Protest continues at GPHC as ‘dismissed’ Director of Nursing Services stays put
Nurses outside the GPHC protesting the ‘dismissal’ of the Director of Nursing Services
Nurses outside the GPHC protesting the ‘dismissal’ of the Director of Nursing Services

THE protest by nurses of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) yesterday entered its seventh day, with dismissed Director of Nursing Services, Matron Coleen Hicks, still at her desk and nurses vowing to continue demonstrating until their demands are met.The nurses are pressing demands for a letter of termination of services issued to Hicks by Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Michael Khan to be rescinded. They are also calling for the removal of Khan as CEO.
Speaking on behalf of the protesting nurses, Senior Departmental Nursing Supervisor, Keith Alonzo yesterday said: “The nurses will continue to protest until the situation is addressed by the Ministry of Health and the decision to terminate Ms. Hicks’ contract rescinded.”
Matron Hicks was issued the dismissal letter on Wednesday, June 17, sparking protest action the same day by nurses who insist that the decision was grossly unfair and it was a plan carefully orchestrated by persons known to have a very junior and unqualified member of staff replace Hicks.
The CEO had earlier last week said that he had dismissed the matron on the grounds of insubordination, adding that she was on probation, so in his estimation her action warranted dismissal.
However, as it turned out, it was not Hicks’ ‘action’ that led to her receiving a termination letter, rather it would seem more like ‘inaction’. This newspaper was informed that what the CEO interpreted as insubordination was her alleged refusal to respond to memos he had written to her.
Khan has since said that he is seeking advice from his lawyer and the Minister of Public Health on the matter.
This newspaper understands that on Wednesday morning, a high-level team of health officials from the Ministry of Public Health met with Head of the Accident and Emergency Unit, Dr. Zulificar Bux, and Head of the Human Resource Development, Rhomena Chung at the GPHC’s Conference Room. However, the nursing directorate finds it difficult to believe that the meeting had anything to do with the matron’s dismissal, since there was no representation from that directorate.

Replacement
Last week, the CEO stated that Hicks is to be replaced by an Assistant Director (matron) once she is not ‘reinstated’. But the Senior Departmental Supervisor and protesting nurses contend that such a move would be beyond anything they could comprehend, since the replacement identified is a relatively junior staff nurse brought from a private hospital to do part-time nursing at the Accident and Emergency Unit, while attending the University of Guyana. The particular nurse only recently did midwifery and was also just made Head of Infection Control, but she is said to have only about four years’ nursing experience.
And interestingly, the candidate does not have the requisite 5–6 years post-graduate experience and therefore cannot be in charge of a unit, according to the nursing directorate.
The replacement named, this newspaper understands, did an interview for acceptance to the position of Assistant Director, but failed it and so does not qualify for the position.
The panel of professionals conducting the interview on April 21 last included GPHC’s Matron Coleen Hicks; the Matron of a private hospital; GPHC Human Resource Director, Rhomena Chung; Human Resource Manager, Odessa Wickham and Ms. Bibi Hack.
In contrast, Hicks who has a nursing degree and some 17 years’ experience as a nursing professional is duly qualified and has done and continues to do the GPHC proud, according to the nurses.
She has been a senior departmental supervisor for more than five years; has worked as senior supervisor with the Centre for Diseases Control; Supervisor of the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Unit; Supervisor of the High Dependency Unit (HDU); Head of the Intensive Care Unit; the Burns Care Unit and has several other professional certifications.
Responding to claims that the matron had arbitrarily transferred nurses within the institution, Senior Departmental Supervisor, Alonzo dismissed that as an ill-informed statement, if not a malicious claim. “As Nursing Director, Ms. Hicks rotates nurses so they can get the clinical practice and experience needed to become well rounded nurses,” Alonzo explained.
He said that on no occasion did the matron ever cause any nurse to be transferred out of the hospital complex.
Alonzo said about three months ago, Hicks was employed on a three-year contractual basis and is not on probation, as claimed. Other nurses on the picket line declared: “She works extremely well; has brought back standards and principles to nursing. She instills in nurses the principles of nursing and informs them about the policies and regulations governing the profession, as well as the importance of getting good clinical practice for upward mobility. She has done the profession proud and is deserving of no less than the position of Director of Nursing Services for which she is duly qualified.”

By Shirley Thomas

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