Doctors at K.H.M.H. still on ‘go slow’
There doesn’t seem to any solution in sight for the go slow by doctors at the K.H.M.H. While a strike was called of on Wednesday, there remains a number of unsolved issues. This evening the Board and management of the hospital called a news conference to explain their position.
Francis Longsworth, C.E.O., K.H.M.H.
“They are maintaining emergency services within the hospital. I don’t know about the timeliness of the response of those emergency services. But they have indicated that they will provide emergency services within the hospital throughout this period. Following on that, we do not know what other actions they have taken or they plan to take as we have not received any communication from them since this morning when I was in a meeting with members of the union.”
Jules Vasquez, Channel Seven
“And the result of that meeting was?”
Francis Longsworth
“The result of that meeting was that they said that they would continue their action until their demands were met.”
Jules Vasquez
“Which specific demands?”
Francis Longsworth
“Well, the demands that had been put to us initially was for the reinstatement of Doctor Ghazy and which has been accomplished. He’s been written to today to say that he has been reinstated in his position. The other demands go with the broad allegations, unsubstantiated, to say that the Minister must remove the Director of Finance, myself, the chairman, and members of the board. But we maintain that to make such demands without evidence.”
Maria Elena Sylvestre, Board Member, K.H.M.H.
“Up to this moment, there has been no specific written or verbal allegations directed o the management or to the board of any type of misconduct or behaviour. We’ve heard about perception and we’ve heard allegations but there has been no specific directive given to us about anybody who is sitting on this Board.”
Carlos Perrera, Director of Finance, K.H.M.H.
“Another practice that was inherited was in regards to the logistics of purchases that was done at unit level and not at a director level for medical supplies and pharmaceutical supplies more frequently. At times, the unit managers would not only detail the item that was requested, but would state which supplier, the institution the K.H.M.H. was to purchase from and at what price. With that, K.H.M.H. and the new board, we initiated the policy that the purchase of medical supplies and pharmaceutical supplies. We implemented not only three quotations and large capital expenditures, but on all purchases, the purchasing officer that was newly appointed in that area reviews the prices and quotations and ensures cost and quality is the priority with the many suppliers that we purchase from and I can list the very amount of suppliers. We inherited, where the purchases of supplies were being done with doctors who are employees of the K.H.M.H. and who own and operate companies outside K.H.M.H. This created unnecessary conflict at the institution and at the same time significantly disrupted the supply chain management. We initiated the policy that the procurement of supplies and equipment will no longer be sold by any employee that is with Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Tenders who should supply K.H.M.H. medical and pharmaceutical supplies are not issuing to C.M.S. and are selling to K.H.M.H. on inflated prices. We initiated a policy that we will not procure and purchase of medical and pharmaceutical supplies from tenders due to the conflict of interest with government of Belize. Tenders are to supply K.H.M.H. all supplies requested and are not to sell those similar products to K.H.M.H. at an inflated price.”
Laura Longsworth, Board Member, K.H.M.H.
“What we want to do and what we have been working on is putting in systems that have not existed before. We have identified certain services within the hospital where protocols and policies and standards must be urgently put in place to reduce the amount of medical errors that do take place in those areas. We want to offer our assurances to the community that we are working diligently to put those systems in place. We want to offer assurances to the community that we listen to every complaint that we hear on the radio and we follow up on it at the board level.”
