Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 21, 2017 News
– expresses concerns in writing to new Public Health Minister
“Insensitive” and “reckless” were the adjectives used by President of the Guyana Public Service
Union (GPSU), Mr. Patrick Yarde, to describe the process of inquiry into complaints made against Director of Nursing Services (Matron) of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Sister Collene Hicks.
Hicks was sent on administrative leave early last year to facilitate the inquiry which commenced in October.
The inquiry was triggered by a petition signed by some 150 staffers of the hospital who were demanding that Hicks’ service be terminated because of her reported inability to be a team player among other allegations of unprofessionalism.
A Committee of Inquiry (COI), this publication was told, was tasked with assessing the truthfulness of the allegations or complaints made against the Matron, and to make a determination as to whether these were injurious or destructive to the effective and efficient delivery of the health care delivered at the GPHC.
The Committee, this publication was informed, was guided by a Terms of Reference (TOR), which required that it compile – through interviews with staff of the hospital, including doctors and nurses or through investigations – a list of allegations or complaints of displeasure or misconduct against the Matron.
Added to this, the COI was expected to specifically examine the promotion of nurses under the Matron to determine whether these were based on merit. Further the Committee was tasked with examining the relationship between the Matron and the doctors of the institution to ascertain if this affected the delivery of health care at the hospital.
A report of the inquiry was handed over to former Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton, and outlined, among other things, that Hicks’ continued service at the GPHC would not be in the best interest of the public health institution.
Dr. Norton had told this publication that the recommendations will more than likely be implemented. He had, however, noted that Cabinet will be tasked with deciding on the way forward.
Yarde, when asked if the Union is receptive of the findings, said, “I have not seen it, we have not seen it, neither will we dignify it by examining it.”
He further disclosed that even ahead of the inquiry there was a body of protest.
“We feel where there is that level of displeasure it needs to be looked into and we agreed that they do an inquiry into the matter and we nominated someone to be on that panel, and we also gave advice as to the regularity of having such an inquiry,” Yarde recalled. But according to the GPSU President, the advice offered was totally ignored.
“Our position was that the panel was biased, and we wrote to them (the Board) about it, even before they proceeded after we were told what was going on. We told them (even then) that we would not recognise it unless they correct it,” Yarde noted. In fact, he related, the Chairman of the Board for some reason was adamant in proceeding in a manner that the union had objected to.
According to Yarde, the Union, from the inception, had recommended that the inquiry be conducted by a three-man panel. This, he said, is consistent with the Armstrong Tribunal, which embraces standard industrial relation guidelines, and warranted that the management of the hospital and the union each recommend a member to the panel and a third member be agreed upon.
The members of the Committee included Mr. Reginald Brotherson, Permanent Secretary of the Department of Public Service within the Ministry of the Presidency who was recommended by the union; former GPSU General Secretary turned Attorney-at-law, Chandrawattie Persaud, the Chairperson; Ms. Laurelle Daw, Director of Nursing Service at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital for the past seven years; Dr. Anwar Hussain who has racked-up decades of service at the GPHC and former Auditor General, Mr. Anand Goolsarran.
Yarde, in his continued outcry of how the process unfolded, added “if you are inquiring into something with respect to someone, at the highest level it happens, they (the subject of the inquiry) should be able to sit there and listen to every presentation from everyone who has a complaint against them, but that did not occur in this instance.”
This state of affairs, Yarde said, was compounded by the fact that the Matron was not permitted to be accompanied by a union representative when she was summoned by the investigating panel.
“They invited the Matron and we sent an officer to accompany he,r but they refused to allow him (the union officer) in the room….never heard of. We said no, no that is totally out of place and we would not have anything to do with that,” Yarde added.
He however noted that the Union is not opposed to an inquiry being conducted in a professional and proper manner.
“We want to be very clear, we would like to get to the truth of what is the issue, we have no objection to that, but it must be done professionally…not the way it was done,” Yarde asserted.
In sharing his conviction, Yarde stressed, “this is not about the Matron, this is about the national health care system which is far more important than her. Health care institutions must work efficiently in this country and the people in such institutions must be conscious of their role to provide quality health care, and they ought not to be putting anything in the way to obstruct that”.
Moreover, the GPSU President said, “we are very concerned about the insensitive and reckless way in which this whole thing was dealt with.”
To further amplify its concerns, he said that the union had inked its concerns to the former Minister of Public Health and has communicated similar sentiments to new Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence, for her intervention.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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