Three weeks after former University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) board chair Wayne Chai Chong doubled down on his allegation that Jamaica’s Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton interfered in the hospital’s chief executive officer hiring process, current hospital management has confirmed to the island nation’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that no official board minutes, resolutions, or committee documents back up the claim.
This disclosure marks the latest turning point in a growing controversy tied to the PAC’s ongoing review of a critical Auditor General report that uncovered major flaws in governance and procurement at Jamaica’s largest teaching hospital.
Appearing before the parliamentary oversight committee this Tuesday, Acting UHWI CEO Eric Hosin explained that a full review of all relevant institutional records turned up just one passing reference to the CEO recruitment process, with no paperwork showing the board ever approved a candidate, rejected an applicant, or reversed a finalized appointment.
“Neither the full board meeting minutes nor the minutes of the senior directors board meeting reference any decision to overturn the appointment of a candidate selected for the CEO post. There is no documentation of such an action in any of the records we have accessed,” Hosin told committee members.
Hosin’s testimony immediately renewed scrutiny of claims Chai Chong gave to the PAC back in May. Chai Chong, who led the UHWI board during the recruitment period in question, was called to testify as part of the committee’s expanding probe into the Auditor General’s findings, and stood firm in his assertion that ministerial intervention altered the final outcome of the hiring process. Tuesday’s hearing was convened specifically to test whether official hospital records aligned with that narrative.
After reviewing roughly 12 months of board documents, Hosin confirmed that only a single brief mention of the recruitment process appears, in minutes dated July 19, 2023.
The revelation caught PAC chairman Julian Robinson off guard, who questioned how a hiring process for one of the most high-stakes roles in Jamaica’s public health system could leave so little official paper trail.
“I find it unusual that this is the only reference to the full recruitment process, with no additional documentation noting that a candidate was approved or any other formal outcome,” Robinson said.
This gap in official records quickly became a core point of concern for committee members. Government MP Zavia Mayne, who represents St Ann South Western, noted that the lack of documentation directly conflicts with the narrative Chai Chong presented to Parliament earlier this year, a discrepancy he called deeply troubling.
“This is far more than concerning. We heard a very clear narrative from the former chairman during our last session, and now UHWI leadership has confirmed that board minutes contain no record of the events described. That is deeply worrying to me,” Mayne said. He added that any decision of such major public importance would certainly be documented in official records if it had actually occurred: “These are critical institutional decisions. If such a fundamental shift in the hiring outcome had been made, the minutes would reflect it — and no such record exists.”
Robinson stopped short of declaring that the missing records directly contradict Chai Chong’s testimony, but acknowledged that the documentary gap is substantial. “What we have here is a clear omission. A decision of this magnitude is consequential, and any board would document it at some point during the process. I’m not saying there is a total contradiction, but I would have expected far more detail in these minutes or subsequent meeting records about the final outcome of the CEO recruitment,” Robinson explained.
The committee’s discussion then turned to whether the absence of documentation undermines the entire claim of political interference. Government MP Delano Seiveright, representing St Andrew North Central, directly pressed Hosin on whether the records point to an alternate explanation for the controversy.
“Mr Hosin, would it be fair to conclude that based on the records before this committee, there was no ministerial interference at all — that instead, the actual position of the board was misunderstood, or possibly misrepresented, given that no board resolution supports the narrative put forward by the former chair?” Seiveright asked.
Hosin declined to draw that conclusion, emphasizing that hospital management can only confirm what records have been located, not speculate on unrecorded events. “We have provided every document we were able to find. I cannot speak to what may have happened off the record in any meeting, only that the official documents we hold do not reflect the details that have been alleged,” he responded. When pressed again on whether any evidence exists of the board formally approving or reversing a CEO appointment, Hosin’s answer remained the same.
Opposition MP Peter Bunting, representing Manchester Southern, urged committee members to avoid jumping to conclusions based solely on the absence of written records. He pointed out that not every communication between ministers and hospital boards ends up in official meeting minutes, and noted that both Chai Chong and former Deputy Chairman Dr Andre Foote resigned from their posts shortly after the recruitment process concluded — a sequence of events that he argues supports Chai Chong’s account. “Members Mayne and Seiveright know very well that not all communication gets recorded in board minutes. A board chair can get a very clear sense of the minister’s preferences without that interaction ever being put to paper. And the fact that both top leaders resigned shortly after these events does support the former chairman’s oral testimony to this committee,” Bunting said.
Committee members also asked whether the board’s Human Resource and Customer Service Committee might have generated reports or records that could clarify the recruitment process, but Hosin confirmed management has not been able to locate any such documents.