The Health Services Authority has had its share of bad days. It seems like the troubled organisation is constantly in the news, and all too often for negative reasons.
But of all the bad and sad days for the HSA in the past, perhaps Monday set new lows. That’s when the fate of former CEO Craig Brown was finally decided, when the axe that was held over his head for weeks, was finally swung.
There had been such optimism for the HSA. A new minister, a new Board of Directors and a new CEO had all seemed to reenergise the floundering organisation.
The HSA had conducted a seven-month search to find just the right person for the CEO job. Chairman of the Board Al Ebanks said they had been particularly mindful to find a person who understood the people skills the job in Cayman would require.
And now we have already come to this.
All the time for recruitment and orientation wasted. All that effort wasted. All that money wasted. On top of all that waste, there’s a lawsuit pending. And morale at the hospital back in the dumps.
Mr. Brown was proceeding with forming a hospital foundation to help fund the purchase of specialised equipment and possible building extensions. It’s doubtful anyone in the private sector is now going to donate money to an organisation in constant turmoil.
Blame is not the issue here right now; there will presumably be plenty of time for that in the courts where this matter is heading.
Beyond blame, though, is the issue of the direction of the HSA itself. It has now had three CEOs and one acting CEO in just four years.
Bold efforts to right the CEO ship have continually met with internal opposition.
Health Minister Anthony Eden has spoken of the need to eliminate politics from the HSA in order for it to be efficient, but will any CEO there ever truly be able to function as the top executive of a private sector hospital would in order to achieve efficiency?
In any case, finding a new, qualified hospital administrator from off-island might prove very difficult now, especially given that neither of the last two that came here from overseas lasted even lasted a year.
It has been an endless battle to keep the HSA afloat, and it has required a continual flow of money from Government.
At some point, the people of this country must ask whether maintaining the HSA and a government hospital is the best way forward for the future of healthcare in Cayman.
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