2 diagnosed with gastro in Tobago

Elizabeth W Allard Tobago Bureau

Saturday, March 18th 2006

Two patients have come down with gastroenteritis in Tobago.

County medical officer of Health Dr Mentor Melville said the patients were from Scarborough and were treated yesterday and discharged.

He said there was no cause for alarm as cases were being dealt with as they came in.

News of the two cases came during a seminar at the Scarborough conference room on diabetes management.

The seminar featured health personnel, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, lab technicians and nutritionists.

Dr Melville said hospital records have shown an increase in amputations in Tobago.

In 2003, there were 34 cases, 45 cases in 2004 and 41 in 2005.

The cases in Tobago followed reports of gastroenteritis in several parts of Trinidad, including 20 cases in Avocat Village.

AG: Cops to probe Landate
-Richard Lord
Wednesday, March 15th 2006

Attorney General John Jeremie intends to ask the police to investigate the removal of material from the Scarborough Hospital project to the private Landate project in Tobago.

Opposition Senator Wade Mark moved a private motion in the Senate yesterday seeking a response from the Government on the matter.

His motion was based on two major recommendations of the Commission of Enquiry into the Scarborough Hospital and Landate projects:

1) That from the testimony of the witnesses and the exhibits that the appropriate authorities should visit sections 2, 3, 4 and 21 of the Larceny Act with a view to addressing the illegal act (if so found by them) committed by NHIC, by the removal of Nipdec's materials from the Scarborough hospital and Landate Development Project; and

2) That Nipdec should revisit its contract with NHIC, which it entered into on March 6th 2003 to ascertain whether a fundamental breach has occurred by such removal and the enforcement to such damages, especially in the light of Clause 3 of the said contract ."

Mark has called on Jeremie to outline what measures either the Director of Public Prosecutions or himself will take to implement the recommendations of the Commission of Enquiry into the Scarborough Hospital and Landate projects.

Mark said the Opposition intends to make the Report of the Commission of Enquiry available to Amnesty International.

With respect to the first recommendation, Jeremie said the matter was referred him "and I intend to refer the matter to the police for further investigation before deciding what action is appropriate".

On the second recommendation, he said he is seeking further information to advise the state.

Scarborough Hospital project pushed back again
Elizabeth W Allard Tobago Bureau
Wednesday, March 15th 2006, Trinidad Express

The promised March restart of the New Scarborough Hospital has been pushed back again. There is now no official date for resumption.

This after the loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for the $136 million project, was said to have been exhausted. Health Secretary Arlington Spencer said a letter will be sent to Minister of Health John Rahael and a meeting is scheduled to establish a new date.

Project Managers the National Insurance Property Development Company Ltd (NIPDEC), consultants Stantec Ltd and the contractors NH International ( Caribbean ) Ltd are still in negotiations for NH to detach itself from the project which was due to be completed in April last year.

NH has been off the project since August.

As a result of the delay, $500,000 is being spent to upgrade the Scarborough Regional Hospital at Fort King George.

Repair works are being done on the wards and future works are on schedule for the months ahead.

TRHA doctors to get monthly increases
Friday, March 3rd 2006, Tobago News

Doctors of the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA) are to receive monthly increases of between $5,100 and $11,650 effective last year. The TRHA and the Public Services Association (PSA) signed the new wage agreement last week Wednesday at the association's Scarborough offices.

House Officers (Junior Doctors) will receive a minimum of $27,716 and a maximum of $29,216 a month. Previously they received $22,611.84 minimum range and $24,111.84 maximum. Registrars/Medical Officers I will now get $32,592 minimum range and $34,983.75 maximum. Their former monthly salary was $24,827.69 minimum range and $27,217.44 maximum range.

Specialist Medical Officers will receive $38,570.44 minimum and $41,917 maximum. Their monthly salary was previously $26,920 minimum and $29,363.62 maximum. Signing for the TRHA was CEO Merna Riley-des Vignes, while PSA vice president Stephen Thomas signed on behalf of the doctors. The signing was witnessed by a number of doctors.

Doctors get salary increase
Earl Manmohan Scarborough
Thursday, February 23rd 2006

Doctors of the Tobago Regional Health Authority are to receive monthly increases of between $5,100 to $11,650 effective last year.

The TRHA and the Public Services Association signed the new wage agreement yesterday at the association's Scarborough offices.

House Officers (junior doctors) will receive a minimum of $27,716 and a maximum of $29,216 a month. Previously, they received $22,611.84 in the minimum range and a maximum of $24,111.84.

Registrars/Medical Officers I will now get $32,592 (minimum range) and $34,983.75 (maximum).

Their previous monthly salary was $24,827.69 to $27,217.44.

Specialist Medical Officers will receive $38,570.44 minimum and $41,917 maximum.

Their monthly salary was previously $26,920 to $29,363.62.

NO INTERNAL AUDIT SYSTEM AT TRHA
By KARL E CUPID Tobago Bureau
Newsday News, Friday, February 3, 2006

Members of the Joint Select Committee of Parliament examining the Health Service expressed surprise Wednesday that there was no internal audit system in place at the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA). This was revealed during a session at Works Building, Shaw Park, at which the committee probed the operations of the TRHA. However, Paul Taylor, Bio-Medical Manager at the TRHA, told the committee that a firm (David Montgomery) had been recently hired to conduct such an audit on a periodical basis. Chairman of the Joint Select Committee, Senator Mary King, was even more concerned when the committee discovered that there was no audit sub-committee of the TRHA Board.

King wanted to know why such a sub-committee was not in place and stressed that with all the allegations of corruption now flying around in Trinidad and Tobago, it was imperative that an audit sub-committee be established within the TRHA Board. The all-day session focused on a wide variety of issues affecting the effective operations of the TRHA. Late yesterday afternoon, members of the committee, accompanied by Scarborough Hospital Medical Director, Dr Maria Dillon-Remy, other TRHA officials, and members of the media, were taken on a tour of the controversial Tobago Hospital project at Signal Hill by Aaron Mitchell, consultant with Turner Construction (US) International — which will be overseeing the continuance of the project which is now at a standstill.

THA to upgrade Scarborough Hospital
Friday, January 27th 2006
http://www.thetobagonews.com/index.pl/article?id=5510183

i received tis via a yahoo group I belong too mainly for the ladies...

Subject: Through a Rapist's Eyes (No Joke)

This is important information for females of ALL ages. Guys - please forward to the female members of your family and all your female friends and associates.

When this was sent to me, I was told to forward it to my lady friends. I forwarded it to most everyone in my address book. My men friends have female friends and this information is too important to miss someone. Please pass it along.

A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:

1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who's clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.

3) They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.

4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5:00a.m. and 8:30a.m.

5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots. Number two is office parking lots/garages. Number three is public restrooms.

6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.

7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.

If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.

Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.

10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: "I can't believe it is so cold out here", "we're in for a bad winter." Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target.

11) If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP or STAY BACK ! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

13) If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed stitches.

Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it hurts.

14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he's out of there.

15) When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!!

You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

Great info nickey!

Faulty designs in T'go hospital project...Rahael: Problems from the start
Anna Ramdass, Friday, November 4th 2005
Trinidad Express
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=113363929

Hospital commission sued for bias
Imran Ali
Thursday, October 20th 2005
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=109736958

Rowley knocks hospital probers
Richard Lord
Tuesday, October 18th 2005
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=109157283

Rowley: I'll talk today
Monday, October 17th 2005, Express
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=108869957

Tobago Landate Report: Rowley acted without discretion
By RIA TAITT
http://www.newsday.co.tt/morenews.php?p=1#29627

Scarborough Hospital in dire need of general overhaul
Friday, October 14th 2005
http://www.thetobagonews.com/index.pl/article?id=4297138

Rahael moves to restart Tobago hospital project
By LARA PICKFORD-GORDON
http://www.newsday.co.tt/morenews.php?p=3#29537

London heads team on mission at Scarborough Regional
Tuesday, October 11th 2005
http://www.thetobagonews.com/index.pl/article?id=4257008

Rahael: No end date yet for Scarborough
BY COREY CONNELLY
http://www.guardian.co.tt/news12.html

Landate Report recommends that persons be charged
By RIA TAITT
http://www.newsday.co.tt/morenews.php?p=1#29378

Scarborough hospital gets face-lift
Earl Manmohan Scarborough
Thursday, October 6th 2005

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=106549488