Dear Editor,
It was with utter disgust that I read that the Board of the Georgetown Hospital has removed Chief Executive Officer Mr Alan Johnson from his post. To add insult to injury, the Board has appointed the newly installed former army officer to act in that position.
Firstly, I would like to state categorically that Alan Johnson is an honourable and competent professional who not only has the experience and knowledge to be an excellent Hospital Administrator, but is also a kind, honest, trustworthy and caring individual in the performance of his duties. I say this boldly because I worked with Alan at the hospital for a number of years. As one of his colleagues, I have seen Alan perform his duties with distinction and honour, and he is one whom I have tried to emulate while I was at the Hospital. He is a very principled man, and would do only what is right for the hospital.
I recall seeing the former Board doing the same thing to the former Chief Executive Officer, Michael Khan. Without hesitation, I can proclaim that both Michael Khan and Alan Johnson are two of the most qualified, competent and experienced hospital administrators in our country. They both had the hospital’s best interest at the top of their responsibilities.
With this move by the Board to remove Alan Johnson from the position of Chief Executive Officer, the GPHC will see a rapid decline in the quality of its services to the Guyanese public.
The new Deputy Chief Executive Officer is new to hospital administration. There are too many complex parts in the puzzle of hospital administration For the Board to believe that a freshman would be able to navigate the murky waters. This is irresponsible. It’s like taking a freshman law student in college and giving him/her the responsibility of lecturing to the final year students on Constitutional Law. The only result would be abject failure. The Board of the hospital has now embarked on that journey.
I am appealing to the Board to reinstate Alan Johnson as the Chief Executive Officer of the Georgetown Public Hospital. If they are not humble enough to do that, then I suggest that they ask Mr Alan Munroe, a former Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital, Dr Madan Rambaran or Dr Shiek Amir to be the captain of this ship until good sense prevails.
Sincerely,
Charles Sugrim, CPA
Former Director of
Financial Services
Georgetown Public
Hospital
