Published 7 August 2017
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News
Dr. Martin finally receives compensation on August 4th
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, AUGUST 7TH 2017- Former Chief Medical Officer Dr. Patrick Martin has finally received his compensation for his early retirement from the Public Service.
Dr. Martin said the check was delivered to his attorney on Friday 4th August, after previous public statements from Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris that Dr. Martin was adequately compensated when the letter immediately bringing his pre-retirement leave to an end was delivered by uniformed police officers on Friday 14th July. Dr Martin’s pre-retirement leave began in June 2016 and was scheduled to have ended in November 2017.
“And in lieu of the notice that had been given to him before November end, he was paid all the entitlements,” Dr. Harris told WINNFM’s “The Bigger Picture” in a pre-produced prograame aired on Sunday July 30th 2017.
Dr. Martin disputed the Prime Minister’s statement that he had been compensated.
On Saturday 5th August, Dr. Martin informed WINNFM that the monies which Dr. Harris claimed were already paid, was only delivered to his lawyer’s office on Friday 4th August 2017.
Dr. Martin incurred the wrath of Prime Minister Harris’ Government when he was hastily sent on vacation and pre-retirement leave on June 16th 2016 when he stopped an illegal Stem Cell Research Project operating at the Private Ward of the J. N. France General Hospital on June 13th 2016, without his approval as required under the Medical Act and had taken measures to bring it to an end.
A hospital document posted on FaceBook indicated that at a June 8th meeting of Staff Nurses and co-chaired by Matron Sonia Daley-Findlay, Director of Institutional Nursing Services, and Shirley Ferlance, Assistant Director of Institutional Nursing Services, it was discussed that “three rooms from the private ward will be used to facilitate the Regenerative Stem Cell Research which should begin Monday 13th June 2016.”
The stem cell operation involved Canadian billionaire Peter Nygard, the hard-partying retail tycoon.
Dr. Martin defended his action to close down the illegal stem cell operation “because the Medical Act which is responsible for registering and licensing doctors to practice in the Federation was violated by a doctor coming from outside the Federation who was associated with the stem cell therapy entity that was operating at the JNF Private Ward. As Chief Medical Officer and Chair of the Medical Board which registers and licenses medical doctors, dentists, pharmacists et al, I was duty bound to ensure that the laws of the Federation were upheld, and that’s what I did.”
