Chairman of the Medical Council of Guyana, Dr. Sheik Amir said yesterday that the body erred in granting Dr. Vishwamintra Persaud a licence to practice here, but he insisted that there is a process to follow before anything conclusive is done.
The Council has reached a decision, he said, but in keeping with procedure a letter was dispatched to Dr. Persaud yesterday calling on him to state why he should not be censored, suspended and or struck off the register. Dr. Persaud has seven days to respond.
Dr. Persaud had ignored an earlier letter from the Council, but he appeared before the body after being summoned to a meeting.
The Council will communicate its decision to Dr Persaud at the end of the period whether he responds or not. “I know the word erred has been used, but I too will say that we erred…bottom line is we erred in granting him a licence because his documents had inconsistencies”, Dr. Amir told Stabroek News yesterday. However, he said that irrespective of what is happening publicly with Dr. Persaud the Council has a duty to allow for due process.
Dr. Amir disclosed that the Council found several inconsistencies in the documents Dr. Persaud had originally submitted for registration, noting that a notarized supporting document was not on file for the doctor. “His application was lacking certain information and as a result of those inconsistencies he should not have been granted a licence”, he added.
According to Dr. Amir, Dr. Persaud is guilty of misconduct under the rules of the medical council by submitting copies of original documents for his registration. He said the doctor’s character could also be called into question based on his submissions to the Council.
Additionally, he maintained that the Council was unaware of the doctor’s conviction in the US prior to granting him a licence.
“We were misled and in retrospect whether we knew certain things or not, we erred in registering because his documentation was not in order”, Dr. Amir added.
Health Minister. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy announced on Tuesday that Dr. Persaud was no longer employed at the public hospital; the announcement implying that the doctor was fired.
This newspaper understands that Dr. Persaud tendered a letter of resignation. Ramsammy also apologized for employing Dr. Persaud at the hospital, but this followed public condemnation from Human Services Minister, Priya Manickchand, who said that she was horrified by the doctor’s employment at the hospital.
Prior to her statement, Help and Shelter was vocal in its objection to the doctor’s employment at the hospital. In addition, there were many public disagreements with the decision to hire Dr. Persaud.
Dr Persaud pleaded guilty in the US to a charge of attempted course of sexual conduct against a child in 2008 and was sentenced to an eight-year order of protection, ten years probation and fined US$25,000 among other fees. He sexually violated the child over a three-year period and only stopped after she complained to an adult.
