The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) said it was still seeking out the truth in a matter involving Matron of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Colleen Hicks, as it believed that the inquiry set up to probe the allegations against
GPSU President Patrick Yarde
her was biased.
Hicks was sent on leave last year as the GPHC Board moved to carry out a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into her “mismanagement” of the institution. She had come under fire by some staff members, including doctors and nurses, who said she had become difficult to work with. A petition, signed by over 150 staffers to have the matron removed, is believed to have been the reason behind the inquiry.
GPSU President Patrick Yarde, when asked about the report of the investigation, which was carried out in October last year, said that neither he nor the GPSU have seen it, “nor will we dignify it by examining it”.
He said the Union understood the situation and had agreed to the inquiry; however, things did not go the way they were supposed to.
“It was a body of protest and we feel where there is that level of displeasure being concerned, it needs to be looked into and we agreed for an inquiry into the matter and we nominated someone on that panel and gave advice as to the regularity of
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having such an inquiry,” he told reporters on Friday.
According to Yarde, the advice given by the Union was completely ignored.
“…our position is that the panel was biased and we wrote even before we were told what was going on that we would not recognise it unless they correct it. The Chairman seemed to be adamant in proceeding in that manner. We said it should be a three-man panel and we should agree to the Chairman who should be impartial.”
Yarde argued that if an inquiry was being set up to investigate an allegation brought against someone, the panel should listen to everyone who appears before it. He said that this did not occur. To compound matters, he said, when they invited Hicks to testify, the GPSU had sent an officer to accompany her; however, that officer was refused entry into the room; something that was unheard of.
“We would like to get to the truth of the situation; we have no objection to the inquiry, but it must be done in a proper way, not the way it was done. Let us get to the bottom of it.”
The GPSU President said the situation was not necessarily about the matron but national healthcare, which was far more important than her.
“Healthcare institutions must work efficiently in this country and the people in such institutions much be conscious of their role and ought not to be putting anything to obstruct that.”
He said the Union had written to the previous Health Minister, Dr George Norton expressing this concern. While there was no response from him, the Union has also written to the new Health Minister Volda Lawrence on the matter.
