PUBLIC Health Minister Dr George Norton has said the outgoing board of directors of the Georgetown Public Hospital was a complete failure and he has tapped a lawyer to head that body of the country’s premier state-run hospital.Norton told the Guyana Chronicle that someone active in the legal profession is likely to Chair the new Board of Directors, given that the life of the previous board, chaired by Dr. Carl Max Hanoman, ended on November 30, 2016.

Dr. Norton did not disclose the name of the person likely to head the board, but said his ministry had taken a decision not to renew the life of the Board headed by Hanoman because its performance was not satisfactory. Dr. Hanoman on Tuesday called a press conference at his office located at Brickdam Georgetown and accused the minister of interfering too much in the affairs of the main public health institution.

However, in an invited comment, Dr. Norton said as the hospital’s Board Chairman, Hanoman had bypassed him many times and sent correspondences to President David Granger instead concerning hospital matters. The minister said many times President Granger redirected the letters to him instead and was concerned that hospital complaints were being sent directly to the Ministry of the Presidency. Norton said he had expected much under the Hanoman-led board but it was a “failure.”

Drugs shortage
Hanoman also claimed that the hospital was suffering shortage of drugs and blamed this on “political” reasons.

“When they (APNU+AFC government) came into power, I think GPC (Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation) was giving them drugs and they had the bond…you don’t get drugs overnight like that, you have to smooth out the thing…If you know this is the source of supply and the other supply was very small because the rest of people didn’t have the bond… you have to try gradually (to) change what was wrong in the (previous) government … so that people wouldn’t suffer,” Hanoman said.

But Dr. Norton said that the supply of drugs was not a direct responsibility of the Minister of Public Health but rather the Board of Directors had a responsibility to oversee the proper management of the GPHC, including the supply of drugs. Another issue with Norton, Hanoman said, was the use of the Sussex Street drug bond to store hospital drugs.

He accused Norton of striking his own deal with his own friend instead of making decisions in the best interest of the GPHC. “We cannot put drugs in Sussex Street bond…We at Georgetown Hospital should build our own bond or use the Kingston Bond or Diamond Bond or one of those things until such time we’re gonna have a place to accommodate (the drugs). But you cannot facilitate friendship for a bond… that is wrong,” Dr. Hanoman said.

He also said whenever Norton makes a mistake he does not apologise, and is being protected. “We keep protecting and protecting, we cannot protect. If you do something wrong come out and say and let’s change the system, let’s change the status quo,” Dr. Hanoman said.

The outgoing chairman said he still cares about the operations and development of the GPHC but will never return at the helm if he is recalled while Dr. Norton is Minister of Health. This, Hanoman said is as a result of the board not enjoying the independence it needs to effectively execute its functions in running the institution. “He tried to micro-manage. All decisions he wants to go through him…the board is not allowed to function independently. He is myopic…What the minister doesn’t understand is that Georgetown Hospital is a corporation. He believes everything you do there has to go through him– not so. The intention of the corporation is to make it independent so that it’s gonna function… he should not interfere and micro-manage,” Hanoman told members of the media.

Hanoman also said he felt disrespected after receiving a letter from Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Public Health on November 29 informing him that the life of the Board of Directors will come to an end the following day. Another letter from Minister Norton responding to one sent by Dr. Hanoman was also shown to the press. The letter dated November 29, 2016 and sent from the PS, stated, “We wish to inform you that the life of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation Board of Directors ends on 30th November, 2016.” It also wished him “every success in your future endeavours.”

Dr. Norton in response to a correspondence sent by Hanoman concerning the appointment of a new Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the GPHC, stated, “… While I applaud the efforts made, I would instruct that this process be put on hold until the new Board is appointed. The life of the current Board comes to an end on November 30, 2016 and as such, the new Board should be allowed to make that decision.” Dr. Norton’s letter was dated November 25. However, Dr. Hanoman said “I still would like to help the hospital.”