Pablo Marin
At a press conference hosted by the Ministry of Health last Friday, media personnel were informed that each media house could ask only two questions. Calling a press conference to show how transparent and accessible the ministry is, and then telling the press how many questions they can ask is disrespectful at best. That session didn’t exactly go well, but the media got another opportunity today. This morning Minister of Health Pablo Marin and his C.E.O. Peter Allen attended the launch of the Health Sector Strategic Plan. When asked about the hundreds of thousands of dollars embezzled from the Southern Regional Hospital, Minister Marin said that we can’t actually expect the ministry to check on all things at all hospitals. That would be micro-managing.
Pablo Marin, Minister of Health
“We have seen from day one that the Ministry of Health is being improved tremendously…from pharmaceuticals, the amount of doctors, the amount of patients coming into our hospitals, so this shows that our Ministry is doing good…we have won international awards. Now we know that we have some people in the Ministry that are not working to par to us…and this is when we have those little troubles that you look around. And whenever we try to do something or go into the different sections then you shout at us that we are micro-managing. Just like what happened in the south. You have managers there, you have accountants there…yet maybe we didn’t go, and two years passed and then we went and look at what was happening? But what do you want us to do…go around to all the hospitals and look at them…it is micromanaging then you start to call at us.”
Reporter
“I find it amazing that you use the same excuse as Dr. Allen that he doesn’t want to micromanage. But the audit is saying that there were no controls – it’s not a matter of micromanaging, but the Ministry of Health did not put controls in place. You have an account with hundreds of thousands of dollars in there and this young lady was using it as her personal account – tek out money to go party on weekends, go shop at Mirab – and you’re saying it’s because the Ministry doesn’t want to be accused of micromanaging?”
Pablo Marin
“But then anything that happens in the ministry…everything will buck at the CEO and myself. Now when we are implementing these kinds of regulations, then you will see the changes. And then right now everything is at the Attorney-General, looking at all of these things. We will work on it.”
Reporter
“Are you concerned? You’re the Minister of Health. Are you concerned about what’s happening?”
Pablo Marin
“Sure I am concerned. When you look at over three hundred thousand dollars missing in our ministry, where you know we need ambulances, we need more medication, we need to hire more doctors. Definitely it is our concern so we have to look at it.”
In separate but related news, News Five has been reliably informed that manager of the Central Health Region, Melinda Guerra, will shortly be taking up a new post as Western Regional Manager. Guerra is awaiting her hearing before the Public Services Commission after being named in an audit which discovered irregularities under her watch.
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