Deyalsingh slams predecessor over shares owned at private hospital

On April 28, former health minister Dr Fuad Khan told Newsday there was no conflict of interest in him holding shares in St Augustine Private Hospital Limited while he served in the People’s Partnership (PP) administration from June, 27 2011 to June 17, 2015.

According to the Certificate of Incorporation for the St Augustine Private Hospital Holdings Ltd, dated December 20, 2012, Khan is listed among 29 shareholders of the company. He is classified as a medical doctor and is listed as having 250,000 ordinary shares. Registrar-General documents dated October 26, 2007, list Khan as holding those shares since that date. Documents dated February 8, 2013; January 7, 2014; January 8, 2015; July 17, 2015 and July 14, 2016 also list Khan as a shareholder.

When Khan asked Deyalsingh if there was any increase to access to CT scans at the St Augustine Private Hospital, Deyalsingh replied, “I am aware that no minister of health who owns shares in a private facility, can sign a certificate under the Public Hospitals Act to issue to a licence to a facility in which they are a shareholder.

How can a minister owning 250,000 shares in a private facility in the first place be conducting operations in that facility and issuing a licence to the same facility that he has shares in?” He said under the Integrity in Public Life Act, “There should be an investigation.” Speaking afterwards with reporters, Khan said he had been a shareholder in the company since 1999. “I have always declared my interests to the Integrity Commission.

They have all the information there. Khan said as minister he recused himself from anything to do with the hospital and the chief medical officer dealt with those matters.

While he had no intention to file a matter of privilege against Deyalsingh, Khan said, “This is a silent attack on myself but I don’t believe it is coming from the PNM.” Asked if the attack could be coming from the United National Congress (UNC), Khan said he had certain information and would do his own investigations.

Earlier in the sitting, Deyalsingh said Government saved taxpayers $190 million on the Arima Hospital because of overinflated costs on the project under the PP.

He said the country owes Finance Minister Colm Imbert and Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi “a debt of gratitude” for that.