Health Services Authority CEO bemoans 3-year acting stint

Dr June Samuel

Acting Chief Executive Officer of the BVI Health Services Authority, Dr June Samuel, has said her prolonged tenure in an acting capacity has affected the organisation’s stability and morale, as she renewed calls for permanent leadership at the statutory body.

Speaking on the Talking Points programme this week, Dr Samuel said continuity in leadership was critical for any healthcare system and argued that extended acting appointments undermined confidence among staff and management alike.

“If you’re going to develop an organisation, if you’re developing a business, you have to have continuity in leadership,” she stated. “Being in the position of Acting CEO for three years, going on four now, I think it affects the stability,” Dr Samuel said.

Uncertainty among staff

She explained that uncertainty over her leadership appointment has created hesitation within the organisation, with staff unsure whether initiatives would continue if senior roles were to change. “Staff are not sure, the management team is never sure, what’s going to happen and what’s next… and of course, it affects morale,” she said, adding that questions often arose about whether ongoing reforms would survive leadership changes.

Dr Samuel’s comments came during a wide-ranging discussion on funding, staffing shortages and governance challenges facing the Health Services Authority, which manages the Dr D Orlando Smith Hospital and a network of public clinics across the territory. She reiterated that the Authority was established to provide care, not to operate as a profit-making entity, and said structural reforms were still needed to place the organisation on a sustainable footing.

Significant unrecovered costs

The acting CEO said the Authority remained heavily dependent on government subventions and National Health Insurance reimbursements, while absorbing significant unrecovered costs for emergency care, uninsured patients and services not fully covered under existing benefit schedules. She noted that the organisation had repeatedly presented financial data and modelling to support reform requests. “We have done the work that has been required of us to make the case,” Dr Samuel stated.

Her remarks echo long-standing concerns about leadership turnover and prolonged acting appointments at key public bodies, including the Health Services Authority.

Samuel also addressed questions about compensation, confirming that while systems existed for temporary allowances when staff performed duties outside their substantive roles, the arrangements did not fully reflect the scale of responsibilities carried by some officers. “We’re looking at our compensation policy,” she said while noting that reviews were underway.