Sangam College of Nursing labels Fiji Sun article as fake news while Lomas says let's just stick to the facts

The Sangam College of Nursing says the College faculty, students and its management stand in solidarity with the Government in this campaign to eradicate the COVID-19 virus.

This is after Fiji Sun ran an article on Friday headlined “Anti-Vax Nurses, Lecturer Under Fire” where the article makes reference to a lecturer of the College and the institution says the article alleges that the College is against the current vaccination program.

In a statement, the institution says these allegations are false, misleading and fake news to say the least.

They say the Director of the institution was not consulted before this piece of news was published on the front page of Fiji Sun on Friday.

The statement adds upon enquiry with members of the faculty and ancillary staff, it emerged that the story in the Fiji Sun had been taken out of context, to reflect poorly on the College and its management.

They say the conversation was between a mother and her son and the son shared with his mother that he was being asked by his employers, in this case Fiji Sun, to receive his vaccination or else his employment will be terminated.

The institution says the advice given to the son by the mother was that vaccination was a choice that he needed to make voluntarily.

They say they vehemently refute the allegations therein and demand that Fiji Sun retract the article and offer an apology immediately.

They add that as a nursing institution training future nurses of Fiji, they make it mandatory to comply with all government directives, whether they are for program approval, accreditation or funding.

It says there have been no such anti-vax sentiments or activities shared in the College space, which has seen 86% of their undergraduate students receive their first jab of the COVID vaccine in the middle of April 2021, which is a total of 254 students out of 297.

Meanwhile Fiji Sun Publisher/CEO Peter Lomas says a lecturer at Sangam College of Nursing told her adult son not to get vaccinated because it was dangerous.

Lomas says this is according to her son.

He further says she even called him again telling him not to get vaccinated when he was in a queue to get his vaccination.

Lomas adds Fiji Sun - like any responsible employer - is following COVID-Safe protocols to protect their people.