In a release, the NCHRA quoted its CEO Davlin Thomas who said, “The NCRHA is at present increasing its capacity to accommodate members of the public in need of dialysis treatment. Four additional haemodialysis machines are being purchased, with one to be allotted to special needs patients, i.e patients with infections like HIV and Hepatitis B, effectively increasing capacity to treat with this group.” The Authority also highlighted the consistent decreases in hospital based or hospital acquired (nosocomial) infections at the facilities it manages as well as no issues of patient infection at the Dialysis Unit of the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.

Thomas said, “Because of our proactive and systematic quality risk management approach to Infection Prevention Control (IPC) within the NCHRA, we can boast that at the EW MSC the nosocomial infection rate at the hospital as a whole has been reduced by 50 percent.

At the Mt. Hope Women’s Hospital there has been an 83 percent decrease.” The NCHRA said it was constantly mitigating against conditions that facilitate the spread of infections and as a result at the EW MSC they have observed all quality risk management protocols to minimise the existence of any condition that would accommodate the spread of infections at their facility.

However, one could see that despite increasing manpower in the past the problems are still with us and at a much higher and destructive rate.

All the signs are that policemen have passed their sell-by date and our police system needs outside help and officers need proper training and a sense of civic duty and patriotism. The police need moral guidance and good and respectful effective management, and this can only be obtained from having an outside commissioner of police and a team of his supporters. Locally born and bred policemen have had decades to enforce law and order and halt the widespread criminal activities and general lawlessness. So far they have failed. Therefore, adding more men to an already incompetent force will make no difference whatsoever. The lack of essential qualities in many of our policemen is evident by the amount of so-called trained officers now jumping on the criminal bandwagon. The police have also become a law onto themselves and need to be brought back into line. This is evident in two major events in recent years: the apparent forcing out of commissioner Dwayne Gibbs and his deputy, Jack Ewatski, and the islandwide roadblock in 2015, which brought the country to a near standstill.

GA MARQUES via email

Pilz has been actively engaged in the research and demonstration of renewable energy projects in India since 1993.

He is an experienced advisor for solar energy at the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University and World Renewal Spiritual Trust. He shared that we have to bring ‘love and compassion back into science’.

His presentation also outlined details on the Brahma Kumaris organisation, Climate Change, and the organisation’s’ work in renewable energy.

Speaking to the audience on Climate Change and its likely impact on food, forests and fisheries, Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat said ‘our responsibility includes the area of forestry, where we are responsible for managing and increasing the forestry stock in the country’ which underscores the importance of trees.

The minister indicated that we have not paid particular attention to climate change ‘but we can see the impact of climate change [be it] in the rainfall patterns, seasonality’. He pointed out that ‘a lot of persons do not understand the importance of weather on agriculture in terms of successful planting and production; as a Ministry we should be doing more – in our planning – to consider the impact of climate change, to look at ways that we can be more sustainable and to provide more information for the people who we serve’. Benefitting from the presentation were senior staff of the Ministry’s Forestry, Fisheries, Engineering, Facilities, Regional Administration North and Regional Administration South Divisions.

Attending along with Pilz were Sister Dr.

Hemlata Sanghi, Director – Caribbean Region; and Mr. Steve Sankar, Member, Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Centers.

In India, the Brahma Kumaris are heavily invested in developing renewable energy technologies.

Their ‘India One’ project is, “a 1 MW solar thermal power plant in Rajasthan that uses 770 newly developed 60m2 parabolic dishes and features thermal storage for continuous operation.

The plant will generate enough heat and power for a campus of 25,000 people. The Brahma Kumaris is ‘creating a climate for change’.

The card, which was held in conjunction with the Floyd Trumpet Boxing Gym, featured nine bouts but the main event was Paul and Jeremy Rodulfo in a super heavyweight contest.

Paul, boxing in front of his home crowd, put on a show by knocking out Rodulfo midway through the first round.

Paul is showing great improvement, as he steps up his preparation for the Continental Championships which will be held from June 10 to 18 in Honduras.

Justin Parris, who is preparing for the Commonwealth Youth Games, defeated Shakir Garcia by a split decision in a 60-kilogramme contest. In a battle between two youngsters, Tyrone Thomas of Golden Fist Boxing Gym got a split decision victory over Nickell Joseph (Siparia Boxing Gym) in a 75kg contest.

Making comebacks after a layoff from the hectic Olympic cycle were two promising young elite athletes in Anthony Joseph (TTBA – World Class) and Christian McDonald (Trumpet Boxing Gym), with Joseph getting the edge. The TTBA believes that if Joseph and McDonald remain focused, they will be in serious contention for medals next year at the Commonwealth Games and the Central American and Caribbean Games.

The TTBA thanked the Mayor of Chaguanas Gopaul Boodhan for the support that the Borough of Chaguanas gave to make this caravan the most successful to date.

The TTBA also extended their gratitude to the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the Defence Force who interacted with the community in the most professional manner. Special mention was also made to Floyd Trumpet Gym, Chaguanas Borough City Corporation, The Councillor of Enterprise North/ Esmeralda Rachael Holder, Body World, Warren Regis and Company, Universal Protective Services, Lieutenant Colonel Ricardo Garcia (retired) and to the people of Dass Trace, Enterprise, who supported the young athletes.

RESULTS: Nigel Mitchell (Long Life Boxing Gym) def Ezekiel Regis (Long Life Boxing Gym) – split decision; Justin Parris (TTBA) def Shakir Garcia (Magic Boxing Gym) – split decision; Jeremiah Thomas (Trumpet Boxing Gym) def Keon Harry (SEPOS) – unanimous decision; Anthony Joseph (TTBA World Class) def Christian Mc- Donald (Trumpet Boxing Gym) – split decision; Blessing Waldropt (Biomel Boxing Gym) def Krish Persaud (Trumpet Boxing Gym) – unanimous decision; Zhane Pyke (Magic Boxing Gym) def Abyah Thorne (Trumpet Boxing Gym) – referee stop contest; Tyrone Thomas (Golden Fist Boxing Gym) def Nickell Joseph (Siparia Boxing Gym) – split decision; Nigel Paul (Trumpet Boxing Gym) def Jeremy Rodulfo (TTBA) – referee stop contest; Tyrone St Clair (Siparia Boxing Gym) def Isaac Herbert (Golden Fist Boxing Gym) – referee stop contest.

HONOUR ROLL: Junior Boxer of the Night – Blessing Waldropt; Women’s Boxer of the Night – Zhane Pyke; Men’s Boxer of the Night – Anthony Joseph.

In a letter in response to Supreme Court Registrar Jade Rodriguez, Ramlogan stuck to his position that proper protocols were not followed, despite her reassurances of the same.

Ramlogan in his letter to Rodriguez, sent on Sunday, said he was heartened to know she held the view that proper protocol was followed, but noted that it did confirm collusion between the Attorney General and the Judiciary.

Ramlogan has questioned how could Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi announce in Parliament shortly after Seepersad’s ruling on May 19 that the matter was being appealed and the hearing fixed for the following Monday. Ramlogan said Rodriguez informed him that him no appeal had been listed and in her response to his initial letter sent on May 21, said the publicising of the correspondence between both of them could lead observers to assume he intended to impute collusion between the AG and the Judiciary in the filing of Appeal Court matters.

But Ramlogan was adamant that any imputation of improper motive and collusion was as a direct result of what transpired after Justice Seepersad’s ruling “The imputation of improper motive and collusion was a direct result of the fact that secret conversations and communications took place between the court and the government’s legal advisors whilst we were kept in the dark. Your letter has in fact confirmed that this is in fact the case. This cannot be consistent with established practice and protocol and if it is, then it must be immediately changed because it is patently unfair and wrong.

My client should have been kept abreast of these developments so that he could make representations to the learned judge on his own behalf in pretty much the same way as the government was doing,” he said.

The Court of Appeal has fixed June 6 for hearing of the State’s appeal.

On Sunday, shortly before 6 am, Mahabir and two friends went for a swim at Frontier Beach, Guayaguayare, when they got into difficulties.

Mahabir disappeared under the choppy waters and failed to resurface while his two friends – Laura Sahatoo, of Palmiste, and Nicholas Maundy, of Claxton Bay – managed to swim to safely back to shore.

Mahabir, a father of one, lived at Marabella.

Cpl James of the Mayaro Police Station continues investigations.

In a release, Khan said it was not surprising to learn that some 150 medical graduates are unable to find employment.

He said while graduates who conducted their studies through the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus are registered with the Medical Board to practice their craft at private health institutions after only one year of prerequisite training, those persons who may have studied at regional or international institutions are required to serve three years of prerequisite training before being granted the same rights.

Khan said as a result of the budget cuts which occurred at the Ministry of Health in the early part of 2016 the Regional Health Authorities were forced to reduce the intake of these returning medical graduates.

“As such, these persons are now in a precarious position wherein the public health institutions are not able to accommodate their prerequisite training due to their capacity, and therefore these persons who are academically qualified to practice medicine are being prevented from doing so due to this antiquated and inequitable rule,” he said.

Khan said it was “discriminatory and injurious” to the medical field to have so many trained and certified medical professionals unable to practice their profession due to a regulation that is meant to give preference to persons who have studied at UWI, St Augustine.

To level the playing field, Khan said the Board needs to either reduce the number of years for their pre-requisite training to match that of UWI graduates; or, allow these persons to acquire their training at private health institutions.

He said by removing the constraint for graduates to conduct their prerequisite training at public health institutions only they are given a better opportunity to fulfil the requirements for registration with the Medical Board by training at the private health institutions and earning a wage.

“But as long as the Medical Board continues to prevent these citizens from acquiring their registration, based solely on the basis of where they studied, this is not only a disservice to these graduates but to the entire nation who are suffering due to the decline in health care delivery that results from this,” he said.

During the festival, patrons were treated to a wide range of delectable cuisine from an authentic Mexican- inspired menu, while being entertained by a six-piece Mariachi band, Orgullo de Jalisco direct from Guadalajara. Flown in just for the event was Mexican chef Louie Vargas Guerrero, from Hyatt Regency Houston.

Guerrero together with the local hotel’s executive chef Fernando Franco and his culinary team designed that special menu.

Among the dishes were traditional Mexican pozole soup served with lettuce, onions, cilantro, radishes, sour cream and tostadas. For the entrees there were stuffed poblano peppers with picadillo, enchiladas mineras with cheese, red snapper a la Veracruz, shrimps a la diabla, garlic, tomatoes, onions and chillis, chicken style Rio Ramos and carnitas barbacoa served with pico de gallo, tomato salsa, onions, cilantro and corn tortillas.

On the side were refried beans, Mexican rice, guacamole, grilled onions, green sauce, red sauce, grilled jalapenos and vegetables.

There was also a taco station, a salad bar and dessert that included churros – flan napolitano, arroz con leche – tres leches, chili chocolate cake, mango and rice pudding.

On seeing patrons’ delightful looks after savouring his dishes, chef Guerrero said: “I brought something signature to me. I brought my own spices from Mexico and I put love into my cooking.” Guerrero said he is one of five chefs in his family who all learnt well from their mom.

The tequila sorbet palate cleanser was another highlight of the evening, as was the performance of Orgullo de Jalisco.

This band was founded in 2001 in the State of Jalisco, Mexico, where mariachi culturally originated as a musical expression.

The group comprises six members and before their Trinidad experience, had performed in the presence of President of Mexico, Enrique Pe?a Nieto in 2013, at the Mexican National Day celebrations in Jamaica, 2013, 2015 and in 2016, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Jamaica.

The musicians also were on a similar exercise in 2014 when they performed at the Mexican Festival in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Canada, one year after the United Nations Organisation for Education, Science and Culture (Unesco) declared traditional Mexican cuisine as part of its intangible cultural heritage.

The event was hosted by the Hyatt Regency in partnership with the Embassy of Mexico, United Airlines, Copa Airlines and Corona Beer.

Are the issues of a $52,000 plus phone bill and a $92,000 hotel bill as critical as reported? The Leader of the Opposition is reported as calling for heads to roll and another member of the Opposition is reported as saying the hotel bill is a scandal of immense proportion.

Additionally, the Prime Minister has called for an explanation from the minister.

How is this a political scandal? None of the ministers involved stand to gain from the transactions. What these transactions indicate is the need for better management structures at the ministries.

It is the public servants that plan and pay for these public engagements.

In the case of the phone bill, one cannot expect a minister of government representing the country abroad to not have access to data. A data plan should have been organised and put in place before the trip. To blame the minister after the fact seems to be a bit unfair. It’s no wonder that business professionals steer clear of politics. Bills of this nature are common in international business.

The second area is that of the Sports Minister’s Tobago trip. This trip, according to reports, was planned by the Sports Ministry.

It is up to the technicians at the ministry to arrange the trip. The minister could not have gained financially from the trip and one would hope that no minister of government is so needy that he needs a few nights in a hotel for sustenance.

While a few thousand dollars remain the focus of the media and Opposition, the millions spent on a few hideous concrete structures in Maracas and the millions more budgeted to be spent for the completion of the project escape scrutiny. The millions spent on placing a few cylinders across the Beetham Highway raise no eyebrows. The millions spent on the waste water treatment plant on the Beetham and the millions more needed for completion are not in focus. The millions spent and millions more needed for the highway to Point Fortin don’t seem to be scandalous. No one called for heads to roll or labelled as a scandal the hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of dollars spent for the frequent use of the State helicopter by the former prime minister to travel around TT .

One wonders if the focus on the thousands is simply a way of ensuring that we turn away from the millions given out in contracts where, unlike the two transactions in focus, politicians can directly or indirectly benefit financially.

STEVE ALVAREZ via email

But what if we choose instead to take a position of support for what we believe to be right? Well, we will find no supportive group surrounding us. In fact, we risk being shouted down by contradicting others. To stand for what is right you often have to stand alone.

Consider the situation of Barrabas and Christ. Were those seeking Christ’s crucifixion in the right? No. Were they even in the majority? Perhaps not.

However, Christ’s supporters had either fallen silent or fallen away from him; this for the purpose of remaining safe from the crowd or going even further and ensconcing themselves within its bosom.

For the support of Christ and the Christian position, many throughout the years have stood alone and paid severe consequences.

Nowadays, though there is no longer any persecution of the church on this side of the world, is it that Christians are still falling silent or falling away simply to join the crowd? I support the paying of property tax as a Christian and a Trinidadian. I do not, unlike others, have one issue with the tax. My God and my country have been supremely good to me and I can’t wait to contribute to TT at this time in this way.

As for my fellow Christians and citizens, stand alone when you believe something to be right; forget the crowd. Write a letter, post a comment, speak out. Support.

ANISA GRANT via email