“My situation is well above board.”
That was the declaration from former health minister Dr Fuad Khan yesterday, after present Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh accused him of abusing his past ministerial position.
This, Deyalsingh claimed, involved Khan giving preferential treatment to the St Augustine Private Hospital, where Khan owns 250,000 shares.
The present and past ministers clashed on the issue in Parliament yesterday.
The matter occurred as Deyalsingh was replying to a question on use of the CAT scan and MRI equipment at the Couva Children’s Hospital.
Deyalsingh went on to allude—without calling names—to people who hold 250,000 shares in a private hospital allowing increased access to scans and giving an entity a licence to operate a private hospital.
Amid much Opposition protest against Deyalsingh’s claims, Khan immediately told MPs it was an attack on him. He assured Parliament that his situation was “all above board.” He asked Deyalsingh if there was any sign he’d given increased access of a CT scan to the St Augustine Private Hospital.
Deyalsingh said he was aware that no health minister “who owns shares in a private facility can sign a certificate under the Public Hospitals Act to issue a licence for a facility of which they’re a shareholder.”
Deyalsingh said Khan should ask who authorised—over 2011 to 2015—“every single licence to a public hospital and dialysis center...under whose hand?” He added that the Public Hospitals Act states it is the minister who issues a licence.
“And how could a minister holding 250,000 shares in a private facility be doing operations in that facility and issuing a licence to the same facility he has shares in? Under Integrity legislation there should be an investigation.”
After the issue, Khan and Deyalsingh met briefly behind the Speaker’s chair.
Khan later told reporters he’d declared his situation to the Integrity Commission. He said he’d been a shareholder at the St Augustine Hospital since 1995 holding five per cent - 250,000 share .
But Khan said he never gave that institute increased access to scans and never signed anything pertaining to that hospital when he was minister.
“I divorced myself from matters regarding that hospital when I was minister—I recused myself. The Chief Medical Officer had handled matters regarding that hospital when anything arose,” he said.
Khan said the CMO can act for the minister. He said it had been well publicised that two weeks after he became minister he’d done surgeries at the hospital, since he had to complete cases he had there.
“But this is a silent attack on me and I don’t believe it’s coming from the PNM. I have my suspicions. Somebody gave me information. This was an unnecessary attack on my character and I wonder who stands to benefit from it?”Khan added.
