P.S.U. Writes to New Health Minister about Breakdown in Administrative Affairs

Dean Flowers

And, the P.S.U. believes that the chorus of the new Health Minister signals a new way forward. Last Wednesday, on January twelfth, the union issued a letter to Minister Bernard referencing human and administrative matters of interest and concerns. Chief among its greatest concerns were the absence and political interference in the posting of regional health managers and their deputies, a national epidemiologist, and director of laboratory services, among others.

Dean Flowers, President, P.S.U.

“What was concentrated in the media was the newly created positions of Director of Health Services and the different areas which is hospital and health and wellness and the Director of International Affairs. But outside of that, the support team to those directors needs to be address. There needs to be some re-designation of posts.”

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness

“The first thing needs to be done is let us address the issue and when I met with the former minister that was one of his biggest things as well. You know what; we need to fill these positions. There exists some bureaucracy in government as you all know that. But I have said to the FinSec, I have said to the Ministry of Finance, understand that it is at you; we need to get this going.”

Kevin Bernard

Marleni Cuellar, Host, Open Your Eyes

“So the interviews have already happened?”

Kevin Bernard

“No there is no interview. The creation of posts that has to be created by the processes that happens in government. Advertisement has been done. So all we want to make sure that that final stage is there before we do with all the interviews and selection of these posts.”

Dean Flowers

“Listening to the minister this morning, he said that there is always bureaucracies in the creation of posts. But these are posts that existed; these are posts that have been budgeted for. So these are not posts that we need the Ministry of Finance to create. The director of health services new posts and of course the re-designation of the deputy post – I don’t what they will do with those or how they will re-designate those – those might need some input from the Ministry of Finance, but the posts that I have listed, these are existing posts which simply need to be filled. And the only rationale why these posts remained vacant are perhaps because not having someone there, would have then given the minister and his transition team the kind of leverage and importance within the ministry because then somebody would have to be making these decisions and clearly it would have fall on the minister and his transition team.”

Today, Minister Bernard said that Doctor Russell Manzanero will be returned to the ministry as national epidemiologist. A date and time for a meeting between the Minister and his team and the P.S.U. has not been determined as yet.