by Raj JUGERNAUTH

We have in Mauritius a musical chair in the midst of chairmen of trust fund, parastatal bodies and public corporations as soon as a general election is over. It is quite understandable that the government would like to have competent people who share their vision and policies on their boards. But then, these chairmen of boards should at least know where their prerogatives start and end, what they can do and what they cannot do.

It is also amazing to note how some chairmen either get into trouble with their executive directors in many of our parastatal bodies and these quibbling make their way to the press. This is the result of a complete misunderstanding of the role of a chairman, even by lawyers.

Another reprehensible practice which is now being generalised by some chairmen concerns that tendency to give orders directly to professionals working in the corporations, trust fund or parastatal bodies whose board they chair.

This is an absolutely abuse of power. How on earth can a chairman be ignorant of the fact that he has to take decisions through his board and have the executive director carry out decisions or any type of interdiction decided by the board, as far as these decisions are not unconstitutional?

We started by asking if Siv Potayya is a minister by proxy? Definetely he is not. But he has the responsibility to see that the government?s policy concerning the trust fund is followed. He is expected to do his homework and know if doctors and surgeons working for that trust fund have or do not have the right of private practice.

He is expected to be well conversant with all the rules and regulations of that fund.

And his responsibility goes further. He is responsible for the development of that body.

The Trust fund for specialised medical care is one of the best government bodies and should in fact serve as an example in the ministry of Health.

This Trust Fund has a budget of Rs 80 million, and if the necessary effort is done, much of that money can be brought in through surgery to foreign children which humanitarian organisations .

This is what Profesor Kalangos proposed. But backbiting and malicious anonymous letters have gone to such a disgusting level at this centre that Professor Kalangos who was training the Cardiac Centre staff free of charge has left for ever. According to information gathered, he might be putting up a cardiac centre in Madagascar where cardiac operations to be paid by the humanitarian organisation ?Terre des Hommes? will be carried out and paid by that organisation.

Siv Potayya had better take a look at the obsolete medical equipment of the Cardiac Centre and make efforts to develop this Cardiac Centre into a nucleus which will give rise to medical tourism in a near future.

He cannot say that he or government has no fund for such development. He does not know where grants and free equipment are available for such development, he just has to write to us. It would be a pleasure to inform him and develop the cardiac centre which has saved the lives of around 500 Mauritians, laymen, ex ministers and high private sector executives. All this free of charge and with the high competence and devotion of cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and the nursing staff of that cardiac centre.