Three weeks after University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) former board chairman Wayne Chai Chong reaffirmed his claim that Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton intervened in the appointment of the hospital’s chief executive officer, current management revealed to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday that no board minutes, resolutions, or committee records have been found to support the claim.

The disclosure marked the latest twist in a controversy that has unfolded alongside the PAC’s examination of a damning Auditor General report into governance and procurement practices at Jamaica’s largest teaching hospital.

Appearing before the committee, Acting CEO Eric Hosin said a review of records covering the period in question uncovered only one reference to the recruitment process and no documentation showing that the board had approved a candidate, rejected a candidate, or overturned an appointment.

“Neither the minutes of the board meeting nor minutes of the meeting of the board of senior directors speak to a decision to overturn the appointment of a candidate who was selected for the post of CEO. So there are no records stating that in any of the minutes that we have recorded,” Hosin told the committee.

The statement immediately placed fresh focus on testimony given to the committee in May by Chai Chong, who served as UHWI board chairman during the period under review and was summoned by the PAC as part of its widening probe into the auditor general’s findings.

At that hearing, Chai Chong stood by claims that ministerial intervention had affected the outcome of the recruitment exercise. However, Tuesday’s proceedings centred on whether the hospital’s own records support that account.

Hosin told the committee that after reviewing approximately a year’s worth of board records, officials found only a brief mention of the recruitment process in minutes dated July 19, 2023.

The revelation appeared to surprise committee Chairman Julian Robinson, who questioned how a recruitment process for one of the most important positions in the country’s public health system could leave behind so little documentary evidence.

“I find it a little strange that this would be the only reference to the recruitment process, that there wouldn’t be either some further documentation to either say person approved, et cetera,” Robinson said.

That apparent absence of records became a central point of concern for members of the committee.

Government Member of Parliament (MP) Zavia Mayne, who represents St Ann South Western, said he found it troubling that the documents presented appeared inconsistent with what Parliament had previously been told.

“This is more than concerning because I mean, we would have heard on the last occasion what was said to the committee, and in no uncertain terms, a particular narrative was communicated to the committee, and to now hear from the UHWI, the minutes, to say that absolutely no such thing transpired is more than concerning to me,” Mayne said.

He argued that a decision of such significance should have been reflected in official records if it had in fact been made.

“These are important decisions, and my belief is that if such a fundamental decision was made, then the minutes would have reflected it [and] no such thing is reflected in the minutes,” he added.

Robinson stopped short of concluding that the records directly contradicted the former chairman’s account. However, he acknowledged that there appeared to be a significant gap in the documentary trail.

“What I would say [is] there’s a clear omission, must be, because a decision of that nature is consequential and substantial, and I would assume it would be documented by a board at some point during the period. So I’m not going to say it is a total divergence, but I would say I would have expected to see more in either this minutes or subsequent minutes about this entire process in terms of the final decisions made on the recruitment of the CEO,” Robinson said.

The discussion then turned to whether the absence of documentation undermined the allegation that political interference had occurred.

Government MP Delano Seiveright, who represents St Andrew North Central, directly questioned whether the records now before the committee pointed to a different explanation.

“Would it be fair to say, then, Mr Hosin, that based on the records now before the committee, the issue was not ministerial interference at all, but rather a misunderstanding, maybe worse, misrepresentation of the board’s actual position, given that no board resolution supporting the narrative has been produced?” Seiveright asked.

Hosin declined to draw that conclusion, insisting that management could only speak to the records that had been located.

“As I said, we provided what we found. I don’t know what may have actually taken place at any meeting, but their records do not reflect, as we shared, the information,” he replied.

Pressed further on whether any evidence existed showing the board had formally approved or reversed a CEO appointment, Hosin’s answer remained unchanged.

Opposition MP Peter Bunting, who represents Manchester Southern, urged caution before drawing conclusions from the absence of documentation alone. He noted that not every interaction between ministers and boards necessarily appears in official minutes and pointed to the subsequent resignations of both Chai Chong and then Deputy Chairman Dr Andre Foote.

“I’m sure members Mayne and Seiveright know well that not all communication goes through the minutes of the board. Chairmen of boards can get that clear sense of what the wishes of the minister are without it being documented in board minutes, and the fact that they resigned shortly after seems to support the oral testimony or account given by the chairman here at this committee, the former chairman,” Bunting said.

The committee also explored whether the board’s Human Resource and Customer Service Committee may have produced reports or records that could shed further light on the recruitment exercise. However, Hosin said management had not located any such documents.

Public Accounts Committee Chairman Julian Robinson speaking during Tuesday’s meeting of the committee in Gordon House.

CHAI CHONG… told the Public Accounts Committee in May that ministerial intervention had affected the outcome of the recruitment of a CEO at University Hospital of the West Indies