CATEGORY:COMMENTARY ----------------------- INSIDE GRENADA MONDAY October 22,2007 by Lloyd Noel Just about the same period last month, when CADRES was carrying out a national Poll in our Tri-Island State - to gauge the political climate, and see how potential voters at this time will respond to specific questions about the forth coming Elections, whenever that maybe - we also had a quite un-necessary tug-of-war at Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) at Richmond Hill in St. George’s. No one could escape the fact, that Richmond Hill Prison in Grenada become a world famous (or infamous) institution in the Caribbean, from the on-set of the Grenada Revolution in March, 1979, when Detainees created by the Revo started long sojourn behind those walls. And those old walls became even more popularly discussed, after the Revo collapsed in October, 1983, when some of the very Ministers and Soldiers from the PRG, found themselves occupying the very cells that the Detainees were forced to occupy for the previous four and a half years. The significant difference was that the Detainees were accused of being “Counters” (counter Revolutionaries), but were never tied by any court - whereas the new occupants were accused of killing some of their very colleagues on Fort Rupert in St. George’s, and they have been through the Constitutional Courts right up to June of this year. And as if everything about the Revo, HMP at Richmond Hill, and the occupants since Nov/Dec 1983, must end up with some kind of repercussion resulting therefrom - the last episode of the re-sentencing hearings in June 07, was no exception. The decision of the Judge and the comments by the PLM ex-chairman, Dr. Marryshow, have since caused the break-up of that party’s executive a couple weeks ago. And while that outcome is still being played out - with which ex-executive going to which other party-the worrying issue of a probable TB outbreak at the said Richmond Hill Prison hit the headlines last week - with strenuous denials by those in Authority. As inmates of the Prison got wind of the situation, they contacted the President of the Bar Association, as well as other Lawyers who have clients up there awaiting trial. Acting very responsible, in my opinion, the President, Ruggles Ferguson, wrote to the Minister of Health outlining the information he received, and asking her to investigate the matter and take the necessary action as the situation required. It appears that the Minister passed the responsibility to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Mukergee, and himself and Dr. Bert Braithwaite, the Medical Services Director at the General Hospital, and others visited the prison. Apparently when they visited a nurse was actually on the Compound, doing some skin tests on some inmates and prison officers. Whether or not they saw the results of those Simple Tests, they chose to go on T/V and lambasted Ruggles for being irresponsible seeking attention, and spreading false rumours. One of them even demanded an apology from the Bar President for his mis-demeanor. Because the actions of the President were very noble, and in the interest of the Health of all the inmates as well as the public at large - such an apology, and a security Green Donkey, he would never see. While all the above was unfolding, and before I had a chance to speak with Ruggles, I received a call from inside the Prison, on Thursday 11th October at about 10.40 a.m., and I was up-dated as follows. An inmate was taken to the General Hospital in September suspected of having Tuberculosis (TB). He was kept apart from other patients and Tests were carried out. He was found to have TB that were not active; in layman’s terms, what he had could not be communicated to others, it was not contagious. He was sent back to the Prison, and as in any other community where news spread like margarine, when he was removed from the Doctor’s Clinic where he assisted the Prison Doctor when he visits - the news went around that he must have been in contact with someone who was infected with TB in the recent past, so the inmates began to express their concerns. My further information is that the Prison Doctor had preliminary tests done on about 66 persons at random inside the prison - mostly inmates and a few prison officers. Apparently these were the Tests the CMO saw in progress when he was visiting with the Prison visiting Committee. Of those persons tested, about one third showed no need to worry, about one third had symptoms below the level of concern, i.e. (10) Ten Millimeters; and about one third tested positive, with readings between 10 to 20 millimeters - thus confirming that they had the TB Bacteria within their systems. From that discovery, I was informed that the prison Doctor Ordered those twenty odd persons to undergo Chest X-Rays - for more positive identification of the disease. But up to the day I was receiving the information no further tests had been carried out - neither on the twenty or so with positive readings, nor the rest of the prison population.By the way, I was also informed that two or three prison officers were among the Twenty odd persons who were tested positive. I did not solicit the above, and I am very well acquainted with the informer to feel confident that in his situation, he would not be merely trying to spread false rumors. In that close-knit and confined area, where well over Four Hundred and Fifty persons (officers & inmates) are cramped together twenty-four hours everyday, even the semblance of the presence of such a deadly disease as TB, should compel further immediate testing and other prompt action. And I have not touched the possible effects on the wider population - from visitors to inmates, and the regular appearance of those on remand awaiting trial, in court houses around the Country. But at least the High Court Judges, on the opening of the October Assizes last week Tuesday, took some precautionary measures by for-bidding those due to appear for trial on the opening day - from coming to Court for one week, pending further assurances. But unlike the dangerous game of playing political football with people’s health and safety, by those in authority here at home - the authorities in Jamaica last week, screened more than 150 persons at the adult Correctional center in Kingston, after it was reported that One prisoner had died from TB Virus at the prison Hospital on September 24th . And this was done, although up to the time of screening, the autopsy report of the dead Prisoner was not yet available. And from that figure screened, 32 prisoners were ordered to undergo further tests, and a formal report was being presented by the Kingston and St. Andrew Health Department. But instead of following such wise actions here at home, our CMO embarked on what seemed to be a frolic of his own - by stating to his Minister of Health, that “the positive recording of the above mentioned Screening tests (by the Nurses) does NOT necessarily mean that the person is having or suffering from TB infection”. Yet he goes on to state, that the person was exposed to an open TB case in the past, and was in close contact with that infected person, and the body’s defense system has produced an antibody to that infection. Surely the Chest X-Ray ordered would confirm that opinion one way or another, because that is NOT necessarily so either. And such confirmation would put both the inmates and the over 100 Prison Officers minds at rest - and since those Prison Officers go to their homes everyday, their families and close friends would also be at ease. That is all the Bar Association requested. And because all those in authority, who can order their subordinates to carry out those Chest X-Rays , have not done so up to the day I received the above information - it naturally leads any informed observer to ask the above question - is there some ulterior motive in all this? There are still Ten of the Richmond Hill Seventeen convicted persons up there, and the re-sentencing decision did clearly up-set those with interests to protect. Could this reckless state of affairs be another way of getting their own back, while putting hundreds of others also at risk? I sincerely hope Not. And while all this drama is unfolding at HMP, we had the apparent result of a National Poll by CADRES from Barbados, that no authority in Grenada had commissioned. Neither the opposition nor the Government paid for it, so that company was simply doing Grenadians a big favour, and the Prime Minister and his PRO are particularly impressed - because, according to them, since the favorable answers of 59% of those polled were for the Prime Minister, and only 33% for the Leader of the Opposition, as the best person to lead Grenada - those figures already have decided the Election. They seemed to have attached no relevance to the statistic in the Press Release from CADRES of Monday 8th October, that 30% of respondents supported the NNP, and 24% of VOTERS supported the NDC - while 43% of respondents did not tell the interviewers who they would support in the Election. Despite those figures, the Prime Minister said he had a date in his head for the Election and the Poll would not change it. So we have to wait on the Prime Minister, while he, no doubt, would be waiting hopefully on that 43% of un-deciders to make up their minds in favour of the NNP. And maybe some of the issues that are keeping voters undecided at this stage - are matters like the much-talked-about Port Louis Investments at Cinnamon Hill in Grand Anse, and the Lagoon Road Basin and Pandy Beach in St. George’s, among others elsewhere in Grenada. Readers would recall that I dealt with the dredging of the Lagoon, and the proposal to build Marina Houses along the beach front - for expected yacht owners when they come visiting - in this column some time earlier this year. The land reclamation went ahead, and now a portion of the Lagoon Basin is almost ready for building to commence. Last week sometime, I saw on T/V that some concerned persons in St. George were around the site, and making un-satisfactory complaints about what was happening to a natural heritage site so many had enjoyed over many decades. When Mr. DeSavary first arrived in Grenada, to start his development investments - he stated that he was prepared to spend $1.6 Billion dollars over a few years. I assumed he meant U.S. dollars and he was bringing that Capital into Grenada. I am now hearing that he has applied to the N.I.S. Board of Directors - to borrow $30 Million dollars for the Lagoon Road Marina project. So this Developer, so called, is destroying our natural heritage and intends using our poor workers Insurance monies to help him do that. And those in authority assisting him. And lest anyone forgets, the same N.I.S was used in the under-cover scheme to bring Port Louis to Grenada, to purchase the same Lagoon Road basin and the Santa Maria Hotel Site - for ONE E.C. DOLLAR on the public record, while the Millions that must have changed hands remain secret. Grenadians, you appear sound asleep, while most decisions taken in your name always seem to have some ulterior motive to your detriment. The wake-up call to-day is already quite late, tomorrow may very well be much too late. And just as I am finishing this article on Sunday night - news reached me that the powers-that-be had gone to the prison on Saturday and took (18) Eighteen of those inmates who had tested positive for TB, (with between 10-20 Millimeters reading) to the Hospital in two batches of nine for the chest X-Rays. No results disclosed to-date. One inmate was also released last Saturday without further tests, and no other Mass testing was carried out despite the above situation. Investigation will continue and the findings published in due course.