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Dr. Lackram Bodoe. Photo by – Vidya Thurab

WITH heart disease being one of the major causes of death in Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Lackram Bodoe is advocating for the building of a cardiac catherisation laboratory at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH).

A former chairman of the board of the South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA), under which the SFGH falls, Bodoe said such a facility would save lives.

He recalled a space was identified for the construction of such a lab under the People’s Partnership administration.

He told the United National Congress (UNC) virtual report meeting on Monday night designs were done and the project was sent out for tendering by 2015.

The PP lost the general election and was replaced by the People’s National Movement (PNM) Government in 2015.

“Seven years later and this PNM Government is yet to start this project.”

He said the last time he raised the matter in Parliament, Health Minister Terrence Deylsingh said his government had more urgent priorities.

“What urgent priorities?”

The Fyzabad MP explained when someone hasa heart attack and goes to the public health facility, that patient is triaged, investigations are done and treatment is started.

“In a great number of cases you require a procedure called a coronary angiogram to determine the extent of the blockage in your heart blood vessels.

“This angiogram procedure and (subsequent stenting if required) is done in a facility called a cardiac catherisation laboratory, and quick diagnosis and treatment is standard in other developed countries.

“This is not available at the SFGH, which means you either pay the $10,000 required to get it done privately or you join the Ministry of Health waiting list for the Government to pay for it.”

While waiting for the angiogram, depending on the urgency of the situation, Bodoe said some doctors go ahead and begin treatment without the benefit of a proper and complete investigation

“I call on the Minister of Health and the Government to build the cardiac catherisation laboratory at SFGH.

“While the population is waiting for this facility…patients continue to die from heart disease, whilst waiting on the MOH to outsource their procedures or to join the waiting list at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Centre (EWMSC).”

He also called for an update on the planned renal dialysis unit promised for the Couva Hospital.

After spending close to $40 billion in the health sector over the past seven years, excluding covid 19 expenditure, Bodoe claimed, “Things have gotten worse, not better.

“It is time to resuscitate and save a collapsing health sector, and indeed all the sectors in TT.”

Now that the covid 19 pandemic is receding and some sense of normality is returning, those seeking healthcare in public hospitals and health centres are facing numerous problems, he said.

He said the effects are now being seen because the much-touted two-tier healthcare system, often boasted about by the MOH as a parallel healthcare system, proved to be a hoax, as the same staff were rotated between the two systems.

The rotation of anaesthetists would have resulted in a backlog of surgery for hip and knee replacement, cataracts, cancer, hernia and gallbladder inflammation, with a waiting list as long as one-two years

“Quite often when doctors and nurses are ready to do their jobs in the operating theatre, they are faced with shortage of critical drugs, and of course your surgery gets cancelled.”

While some of these resource issues may be global-supply-chain-related, Bodoe blamed the bulk of it on failure by the Government to buy and supply these items in a timely manner.

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…members were vetted by National Assembly, are of good standing – AG

A ruling by acting Chief Justice Roxane George, SC, on the constitutionality of President Dr Irfaan Ali’s appointment of Pastor Patrick Findlay as Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), and his appointment of the Integrity Commission, is set for August 23.

The ruling stems from a Fixed Date Application (FDA) filed by Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, who is asking the High Court to quash the appointments on the ground that the Head of State failed to engage him in the constitutionally required process of meaningful consultation.

Besides Findlay, the new members of the PSC are: Attorney-at-Law Mark Conway, and businessmen Ernesto Choo-a-Fat, and Hakeem Mohammed.

Meanwhile, the Integrity Commission has Demerara Bank Corporate Secretary Chandra Gajraj as Chairperson, along with Mohamed Haniff, lawyer and former Solicitor General Kim Kyte-Thomas, Hardesh Tiwari, and Reverend Wayne Chris Bowman as members.

The two constitutional commissions were appointed on May 31.

Roysdale Forde

Article 210 of the Constitution mandates that “the Police Service Commission shall consist of – a Chairman appointed by the President acting after meaningful consultation with the Leader of the Opposition from among members appointed upon nomination by the National Assembly”.

Norton, who is also the leader of the PNCR—the largest party in the APNU/AFC coalition—contended that he was not afforded a “reasonable opportunity” to express a considered opinion on the matter of consultation concerning the appointments of the PSC and Integrity Commission.

He deposed that President Ali did not provide adequate information to him in respect of the President’s rationale, reasons, and/or grounds having regard to the respective persons’ suitability and/or competence for appointment to the respective public offices.

No reasons

During a virtual hearing on Monday, Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde, who is representing the Opposition Leader, said that President Ali did not provide any rationale for choosing Findlay to be Chairman over the other three nominees.

President Dr Irfaan Ali

“The President as the person initiating the consultation process never provided the criterion, never provided any factors which would be … of substantive importance in making a decision at the end of the consultation process,” Forde told the Chief Justice.

Relying on case laws, Forde reasoned that the concept of the meaningful consultation process does not mean that the President “can pick whatever person he wishes for whatever reason”, noting that the process must be transparent and characterised by accessible flow of information.

He said that the Opposition Leader was only provided with the Curricula Vitae (CV) of the four persons after making a “specific request” to President Ali for the documents.

Forde noted that the day before the PSC was appointed, Norton wrote to President Ali requesting the reasons for the recommendations of those nominated but was informed by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira, that there is no obligation for the President to disclose this.

Against this backdrop, Forde argued that the spirit and letter of the Constitution in respect of consultation and meaningful consultation were violently violated by the President. Forde said that his submissions about the PSC also apply to the appointment of the Integrity Commission.

Good standing

Interjecting, the Chief Justice pointed Forde to Teixeira’s letter dated May 13 in which it was noted that the persons nominated to constitute the Integrity Commission were “persons of good standing”. She reasoned that this phrase can also apply to the nominees for the PSC.

Chief Justice Roxane George

“This [letter] is saying that they are people of good standing. Isn’t that a reason [for the appointment]?” she asked Forde, who replied, “This does not necessarily constitute a reason for the appointment.” “Why not?” the Chief Justice queried, adding that: “I’m saying that this is a person of good standing; that is why I have chosen them. You might have an erroneous view of the good standing but that is the reason advanced.” Forde, however, maintained his position.

Approved by National Assembly

For his part, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, submitted that the nominees for the PSC including Findlay were nominated by the Appointments Committee of the National Assembly. He argued that overall, the consultation has to be fair but it does not have to be perfect.

“The names were examined and approved by the Appointments Committee of which the Opposition Members are part. That Committee prepared a report and presented it to the National Assembly. The National Assembly approved that report unanimously containing the four names. The Leader of the Opposition was in the National Assembly…,” said Nandlall.

As such, he argued that Norton “had a hand” in the selection of the nominees for the PSC.

He stated that there were a number of exchanges via letters between the President and Opposition Leader on the appointment of the PSC and Integrity Commission. Nandlall added that Norton replied to the May 13 letter until May 30, requesting reasons for the nomination.

“If Mr Norton felt that they were not people of good standing, he had a responsibility and indeed a duty to so state and he had two weeks to say so. He never responded after that until the [30th of] May…not a single word about the nominees, that they were improper, that they were not suitable, they were unfit, nothing at all…” the Attorney General submitted.

While the four nominees for the PSC came from the National Assembly, the Chief Justice noted, however, that meaningful consultation between the President and the Opposition Leader is still constitutionally required. In conclusion, the Attorney General argued that the Opposition Leader was afforded a reasonable opportunity to participate in the consultation process.

Orders

Norton, among other things, is seeking an order quashing the appointment of Findlay and Gajraj as the Chairmen of the PSC and Integrity Commission, respectively, and an order declaring that all actions taken by Commissions are null, void, and are of no force and effect.

Norton has also tried to link Findlay’s appointment to his political affiliation.

He has accused the President of tainting the PSC, since according to him, Findlay, is a politician, who was a candidate for the PPP/C at the 2011 and 2015 national elections and was previously appointed as Permanent Secretary by the ruling party.

Noting that the Constitution contemplates that the PSC is not politicalised, he pointed out that up to May 2021, Findlay identified himself as a member and supporter of the PPP/C. Norton has also asked the Chief Justice for an interpretation of the term “meaningful consultation”. (Taken for Guyana Times)

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On Monday, August 8, 2022, Commissioner of Police, Milton Desir, was interviewedafter a cabinet brief, by members of the media.

Following this interview, he was quoted as having called for regional and international help to fight crime.

The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force wishes to lend context to and clarify the statement made by Commissioner Desir.

The statement referring to seeking aid was made in relation to forensic analysis andCommissioner Desir referenced the recent arrest of a suspect in the murder of MaryJulietta Charles of La Perle, Saltibus.

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He stated that this homicide was resolved due to forensic analysis, which was sought outside the island. In light of this, Commissioner Desir stated that further aid is required externally to bring about resolution to some crimes committed locally.

Commissioner Desir went on to explain that the team of officers from the Regional Security System who had been posted here for a period of three weeks, were not involved in investigations of matters, as they performed patrol duties.

The aid sought, is in no way an indication of a lack of confidence in the investigative capabilities of our officers, but more so the limitations of resources, particularly forensic testing, which presents a challenge locally due to lack of accreditation for our facility.

In the past, we have been primarily reliant on eye witness evidence, an avenue that isincreasingly becoming less viable, due to witness tampering and intimidation.

The lack of a proper witness protection program significantly impedes our best efforts tosolve particularly violent crimes. Such a program is impossible without properfunding, which is not readily available.

As a result, we have in the past sought assistance from our partner countries, in affording witnesses with safe accommodation and we have reciprocated.

Alternative investigative routes need to be explored, including forensic analysis andauditing. Focus needs to be placed on obtaining the necessary equipment andexpertise to explore areas such as DNA analysis, cybercrime investigations, ballistics testing (a critical area given that recent trends show increases in gun related crimes)and continuous training to cover modern criminal patterns.

Most of these are not within the purview of the police, who do not have direct control over such expenditure.

Reaching out to external entities is essential to achieving our mandate of crime reduction, as these are areas of expertise and equipment not available locally. It is therefore imperative that we seek the intervention of our regional and international counterparts.

We are not solely a global village in areas such as tourism, but also in our efforts tocombat incidents of crime. We have seen how local instances of criminal acts havespilled over to neighbouring islands and countries around the world, and vice versa.

For instance, Saint Lucia is not a producer of firearms, but persons are illegally inpossession of weapons manufactured globally. Without the necessary technologicaladvancements and international cooperation, reducing and deterring importation isnear impossible.

It is therefore in everyone’s best interest to collaborate, combine resources as we tackle what is perhaps a plague which has its tentacles in every corner.

No place is free of crime and it is only through leaning on each other’s strengths, resources and capabilities can there truly be worthwhile strides in this fight.

Source: Royal Saint Lucia Police Force

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El próximo mes, los usuarios de WhatsApp (perteneciente a la compañía Meta, calificada en Rusia como organización extremista) recibirán una actualización de la aplicación en los teléfonos iOS y Android que mejorará algunas características de seguridad y privacidad. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO de la empresa matriz, dijo este lunes en una publicación en su cuenta de Facebook (también propiedad de Meta): “Seguiremos creando nuevas formas de proteger sus mensajes y mantenerlos tan privados y seguros como las conversaciones cara a cara”.

Una primera novedad es que los usuarios ya pueden enviar mensajes efímeros con la configuración ‘Ver una vez’. Esta opción permite eliminar una imagen, foto o vídeo, después de que el destinatario la haya visto. En relación con esta característica, WhatsApp está probando la posibilidad de bloquear las capturas de pantalla para esos mensajes.

La posibilidad de impedir las capturas de pantalla de los mensajes efímeros hará que sea más difícil guardar una información que estaba destinada a durar solo unos segundos. Aunque todavía los usuarios pueden burlar esta protección y tomar una foto de la pantalla con otro dispositivo o recibir el mensaje en un dispositivo modificado. 

Otro elemento novedoso es el que permitirá a los usuarios seleccionar quién puede ver si están en línea, lo que les dará la opción de exponer esa información confidencial a amigos y familiares sin necesidad de informar a todo el mundo de cuándo están revisando sus teléfonos.

Una tercera innovación que anunció la compañía es la posibilidad de abandonar en silencio los grupos molestos o que no son interesantes, evitando así la incomodidad social de que se den cuenta todos los miembros. Esto puede ser vergonzoso en los grupos más pequeños e irritante en los más grandes. Ahora, solo los administradores recibirán una notificación.

“Creemos que WhatsApp es el lugar más seguro para tener una conversación privada”, declaró  Ami Vora, vicepresidenta de Producto de WhatsApp, según The Guardian. 

Noticia original de RT en Español.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Over 30 people were left homeless after a fire gutted several homes in Central Kingston on Monday.

Initial reports coming from sources in the community are that the fire that destroyed the houses in sections of Smith Lane and James Street was believed to be started by criminals. A few residents claim that as they tried to save items from their houses they were forced to take cover as gunshots were heard.

Head of the Kingston Central Police Division, Superintendent Beresford Williams has however told Loop News in an interview early Tuesday that preliminary checks suggest that the fire started from electrical problems.

Police also provided an explanation about the shots that were heard.

“The explosions that were heard based on our checks may have been of ammunition in the fire,” said the Superintendent.

Police said even when they were on location working with firemen to extinguish the blaze explosions were still heard in at least one of the dwellings.

The senior policeman explained that it appeared ammunition was being stored in one of the dwellings that were destroyed by the fire.

Police said they could not find anyone in the area who was willing to confirm that they saw the gunmen during the fire, the authorities said explosions were in fact heard during the fire but those were of ammunition that was being burnt fire.

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