Police Service Commission in line of fire

THE Police Service Commission (PSC) will enter the line of fire at 10 am on Friday  when it appears before the Joint Select Committee (JSC)- Mu-nicipal Corporations and Service Commissions in the Parliament Chamber of the Red House. The JSC, chaired by Independent Senator Prof Ramesh Deosaran, will meet with PSC chairman Christopher Thomas and Comm-ission members to discuss PSC reports for the years 2001 and 2002. These reports were laid in the House of Representatives on February 21 2003, and June 23 2004, and in the Senate on February 25 2002, and June 15, 2004. The JSC will then meet with Police Commissioner Trevor Paul to discuss the reports.

On Tuesday, the North West Regional Health Authority’s (NWRHA) Board of directors was unable to answer a barrage of questions put to it by the JSC for Government Ministries and State Enterprises. In particular, NWRHA directors had no answers to reports that doctors were conducting their private practice while on duty at public hospitals and the process used by the authority to select contractors to provide goods and services.

The NWRHA has been under fire recently for $107 million which it owes to the Board of Inland Revenue. Health Minister John Rahael said while the Ministry was willing to accept responsibility for not monitoring the NWRHA more closely, the NWRHA’s debts were the result of poor management and failure to follow proper procedures. Aegis Business Solutions Ltd was hired to do an audit for the years 1999 to 2001 and prepare monthly financial statements. The deadline is December 31.