Statement of Dr. Dawn Russell-Hermanns, Board Certified Ophthalmologist, General Ophthalmology, Medical Retina & Vitreoretinal Surgeon
I, like some of my colleagues read with shock the Tribune’s article, “Expert Highlights Shortage Of Eye Doctors Amid Hospital Row” of December 1, 2016.
There were many misrepresentations contained in that article which my conscience would not allow me to leave unanswered. Many have no doubt seen the recent reports of the resignation of Dr. James Johnson, as Medical Chief of Staff of the Princess Margaret Hospital (“PMH”).
While there have been various reports surrounding Dr. Johnson’s resignation, very little has been said about the facts which led to Dr. Johnson’s decision. The underlying facts are issues that should be of general public concern particularly in light of the recent statements by Dr. Jonathan Rodgers in that Tribune article.
Many of the statements made by Dr. Rodgers are misleading, unfounded and despite its apparent effort to be enlightening, nevertheless fails to disclose the glaring unconventional, discriminatory and unfair practice which no doubt contributed to Dr. Johnson’s decision.
As reported in the article Dr. Rodgers stated: -
“The two recruited eye doctors are sub specialists in cataract, cornea, refractive and retinal surgery and are both Fellowship certified, have written numerous academic papers published in accredited ophthalmological journals and have had more surgical experience, at this stage of their ophthalmic careers, than any other surgeon at PMH”
Firstly, Dr. Rodgers’ specific reference to the foreign doctors’ “surgical experience” as being superior to that of me, the current Acting Head of Division of Ophthalmology and that of my colleagues is laughable at best and is extremely misleading.
Dr. Rodgers does not have the factual basis for stating that the foreign, newly qualified Retina Specialist has more “surgical experience” than I do and for him to suggest this to the Bahamian public in these circumstances is not merely misleading, it is also disingenuous and grossly offensive. He has no way of knowing the number of surgical cases I have performed during my training and career that has included a four (4) year residency at Yale, three fellowships in Canada and in the United Kingdom and during my three (3) years of practice between 2013 and 2016 both at PMH and in private practice.
While not wishing to take anything away from the two (2) recruited foreign doctors, they are indeed specialists; one is reportedly a General Ophthalmologist and Retina Specialist like myself and the other is General Ophthalmologist and Cornea specialist like another of my Bahamian colleagues.
But, by comparison, from a training perspective, the foreign Retina Specialist is today in her career, where I was in December 2013.
Further, Dr. Rodgers’ implication that my colleagues and I are not published is again highly offensive and was no doubt also made for the purpose of justifying the foreign recruitment and the manner in which it was done.
For the removal of doubt, I have also published numerous articles in highly “accredited Ophthalmological journals” that space would not allow me to list and I have also been involved in ground breaking clinical trials and research projects around the world; a simple Google search of my name could verify this.
Secondly, Dr. Rodgers statement that “… there were only four board certified or fellowship certified practicing eye doctors in The Bahamas” is again completely erroneous.
Below is a complete list of Ophthalmologists in Commonwealth The Bahamas.
Fellowship Trained/Board Certified Ophthalmologists:
Dr. Geoffery Sweeting
Dr. Dawn Russell-Hermanns
Dr. K. Jonathan A. Rodgers
Dr. Duranda Ash
Dr. Antonio Guerrero
Dr. Rana Greene- due to return July 2017
At the time of recruitment of the two foreign doctors, the following doctors were also practicing: Dr. Sam Mikael and Dr. Juli Dean-Zanetta.
Additionally, there are an additional three (3) Ophthalmologists (Registrars) who have completed Residency Training in General Ophthalmology, all of whom are currently also practicing in The Bahamas.
Clearly, Dr. Rodgers’ statement that there are only four (4) practicing eye doctors in the Bahamas is again, blatantly untrue.
Thirdly, while I agree that PMH has a need for ophthalmologists and while I would readily welcome additional qualified staff, I am aware of the fact that when doctors are recruited, the protocol is that they be vetted and agreed upon by not only the doctors in the Division of Ophthalmology but also by the Department of Surgery. This has been and remains the standard practice. The reasons for this practice should be obvious.
Dr. Rodgers however, appears to go above and beyond in the recruitment of these foreign doctors and in this instance, against standard practices. He has described my colleagues and myself as “detractors”, the suggestion being that we have unjustifiably challenged the recruitment of the foreign doctors.
One of my concerns is and has always been that any Ophthalmologist who joins the Department ought not be handpicked by one practitioner in the manner in which these two (2) foreign doctors were recruited. The fact that they were hand picked by Dr. Rodgers who over the period June, 2015 to September, 2016 has made the least surgical contribution to the Department of Ophthalmology in terms of clinic hours and surgical cases performed further adds to my worries.
Again, by comparison, I have personally performed 174 public cases and supervised the residents for a significant amount of their 142 surgical cases at PMH over this fifteen (15) month period while Dr. Rodgers performed approximately 30 public surgical cases in the same period. It should also be pointed out that over the same period, of those 30 cases performed by Dr. Rodgers, there has been 5 surgical complications arising in those cases that required my intervention.
I am of the strong view that a decision of this magnitude ought not be unilaterally made by someone whose contribution to the public patients at PMH is at the moment, minimal at best.
However, my more fundamental concern is the issue that no doubt contributed to Dr. Johnson’s resignation in my opinion, is the fact that it has been confirmed that the two (2) recruited foreign doctors will join PMH as Consultants in circumstances where foreign doctors are typically brought in as Senior Registrars and then they become eligible for promotion after a year once their performance has been deemed satisfactory for that level of promotion.
These doctors are now simply unleashed on the Bahamian public in this elevated capacity without having yet performed in the local hospital.
As Bahamians, we are all also subject to this practice and most Bahamian Consultants can speak to the years that they had to wait before being promoted to Consultants.
These two (2) foreign doctors however, in circumstances that were extraordinarily abnormal, were approved to immediately join PMH as Consultants even against the express objection of Dr. Johnson as the Medical Chief of Staff.
The motivation and rational for their immediate advancement was seemingly more important than the stated position of the Medical Chief of Staff.
This is also a personal affront to me and the other Bahamian doctors who have worked tirelessly at PMH for years before their promotion to Consultants is implemented while foreign doctors like the two recruited specialists in this case, have been confirmed as Consultants even prior to working one day in PMH..
This in my view is boldly unfair and is discriminatory conduct against an equally qualified Bahamian citizen and again, the Bahamian public ought to be made aware of it.
The Bahamian people should also be afforded the opportunity to consider why these two (2) foreign doctors will not be going through the trial process prior to their promotion to Consultants. This is worth considering given the fact that in the past, the hospitals has brought in foreign doctors who had seemingly glowing and very impressive resumes but their actual clinical work with patients left much to be desired.
The resignation of the Medical Chief of Staff and the total disregard for his recommendations and the recommendations of the entire Medical Advisory Committee on this issue should speak volumes to the Bahamian people.
I have taken the time to provide the underlying facts on this issue and to identify the inaccuracies and misrepresentations in the comments attributed to Dr. Rodgers in the article. Those statements were not only personally insulting to me and to my colleagues but are also worrisome because these decisions have the potential to have negative affects on the public at large and not merely in terms of the ophthalmic medical care they will receive but also in terms of the discriminatory practices which are being allowed to prevail in our country even in the face of vehement objection such as that levied by Dr. Johnson.
