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Joined: Oct 1999
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Marty Offline OP
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The upper management of the KHMH has been decimated in just a few days - and, tonight, there is some concern in the medical community about the leadership of Belize's national referral hospital.

7News has confirmed that the KHMH Board of Directors voted this week not to renew the contract of CEO Michelle Cox Hoare. That contract expired at the end of this month. As of this evening, she has gone on leave and will not return. So, today was her last day, leaving the hospital without a substantive CEO tonight.

But, that wasn't the only contract the board decided not to renew. They also did not renew the Director of Nursing, matron Charlene Banks's contract. She's been at the hospital for decades, but now she will leave - in July. The decision is notable in view of the current nursing shortage. And, as the most senior administrative staff - Banks would also now likely be expected to hold over as CEO - even though she's also on the way out.

And the executive axe also came down on Candice Miller, the Director of Human Resources. The board also refused to renew her contract which expires in August.

And, somewhere in the middle of all this, the recently hired Financial Controller Mike Thomas - chose to resign. So, the hospital's upper management has been basically wiped out, with only one senior manager still remaining on staff beyond the summer.

It may look pretty dire, but today Courtney Menzies spoke via Zoom with the Chairman of the Board and he said that it's really just a process of institutional renewal:

Dr. Andre Sosa, Chairman, KHMH Board
"Really it's not a crisis as you might imagine. The fact is that a number of contracts come up for renewal; the CEO for June, the nursing director for July and the human resources director for August. The board has made a determination that all contracts particularly middle and upper management level will now need to be advertised and that in no way means that there is any dissatisfaction with any particular director, but rather as a common policy that is how it needs to be done going forward. The purpose of that is to ensure that the very best candidates will get the job."

Reporter
"But is this an opportune time to be changing such positions such as the CEO and the nursing director, considering we are still in the middle of a pandemic and still dealing with covid?"

Dr. Andre Sosa, Chairman, KHMH Board
"I am very much conscious of that, particularly because I come from a clinical background and certainly any decision that is made has to be well balance so as to avoid destabilizing the hospital. I am very sensitive to that and in my role as the chairman I would do my best to ensure that that does not happen."

Reporter
"But these contracts are ending in the upcoming months - this month and you say July and August. Shouldn't these posts have been advertised months before so that somebody could have started training to meet these standards?"

Dr. Andre Sosa, Chairman, KHMH Board
"Certainly, there is a valid point there. However, either you are able to do the job or not. So, anybody who fills these positions will have to come with their requisite knowledge and experience, because your point is well taken - this is not a time for anyone to be learning on the job and I share that view as well."

Reporter
"But the case of the CEO whose leaving like right now, shouldn't there have been somebody already hired so there is not that period of time without a CEO, it could just seamlessly just transition to somebody else."

Dr. Andre Sosa, Chairman, KHMH Board
"It's been a process; the board is relatively new. That's not an excuse, but it's been a process. Having said that, there are people already working within the institution who are ably capable of holding over until such time as a decision is made as to the position of CEO."

We honed in on the nurse shortage as well, asking the chairman if it was necessary to remove the Nursing Director in the midst of a nurse shortage. He explained that she will be considered along with other candidates.

Dr. Andre Sosa, Chairman, KHMH Board
"Certainly, there are shortages of nurses in the country. That's a given and that's an issue I've raised in the last few months trying to raise awareness for that. Having said that, we do have a cadre of excellent professional nurses and what we are looking to do is to ensure that from that group of nurses that are available that we pick, the very best, which is not to say that we won't necessarily be hiring the same nursing director, but the board feels that it needs to have the opportunity to interview all those candidates who are available so to satisfy for themselves that they have the very best candidate to do the job."

The Chairman said that the financial controller did not list his reasons for his resignation, and that his post will be advertised as well.

The new acting CEO will be announced on Monday.

Channel 7


Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
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Shortage and changes in management at K.H.M.H.
Dr. Andre Sosa, Chairman of the board of K.H.M.H. discusses nurses shortage and changes in management at K.H.M.H.


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