From Internal Politics to Corruption…C.E.O. on Health Audits

Peter Allen

And from internal politics to corruption…last year after audits of the Punta Gorda Polyclinic and the Dangriga Polyclinic administrators of both were let go. The audits allegedly turned up evidence of misconduct, enough so that both contract officers were let go immediately. Today, Allen claims that as far as he knows Police did conduct an investigation of both persons, but there was not enough to criminally charge them.

Peter Allen, C.E.O., Ministry of Health

“The administrators for the polyclinics for the south in Dangriga and Punta Gorda were not public offices; they were contract offices. As you know, I think the process at NHI is that it purchases services from private care provider clinics so that two ministry of health clinics in the south were such clinics. So in each case, the contract was terminated or not renewed for the administrator. So at the moment, we have advertised I think and we presumably in the process of evaluating the applicants for the new administrators for those two clinics—Punta Gorda and Dangriga.”

Reporter

“However, if there was misfeasance, they being contract officers, it simplifies matters somewhat because then you don’t have to go through the Public Service. Are there actionable instances of misfeasance in which criminal charges can be brought?”

Peter Allen

“You are quite right of course. Usually with these audits, we forward the reports from the Auditor General Department to the Commissioner of Police. That has also been done with the audits in the south in the Dangriga Polyclinic and in the Punta Gorda Polyclinic. My understanding is that for those audits, the findings did not amount to what would be considered sufficient for criminal proceedings. But still we send the audits to the Commissioner of Police for them to make the decision.”

Nasley Sommerville, former administrator of the Southern Regional Hospital accused of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars, is still before the Services Commission. She is on suspension without pay. Melinda Guerra, named in an audit of the Central Health Region, is awaiting her day before the Commission, and has recently been named Western Regional Manager.