Minister of Legal Affairs Prakash Ramadhar may have to step down from the committee set-up to investigate the sacking of former CEO of the South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) Paula Chester-Cumberbatch.Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced that to the media at the Powergen Special Children's fun day.She said Ramadhar may be related to Chrystal Boodoo-Ramsoomair who died as a result of a Caesarean section performed at the San Fernando General Hospital.
Chester-Cumberbatch was fired after she failed to produce suspension letters to the doctors and nurses who were involved in the procedure.Persad-Bissessar said: "We may have to ask Mr Prakash Ramadhar not to sit on the committee because I have since been advised he may be related to the deceased mother."She said the matter would be discussed today in Cabinet and the composition of the committee may be altered.The inter-ministerial committee was set up to deal with the industrial relation matters concerning the suspensions at the SWRHA.The Prime Minister addressed issues regarding the patient's rights and the grievance of the doctors and nurses.
She said: "I have every intention of ensuring the investigations are carried out according to law. Indeed, the Regional Health Authority Act has a grievance procedure and it is fixed within the law, what is to be done by the employer, which in this case is the SWRHA. "The interministerial team is to deal with the industrial relations matters."A team of ministers was scheduled to meet with the doctors and nurses to have all the facts gathered, she said.Persad-Bissessar added: "From this we will be better able to read the situation and deal with the grievances of the doctor and nurses."I intend to meet with some of them myself. This is a serious matter for us to have resolved as soon as possible."She stood by the appointment of CEO of SWRHA Dr Lackram Bodoe to the head another committee on the death of infants at the hospital.
She said Dr Bodoe sat on a different committee which was set up to investigate the high infant mortality rate in hospitals."Given the high infant mortality rate in or hospitals, as I said before, and I repeat, other countries in the Caribbean who are not as far forward as we are, their infant mortality rates are much lower."The committee, chaired by Dr Bodoe, is to look into how we can bring down our very high infant mortality rate."The Prime Minister also took the time to chat with the children, who were quite excited to see her. She was honoured with a portrait of herself by Chaitram Ramjitsingh, chairman of the Powergen Sports Club. Chairman of Powergen, Indarjit Singh, also presented her with a $100,000 cheque towards the Prime Minister Children's Life Fund.