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(CNS): Osbourne “Ossie” Bodden, the former chair of the Health Services Authority Board, has pointed the finger at the HSA’s chief executive officer and her management team as the source of many worrying issues that have developed in recent years. In a statement circulated on Monday, Bodden defended the board in the face of what he said were “a number of unfounded criticisms”, including the number of meetings it held, compensation received and alleged interference with the HSA management. Bodden made it clear that the board had had concerns about the management team, including CEO Lizette Yearwood. He said that the board was forced to meet often to deal with the many “management challenges”, particularly human resources, because frequent “procedural flaws in dismissal and appeal processes created recurring complications and reputational risk”. He said the board had approved the appointment of an in-house legal counsel, prompted by the volume and seriousness of HR matters and other management-level procedural lapses that resulted in financial and resource losses. “The Board consistently raised these matters with the CEO in writing, urging immediate corrective action,” Bodden stated, adding that there was also a high number of delays in completing strategic projects, and a need for continuous change in project developments due to the lack of expertise at the HSA. “In July 2024, the Board also issued a formal written notice to the CEO outlining specific management failures and required follow-up action,” he said. He said that while the board and the management team had worked well to achieve a list of accomplishments, detailed in his statement, the situation began to deteriorate after the former deputy CEO, Ronnie Dunn, accused the board of interference and initiated a whistleblowing action. “The initial allegation of interference was made at a time when the Board put forward to [the Senior Management Team] certain proposals to ensure more effective accountability… to the Board. When confronted, the former Deputy CEO, while verbally acknowledging that his claims were largely unfounded, refused to provide a written retraction. “Instead, the former Deputy CEO took the position that trust had been irreparably damaged and offered his resignation from the organization,” he said. After that, an internal audit was conducted, which Bodden said was a constructive opportunity to identify and address areas for improvement. But he said those events were exploited by Chris Saunders MP (BTW), who, Bodden claimed, was a close associate of Dunn. Saunders then used “his platform in Parliament to unfairly malign the integrity of hardworking board members for political purposes, to remove the spotlight from his own failings and questionable deeds as an MP and representative of BTW”. Bodden resigned from the board at the start of 2025 to return to politics, and campaigned unsuccessfully against Saunders in the 2025 election. He said that Saunders’ behaviour was “deeply disappointing” and it risked discouraging capable, service-oriented individuals from accepting future board appointments. He also implied that he would take legal action if Saunders continues to persist in challenging his character. In his statement, Bodden noted that the HSA will always face challenges because it must provide healthcare to all residents, including those unable to afford private care. “This is an essential public service and a core responsibility of any government. Nonetheless, it remains vital that the Authority operate as efficiently as possible, a principle that guided our work and the very reason the HSA was established as a statutory authority.” The former chair said he supported the government’s decision to change the remuneration for board members to a flat fee, but under his tenure, all meetings were properly convened under the law. See Bodden’s statement in full below: Correction: In a previous version of the article, the former DCEO referred to by Obourne Bodden was incorrectly identified as Dr Vinton Douglas. Dr Douglas is the current DCEO and is not mentioned or referred to in Bodden’s statement the former CEO was Ronnie Dunne.
