The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

SENATOR and leading surgeon Dr Duane Sands yesterday suggested that the sudden resignation of the Princess Margaret Hospital’s medical chief of staff, Dr James Johnson, was the result of “fleeting respect for medical personnel” in the Bahamas.

Dr Sands said despite some reassurances by staff throughout the public healthcare system, he is of the impression that months of a lack of respect toward doctors and medical workers throughout the country has finally hit a “boiling point”.

“The Tribune may have reported it from a monetary perspective (on Wednesday), but it is way beyond that,” said the Free National Movement Senator, who is also a member of the Consultant Physicians Staff Association (CPSA).

“This is not about money. Fundamentally this is a line that has been drawn over appointments and patient care.”

According to Dr Sands, major challenges in communication between various medical associations and governmental bodies have left many in the industry with a feeling of disenfranchisement.

On Wednesday, The Tribune reported that just months into his second term, Dr Johnson resigned with immediate effect after reaching an impasse with the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) over its decision to disregard recommendations on the appointment of two foreign doctors.

According to sources close to the matter, Dr Johnson’s suggestion was for the doctors to start at a lower salary ranking, with the option for review and promotion after one or two years; however, this was disregarded for a higher ranking at the beginning of their tenure, supported by PHA Managing Director Herbert Brown.

The Tribune was advised that Dr Johnson’s recommendations were supported by the medical advisory committee; however, they were not adopted by Mr Brown, who ultimately changed the proposal with the support of the authority’s board.

When questioned on Wednesday, Dr Johnson said he decided to step down from the post after it became clear that officials had already proceeded with the recruitment exercise despite months of back-and-forth discussion over the changes.

President of the CPSA Dr Locksley Munroe told The Nassau Guardian on Tuesday that consulting staff at PMH - some 100 doctors - could withdraw services as a follow up to Dr Johnson’s resignation.

“Anyone that has worked in the public healthcare system has a view on how to make it better, those opinions are often based in fact because they are referenced from experiences on the front line. If the theme coming from PHA and the Ministry of Health comes across as hostile, then you are going to have a major, and I mean huge problems,” Dr Sands said.

“I remain hopeful that this could be seen as an issue where communication was lacking, and one where it could be quickly corrected. If not, and this was a situation where all sides are speaking at different levels, this could get frightening moving forward. There is a feeling of diminishing respect.

“Follow me with this. There are strange and consistent parallels between what we see going on with Dr Johnson’s resignation and what we saw with the roll out of National Health Insurance. There are a lot of people, from the standpoint of medical workers, that feel as if they are being talked to instead of being talked with.

“The overwhelming majority of consulting staff provide sacrificial service with a desire to deliver quality healthcare, that is a big problem in and of itself because of the tremendous challenges that are presented in the field; now you want to work around these people and them to feel as if their words and opinions aren’t valued. That is not a smart move in my opinion,” Dr Sands added.