North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) chairman Dr Tim Gopeesingh says he has managed to drastically cut the nursing overtime bill, as he accused the authority’s previous administration of presiding over a decade of corruption, nepotism and mismanagement.
Gopeesingh said since he was appointed in August last year, he was able to reduce the overtime bill from $40 million to less than one-tenth of that at the country’s largest tertiary healthcare institution.
“When we came in, overtime payments for pool nursing were close to $40 million. We have now brought that figure down to less than $4 million while maintaining adequate nursing personnel. It still needs improvement, and with the hiring of 78 additional nurses, we expect further progress,” Gopeesingh said during the NCRHA’s Public Board Meeting at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, on Thursday.
Gopeesingh said the authority had since requested a forensic audit into excessive overtime payments and other irregularities at the NCRHA.
Gopeesingh has been at loggerheads with the Trinidad and Tobago National Nursing Association over the issue of overtime payments to nurses since he took office.
During the meeting, attendee Avion Drayton-Bailey questioned the board about the alleged corrupt practices involving the nursing pool system. She questioned what the next step was and whether the authority had not only identified those responsible but reported the matter to the police. She also questioned whether any employees had been disciplined since the supposed corruption was uncovered.
In response, Gopeesingh revealed that approximately eight nurses in the nursing pool had each received more than $50,000 in overtime over a three-month period, while two received more than $70,000 during the same period.
“That was equivalent to more than 400 hours per month. It was impractical and that was fraud,” he said, adding that instances like those were what prompted the forensic audit to be launched into the nursing pool system and other concerning issues.
He said one recipient of overtime was a 70-year-old retiree who got more than $70,000.
“There were about 10 people at the top of the list, but we still need nurses and we need their support,” Gopeesingh said.
Despite the concerns, Gopeesingh still praised the nursing staff, but voiced his displeasure over what was found.
“The nurses worked very hard and diligently, but I was dismayed to find the real problems within that nursing pool,” he said.
Gopeesingh was adamant that there was widespread corruption in the administration of the nursing pool. He added that in the wake of their discoveries, a clear line of procedures before a nurse is given overtime had been implemented.
Gopeesingh said the authority inherited an organisation in disrepair after what he described as 10 years of poor governance between 2015 and 2025. He said despite spending approximately $3.4 billion over the previous decade, only two of the eight operating theatres at the EWMSC were functional when the current board took office.
“What a shame and disgrace,” he said.
“Six operating theatres were not working. The air-conditioning systems had failed, theatre lights were missing, operating tables were missing. It was a mess.”
He said the authority has since installed new 30-ton air-conditioning units, restoring seven of the eight operating theatres to service and extending operating hours into the evenings and weekends to reduce surgical backlogs.
According to Gopeesingh, the NCRHA now performs approximately 22,500 surgical procedures annually across its facilities, including about 7,200 at the EWMSC, 3,000 at the Mount Hope Women’s Hospital, 8,000 at the Dental Hospital, 2,000 at the Maxillofacial Clinic, 1,300 at the Veterinary Clinic and 1,200 at the Arima General Hospital.
Gopeesingh also trained his anger on fellow doctors, suggesting an adjustment to how they currently operate. He said NCRHA employs approximately 720 house officers at an annual cost of $200 million and 120 consultants whose salaries total $84 million annually, but noted that some doctors refused to show up for work.
“When you call out for a consultant, they don’t come out—they’re not there. Instead, the registrars, who are below the consultants, come out and do the work,” he revealed.
He suggested that the authority should examine whether fewer consultant positions and greater reliance on registrars would improve service delivery. He said as a doctor for 51 years, he never neglected his responsibilities and was “disappointed in his consultant colleagues.”
He also alleged that a team of orthopaedic surgeons, who owned a company supplying orthopaedic equipment used in hip and knee surgeries, had billed the NCRHA over $10 million.
“If you don’t buy it from them, they’re not doing the surgery. I checked today, and we owe them about $16 million.”
Gopeesingh said the authority is also working to recruit more qualified mammographers, radiologists and other allied health professionals.
Contacted yesterday for comment on Gopeesingh’s claims, former NCRHA CEO Davlin Thomas said as a current employee, he could not comment on the matter.
Calls and messages to the Medical Board for a response to Gopeesingh’s claims also went unanswered up to press time.
