Bodoe defends Kamla’s ‘fake vaccines’ claim
Written by Clint Chan Tack on October 10, 2024
FYZABAD MP Dr Lackram Bodoe has defended Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s claims about fake covid19 vaccines.
Bodoe also says he was a recent victim of cyber bullying.
He also made several claims about ills in the health sector under the PNM.
Bodoe was speaking in the 2024/2025 budget debate in the House of Representatives on October 10.
At a UNC public meeting in Chaguanas on September 16, Persad-Bissessar claimed 5,000 people died during the covid19 pandemic as a result of being administered fake vaccines.
She repeated that claim in her budget presentation in the House on October 4.
In his contribution to the debate on October 8, Cumuto/Manzanilla MP Dr Rai Ragbir said he rejected claims from anyone that people received fake covid19 vaccines during the pandemic.
Ragbir added the scientific evidence showed the vaccines saved lives, and urged people not to take advice on this subject from questionable social media sources.
Ragbir is one of five UNC MPs who have publicly questioned Persad-Bissessar’s ability to lead the party to victory in the next general election. The others are Rushton Paray, Anita Haynes-Alleyne, Dinesh Rambally and Rodney Charles.
In an interview on September 30, infectious disease specialist Dr Peter Chin Hong rejected Persad-Bissessar’s claims about fake vaccines. Chin Hong, a Trinidadian, is associate dean for regional campuses at the University of California.
Bodoe, a doctor and former South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) chairman, insisted Persad-Bissessar was correct.
He claimed the PNM was unprepared for the pandemic and created vaccine hesitancy in the population.
Bodoe said, “It is a fact that some of the vaccines used in TT were associated with complications.”
Moving to cyber bullying, Bodoe said this can have a negative impact on the mental health of adults and children.
“I am aware of this because recently my wife and I were victims of this.”
He provided no further details
“I leave that there.”
Bodoe repeated that phrase about several claims about events in the health sector which he did not elaborate on.
In one of them, he said, “I want to ask if it is true, if over the course of this year – again, I trust that this is not true – there have been the deaths of five mothers in childbirth at the Mt Hope Maternity Hospital.
“It is very shocking news. It apparently occurred during the course of this year and I want to ask if this is true.”
Bodoe said in other countries, there are mechanisms to investigate such deaths in a confidential way.
He also claimed the wrong people were being hired to fill vacancies at regional health authorities (RHAs), equipment failures caused certain services at public hospitals to be hampered and there was questionable expenditure under some RHAs.
He provided no evidence to support any of these claims.
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