Monrovia – Dr. Jerry Browne, the Acting General Administrator of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital (JFK) appointed by President George Weah, has told members of the Legislature Public Accounts Committee that the outgoing administrators of the hospital are showing him and his new management team non-compliance posture.
Report by Henry Karmo – [email protected]
According to him, it has being 50 days since his appointment by President Weah but has not being able to have access to the office designated for the chief administrator of the Hospital because Dr. Scott-McDonald and her deputy locked their offices and left the country.
According to Dr. Browne, the locked offices are just one of the many challenges he and his new management team have encountered since taking over.
“Since we took over we were given only a booklet as the only turn over note, which only talks about, few assets, human resource, and other outstanding legal matters the institution is faced with.
As a matter of fact, most of what we have received has been documents through engagement with the Board and the Ministry of health.”
“The outgoing administrator has not being able to hand deliver documents we asked them to give us. Even the audit report we submitted to you, we had to engage other staffs of the entity.”
“As we speak we are currently operating from the conference room of the hospital because I and my deputy have not being given direct access to our offices because our predecessors still hold onto keys to those offices.”
Dr. Browne, famous for his role during the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease in while working with the ELWA hospital, told lawmakers that the keys for the office, which has documents of the hospital was allegedly still in Dr. McDonald’s possession.
“Even the outgoing planning and development manager has not given us any copy of any MOU or any agreement that was signed between the entity and other institution. We have decided not to break into any of those offices for fear that we will be accused for taking something.”
“There has also been a challenge of non-compliance posture because some staff believe that we haven’t been sanctioned by the board and we were not legitimate. They have refused to attend meetings we call.”
Despite these challenges, he said his team has managed to ensure that the institution continues to function by putting together a strategy that will fit in the President’s 150-day plan.
“We have had little improvement in terms of ensuring that emergency care is improved,” he said.
Browne informed lawmakers that as part of the 150-day plan, he and his new management team have been working to ensure the renovation of the emergency room and outpatient departments that has been closed for more than five years.
That project, according to him should be completed within the government of Liberia 150 days plan.
“We can create an oxygen production plant that would produce oxygen and cut the spending on buying oxygen from outside.”
“We are working to ensure that two of the wings of the hospital that has been closed for more than five years are renovated to have enough space at the hospital to take in more patients than the current capacity of 190.”