Nurses of the Linden Hospital Complex yesterday staged a protest to push for the removal of the facility’s Chief Executive Officer Rudolph Small over disparaging statements he reportedly made about them.
“We need justice” and “The CEO must go” were among the chants of the nurses, some of whom also held placards as they protested outside of the hospital’s doors.
Small was reported as telling an online media house that the nurses regularly abandoned their duties to engage in extramarital affairs.
The protest comes days after the Region Ten Regional Democratic Council (RDC) wrote Small and asked that he step down in what it called a show of support for the region’s frontline workers and women working at the hospital.
In the letter, which was sent to Small on Thursday, the RDC said it viewed the statements which he reportedly made about the nurses at the facility as “distasteful, disrespectful, and totally untenable.” The letter further stated that the comments put hard working and committed staff at risk of domestic confrontations and discord within their homes and that in a subsequent interaction with the nurses Small did not seek to apologise but instead sought to excuse the fact that what was stated was released to the public.
Last Friday, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) wrote Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony requesting the removal of Small. The GPSU said the allegations that the nurses were engaging in extramarital affairs are scandalous and expose the officer, his office and agency to litigation.
Additionally, it was reported that Small sought to deflect blame onto the reporter who conducted the interview, claiming that his words were said in jest and misconstrued for a sensationalism and social media clicks. He, however, said that he would accept full responsibility for the words the “purported journalist” attributed to him because he was part of the conversation and asked that the nurses look not at his words but at his actions moving forward. But the nurses were not satisfied.
