M.O.H. to Await Nursing Council’s Decision
The Ministry of Health says that it will await the Nursing Council’s decision on the matter of the death of three month old baby Dion Woodeye. As you heard on Thursday night, C.E.O. Doctor Ramon Figueroa said that a nurse of the Corozal Community Hospital had been referred to the Nursing Council and that training has been offered to the staff. While the ministry had requested that she be placed on administrative leave, it never happened. Instead, the nurse in question took personal leave for five days and has now returned to work. Today, Director of Health Services Doctor Marvin Manzanero says that although the nurse returned to work, there is still ongoing investigation into what led to the baby’s death. He says that the matter had to be referred to the Nursing Council because that is the entity that gives licenses and has the authority to take action such as suspensions. Now, the ministry must wait for a response from the Council by the middle of next week. Doctor Manzanero explains the actions being taken by the ministry.
Marvin Manzanero
Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services
“The Nursing Council has a disciplinary committee, internal to the Nursing Council, that can review cases where they may have been some anomaly that the nurse may have perhaps reviews so that is the reason that it goes for them for a review. IF they say that the license is suspended then I can’t hire. That is the way that it should be down. In terms of the Medical Council, it is the same thing. I don’t think we have been traditionally going down that route. But that is something that is granted to us. Of course this is the case that everyone is flagging but I know the Nursing Council has suspended the license for other nurses for other reasons.”
Duane Moody
“This nurse was not suspended, was not placed on administrative leave. She literally just took personal leave and suppose to go back to work today. How does the Ministry address something like this? Almost insubordination on the part of the nurse, is this nurse being protected by the management there? Some may feel that she is being allowed to do what she wants.”
Dr. Marvin Manzanero
“That is the reasons why you go through different mechanism. I say a nursing council because that might be a nursing issue. You can’t say insubordination because when you to the definition there is a specific definition of that. In public service regulations you might be able to just do away with somebody. You have to go through the process. So even if you put someone on administration leave that is five days. After five days the person has to go back to work because that is the rules say, until you finished that investigation and taken necessary action. We’ll wait on the nursing council and see what they will say on Wednesday and then we take mechanisms in place of whatever comes out of that. We have taken some steps in terms of disciplines staff but that is something that I do not want to discussed because it is affecting certain persons and from the discussions that we have had if people need to be let go, people will be let go.”
