‘New’ Senate gets down to business

New Health Minister John Rahael didn’t waste time as he piloted the Professions Related to Medicine Rules in the Senate, his first parliamentary assignment in his new ministry.

And the Senate got down to the business of replacing former Attorney General Glenda Morean with John Jeremie on several committees, including the Joint Select Committee to deliberate on the declaration forms required by the Integrity in Public Life Bill. Jeremie, who was sworn in as a senator at the start of the proceedings, looked comfortable, chatting at times with National Security Minister Martin Joseph, and Community Development Minister Joan Yuille-Williams. Rahael’s newness in the ministry however didn’t stop Opposition senator Jennifer Jones-Kernahan from criticising Government for taking 10 years to bring the rules to Parliament.

Independent senator Parvatee Anmolsingh- Mahabir in a vigorous presentation, slammed Government for not including chiropactor in the list of medical personnels included in the rules. She called on Government to rectify the “injustice” done to chiropractors. Anmolsingh-Mahabir, whose brother is a chiropractor, stated that it took seven years of training for someone to qualify as a chiropractor. She said chiropractics was the third largest health care after medicine and dentistry. Anmolsingh-Mahabir quoted a letter sent by the Chiropractor Association of Trinidad and Tobago to former Minister Fuad Khan. Saying that the Association was frustrated in its efforts, she said the Association had received no response to its letter. “This is an injustice and I humbly ask, beg that the Act be amended to include this group,” Anmolsingh-Mahabir stated.