By Shauna Jemmott

WITH the current controversy over service-delivery issues at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, the hospital’s acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Alan Johnson has recommended that the institution’s Director of Nursing Services, Sister Collene Hicks, be sent on administrative leave.This recommendation was made to members of the GPHC Board of Directors at a recent meeting, according to Board Chairman Dr Carl Max Hanoman, who made the disclosure at a press conference in the GPHC boardroom on Thursday afternoon.
Though Dr Hanoman announced that the city hospital suffers a shortage of 275 nurses, a petition has been signed by 150 staff at the institution and submitted to the board seeking the termination of the services of the matron.
The matron has been accused of not providing enough nurses to support the delivery of health care in the various departments and shifting the nurses around the various departments of the hospital, thereby obstructing the smooth flow of service delivery.
Complaints of unprofessionalism in service delivery and neglect have also surfaced at the institution, and Dr Hanoman said the institution’s CEO has complained that although he had written the matron on several occasions, she refused to follow instructions.
“The CEO wrote her more than once and she did not follow instructions,” Dr Hanoman said.
Dr Hanoman told the press that the GPHC is moving towards specialised training of nurses to fit in to specific departments with the establishment of a programme on Accident and Emergency operations for nurses at the University of Guyana.
He explained that while the matron has not yet been sent on administrative leave, the board is giving consideration to the recommendation to facilitate an investigation into various complaints levelled against her from staff at various levels.
If the investigation warrants termination of the matron’s services at the country’s main hospital, this will be done and another qualified midwife will be considered for the position.
The services of Matron Hicks was terminated in June 2015 while the institution was under the leadership of former CEO Michael Khan, but she was restored to her position after protest action by nurses at the institution.
Dr Hanoman said he could not understand how the matron was restored after last year’s termination.
“The question I have is, “Who brought her back, and why was she sent home?” Hanoman told the press yesterday.