House passes legislation to abolish QEH executive chairman post

Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness David Ishmael has maintained that the amendment to abolish the post of executive chairman at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and revert to that of chief executive officer is for the “common good” and not for the “enfranchisement of individuals” as suggested by the Opposition Leader.

Minister Ishmael sought to make that clear during the debate on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Amendment) Bill 2024, which he piloted in the Lower House on Tuesday.

He told lawmakers that the amendment, which was later passed and cited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Amendment) Act 2024, would have “significant impact and value” as government continued to improve and enhance the operations as well as the service delivery relative to healthcare services at the public hospital.

“This amendment, changing from the position of executive chairman to the more familiar post of chief executive officer . . . speaks to the fact that we are continuing to look at the structures that exist within the institution and we are adjusting as we go along to ensure that we can correct some of the issues that the QEH has experienced over the years,” said Ishmael who pointed to issues such as supply shortages, equipment, internal controls, accounting and financial management and projects.

The post of executive chairman, he said, was adjusted in 2019 when the board of management was given more direct oversight and operational oversight of the activities at the QEH.

He said while that was a “good decision” at the time, “the structures that fit the time then are not necessarily the structures that fit this time, today”.

“. . . . So we have embarked on a process to ensure that we find persons to fill the various managerial positions within the leadership of the QEH who have the requisite skills set, the requisite qualifications and  . . . the requisite real-world experience with leading a healthcare facility of this significance. I believe that this amendment  . . .  is going to give us the structure in management that will help us to improve the operations, the execution of the strategic mandate of the board  . . . at the QEH”.

But Leader of the Opposition Ralph Thorne SC expressed concern that the legislation “departs from the principle of the common good”.

He hastened to add that his intervention had “absolutely nothing” to do with the quality or qualifications of the persons involved.

“Certainly not the last person, certainly not this person. . . . It is a caution to this Parliament based on principle . . . . I must express opposition to the amendment,” he said.

But Ishmael, in his response, said the legislation was about the QEH being improved “so that the common good of all Barbadians can be enhanced”.

(FW)