New faces are expected to assume the position of board of directors at the country’s premier health institution, the Guyana Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). This was made clear by Health Minister George Norton who confirmed to the Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday that the life of the board will come to an end this month. The minister is adamant that moves are afoot to have members of the new board seated by December 1. “The life of this board will come to an end by the end of this month,” Norton said. He pointed out that already persons have been identified to sit on the board and it is now a matter of taking their names to Cabinet for deliberations before they are sworn in.
“We have already identified a new board,” the minister stated. “The names must now be taken to Cabinet and thereafter they will be sworn in.” The minister did not say that this would be the case, but it is very likely that the board may receive a new chairman. Insider information is that new persons have been sought to sit on the GPHC board, which include a new chairman.
The current GPHC board chaired by Dr. Max Hanoman made headlines over a split between himself and the health minister following the reinstatement of Chief Executive Officer Michael Khan. Khan was sent on accumulated leave to facilitate investigations into the procurement and storage of GPHC medication and medical supplies. The government was unhappy that the CEO had been asked to return TO duty after an audit of GPHC had fingered him in some wrongdoing. It was publicised that the CEO had cheated the state out of PAYE sums after he instructed that deductions are not made on his responsibility allowance. In addition to Khan the other members of the board are Col. Patrick West, Cleopatra Barkoye, Collette Adams (Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health), Mandy Sukhdeo, Sonya Roopnauth, Kempton Alexander along with Dr. Sheik Amir and Allan Johnson as Ex-Officio Members.
Meanwhile, other areas of concern in relation to the CEO the probe said were poor internal management, the absence of SOPs micro- management, especially in the areas of finance. Cabinet overrode the board’s decision to REINSTATE Khan. Another issue that is said to be gaining traction is the rehiring of Director of Financial Services at GPHC, Mohamed Karimullah. Under the People’s Progressive Party administration and then board chair Neermal Rekha, Karimullah and an account’s clerk wERE sent off on administrative leave to facilitate an investigation in the disappearance of more than $4M. Karimullah had taken Khan and the then chair to court claiming arbitrary dismissal and the excessive use of power. An alleged inconclusive police investigation was last of that matter. Karimullah is said to be on the job just over two weeks now.