Whistleblower has his say at inquiry
Dr. Jose Guerra was followed by the President of the Belize Medical and Dental Union, Dr. John Sosa. Sosa led the charge back in June against the alleged misspending at the hospital. It was Sosa’s opinion that while there is generally more access to medications, the situation is still far from acceptable in specific cases. Sosa’s testimony got interesting when he said that his colleague, Dr. Khalid Ghazi, was demoted after he blew the whistle on the alleged misspending. Ghazi eventually resigned and according to Sosa, is now somewhere in the US. Further to that, Sosa testified that he was offered Ghazi’s job three times, but refused because he works both at the K.H.M.H. and the Belize Medical Services and it would be a conflict of interest.
Dr. John Sosa, President, B.M.D.U.
“Dr. Ghazi had some issues with a contrast material that they were purchasing or going to purchase. He had some issues at the time with someone in management because he thought the price was too high. Eighteen dollars a bottle, you could have gotten Omnipaque and they purchased this one for eighty-four seventy-three a bottle and that’s why things started with his demotion. We knew they wanted to change Dr. Ghazi. That was a fact of life. We don’t have a proof of that.”
Julia Castillo, Commissioner
“Like you, I have been in the system for a long time and from the time of the old Belize City Hospital to now doctors are employed as doctors or as specialists but DMO is rotated. A lot of different people have been DMO’s, they’re all subject to be moved.”
Dr. John Sosa
“Which just proves my point that from the time of election they wanted him to change.”
Justice Adolph Lucas, Chief Commissioner
“So they wanted to change him for who? Belizean? Foreigner?”
Dr. John Sosa
“I can personally say that I have been offered the job three times and I have refused.”
Adolph Lucas
“Look at that!”
Orvin Nicholas, Commissioner
“What is that product used for?”
Dr. John Sosa
“Really when you do certain studies with your body with a CT or Cat Scan machine you need to see the structures inside better in your abdomen, chest, head, brain, and what this does is kind of paint your arteries and paint the inflammatory processes so you could see it better. If you just do an ordinary cat scan, it probably won’t pick it up. It enhances your view.”
Orvin Nicholas
“So you know if that product was ever ordered?”
Dr. John Sosa
“Well I have one right now in my hand. There are some at Karl Heusner sitting down, about sixteen or seventeen thousand dollars worth sitting down there at Karl Heusner. We have a thing called Phentanil for anesthesia and the Karl Heusner is not doing elective surgeries because there is a very short supply of Phentanil, and that has been happening for a month maybe. So we still have problems.”
