The issues surrounding the legality of the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) Board and the absence of an organisation chart have had negative effects on the way in which the medical institution is being managed. So says Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) Representative Maurice Butters.
Maurice Butters
Butters, who has publicly expressed concern over the legitimacy of the present Board of the institution continues to lobby for authorities to have this, among other issues plaguing the institution addressed.
“Unless we can have that sorted out, we are going to continue to have issues that would be negative to the provision of service to the people of this community,” Butters recently stated.
During a public consultation of the medical institution a few months ago, Butters who is also a former Regional Health Committee Chairman and Member of the Board had questioned the legitimacy of the Board, when he posed the question to Minister within the Public Health Ministry, Dr Karen Cummings, asking when would the LHC have a legally constituted Board. In response to the question posed, member of the Board Valerie Adams- Patterson noted that as far as she knew, it was a legal body.
In her response, Minister Cummings had said that Butters’ question was a very important one, more so since the Ministry is looking at regional health authorities and health sector reforms.
He had also asked that the Public Health Ministry revisit the Act and document, which he said states clearly how the Board is to be formed. In times past, he has attributed many administrative issues, including alleged “skullduggery” at the LHC, due to the “illegitimacy” of the Board which he said has its hands tied and as such, cannot make its own decisions. More recently, Butters indicated during an interview that the matter pertaining to an organisation chart was raised at the last Board meeting since he noted that this does not exist at the medical institution. “It’s something which the Union has been calling for, for years. You see, without an organisation chart, to me it’s a move to anarchy within the organisation. Because you can take any body from any place and put them in position and you can spin people around. There is no stable arrangement when you do not have an organisation chart,” he said.
