Controversy over the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee’s role

May 06, 2017 News

A recent visit to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) by the

Minister of State Joseph Harmon speaking today at post-cabinet press briefing.

Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Social Services (PSCSS) sparked a controversy on Wednesday.
It was discovered that the facility was short on drugs and under staffed.
Chairperson of the Board of Directors of GPHC, Kesaundra Alves, told the parliamentary committee members and the media operatives at the beginning of the visit that the places selected to be visited were the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department, the Surgical Outpatients Departments (SOPD), the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) and the Pediatric Department (Baby Heart).
Dr. Vindhya Persaud, chairperson of the committee indicated that she would like to add some places to that list, the main Pharmacy, the main Laboratory and the Maternity ward being her additions
After visiting the main Laboratory, some members of the team visited the Pharmaceutical bond. That was when the tour was cut short.
Alves said in a press release “It was distasteful and unethical. Clearly there was some hidden

Chairperson of the Board of Directors of GPHC of Kesaundra Alves

agenda.” It must have been that the Pharmaceutical Bond was one of those areas that should not have visited.
Dr. Persaud and other members, along with media personnel had followed Mark Lewis, GPHC Chief of Security who was at the time leading the tour body.
Alves asked that they leave immediately. Minister within the Ministry of Public Health Karen Cummings, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs Valrie Garrido-Lowe and Vishwa Mahadeo did not join the team in the bond.
Alves expressed outrage at the deception demonstrated by some members of the parliamentary committee. The clerk of the Committee had written to the GPHC seeking permission to ‘observe the conditions/facilities under which patients are cared for and to interact with members of the public and staff at this facility’.
In the wake of the incident Minister of State Joseph Harmon stated that there are proper protocols and procedures that the Parliamentary Sectoral Committees have to follow. “It is not an investigation.”
The Sectoral Committees, in the exercise of its responsibilities, has the power to examine all policies and administration for each sector to determine whether the execution of Government policy is in consonance with the principle of good governance and in the best

Minister within the Ministry of Public Health Karen Cummings and Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs Valrie Garrido-Lowe, with others discussing the tour.

interest of the nation.
No comment was forthcoming from Chairperson of the PSCSS Dr. Vindhya Persaud.
The members of the PSCSS are Dr. Vindhya Persaud, Minister within the Ministry of Public Health Karen Cummings, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe, Dr Vishwa Mahadeo, Alister Charlie, Indranie Chandarpal, Minister within the Ministry of Communities Valerie Patterson, and Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman.

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