The PUP is going to the House of Representatives next week Tuesday - and high on the agenda is an entire raft of legislation to sidestep Director of Health services, Dr Marvin Manzanero.
Since taking office, the Briceno Administration has been trying to get rid of Manzanero - because they have painted him as the architect of what they call the UDP's failed approach to fighting COVID 19.
But Dr Manzanero is a senior public officer - and they can't prove he's done anything wrong - so getting rid of him has proved virtually impossible. And, they can't get around him because that post, the Director of Health Services is a paramount position in the Ministry of Health - meaning that almost everything has to pass through, or be signed off on by the holder of that office.
So now the PUP government figures that since they can't get rid of him, they will get around him - by creating two more senior posts in the Ministry: a Director of Public Health and Wellness as well as a Director of Hospital Services.
That was announced in Tuesday's Cabinet brief and, now, next Tuesday, no less than 9 amendment bills are going to the House of Representatives to replace the term "Director of Health Services" with the term "Director of Health and Wellness".
They are the medical services and intuitions amendment bill, the media practice amendment bill, the antibiotics amendment bill, the quarantine amendment bill, social security board amendment bill, shops amendment bill, chemists and druggists amendment bill, dentists amendment bill, opticians amendment bill, and the registration of nursing homes amendment bill.
These are all areas of medical related activity where the DHS was an integral part - now that will be done by a Director of Health and Wellness - and we don't know who it is yet.
Now all this tells us that the DHS post is not redundant - since all the services will still be needed - they will just be carried out from another parallel post. And that tells us that the government is just making the name change to replace the post and holder, Dr Marvin Manzanero.
The UDP says it is a demonstration of putting "Politics above professionalism". The UDP says, quote, "The vital role of the office of the DHS requires that it always be shielded from politics. It is a technical post, the holder of which should guide the government and health system from a scientific and public health standpoint…To tamper with such an important office particularly at this time, when the health of the nation is under the most severe threat ever, is unthinkable, dangerous and deadly." End quote.
Now, like we said at the top, this is going to the House on Tuesday - where it will surely be the subject of robust debate, since the bills are going to be pushed through, all three readings in one session.
