a member of Government or the Opposition to look into the problems at the Hospital.

If it was approved, the Motion would have addressed whether or not there was and is likely to be a shortage of oxygen, the circumstances which led to the shortage a few months ago and the consequence which flowed therefrom.

The three-member committee as prposed by the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) was also expected to determine and establish other areas of shortages in the hospital including staffing and manpower and to make recommendations to correct the situation.

The General Hospital was plagued with a shortage of oxygen in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan last year resulting in the postponement of a number of surgical procedures.

In presenting the Motion, the Opposition Leader told the sitting held at the Grenada Trade Center that the public appears to be losing confidence in the delivery of health care and as such there is a need to restore confidence in the system.

Thomas pointed out that services delivered at the General Hospital should be comprehensive, in that the medical facility should be adequately staffed with medication and other necessary supplies and equipment to meet the needs of the public.

He noted that the majority of Grenadians cannot afford to travel overseas for medical attention and that a humanitarian approach must be taken in the administering of health care to locals.

Former Health Minister Dr. Clarice Modeste-Curwen who spoke on the Motion objected to Parliament getting permission to conduct an investigation into the operations of the Hospital.

She told the sitting that the Hospital now has an adequate supply of Oxygen and that monies and manpower should not be utilised to conduct an investigation when the problem is already corrected.

Modeste-Curwen, the current Communications and Works Minister, charged the Opposition with only trying to frighten people with talk about serious problems existing at the health facility.

The senior government minister pointed out that the surgeries, which were postponed were elective and not life-threatening and the reason why the opposition now wants an Inquiry into the hospital is because they want to put blame on the system.

Modeste-Curwen, a qualified Eye Surgeon, admitted that a problem does exists between the Hospital and the Ministry of Health but that it can only be corrected by Constitutional Review.

Parliamentary Representative for the Town of St. George, Peter David who also spoke on the Motion told the sitting that it was not the opposition who detained the workers and interrogated them about sabotaging the oxygen supply at the Hospital.

He pointed out that the employees were detained and interrogated by police and up to now no charges were laid against anyone. David said that what the Motion was trying to achieve is not to cast blame on anyone but to determine what is responsible for the problems facing the recently built Hospital.

When the question was put to the House by Speaker Lawrence Joseph, the opposition motion was defeated 8-7 with all government ministers voting against it as expected.