Clarification on staff against authority

Letters

I READ with interest the article on Friday’s edition of The National (page 8) ‘Staff take a firm stand’.
Firstly, the reference to more than 200 staff taking a firm stand is a gross exaggeration.
Joe Philla’s group comprises of a small number of disgruntled staff who are finding it difficult to cope with the progressive changes being implemented by Western Highlands health authority and a number of ex-employees who have been terminated for offences such as stealing, being violent to patients and staff, unlawfully collecting fees from patients, and ongoing poor performances among other offences.
I have been informed that a number of staff have approached the management with concerns that their names have been put onto the petition without their consent.
While Philla has flaunted his petition in public and is calling for action, he is yet to provide a signed copy to the board or to the management.
I have also seen an unsigned version, which was provided to me by the media.
Philla, being a medical records clerk and not a member of management should perhaps not concern himself with matters above his pay grade as he quite clearly has no grasp of the facts.
In relation to the correspondence to me from the previous health minister regarding our chief executive officer and the hospital management respectively, I replied to both letters in mid-September.
Philla’s allegations in relation to the hospital manager rely on selective internet articles of six years ago that have subsequently been proven to be baseless.
For the record, following the investigation, no charges were ever made in relation to the allegations.
Philla’s claims are without any evidence and are defamatory.

DG Guinn
WHPPHA board chairman