Minister of State Responsible for Health, The Hon. Wendy Phipps said on national radio on Thursday night that there are no cases of stem cell research being done at the Joseph N France Hospital. Recently members of the opposition, in particular former PM Dr Denzil Douglas and MP for Const.#2 Marcella Liburd, have claimed that Dr Martin’s departure was linked to alleged cases of illegal stem cell research at the Joseph N. France General Hospital.
Dr Patrick Martin told Freedom Fm earlier last week that a foreign doctor, who had no license to practice in the federation, was involved in a project which involved regenerative medicine or stem cell research at the JNF.
Minister of Health the Hon Eugene Hamilton told Winn Fm last week that there was such a project at the JNF which had been approved by the federal cabinet of the Team Unity Government(TUG), bypassing getting the project approved and sanctioned by CMO Martin.
Minister Phipps however categorically denied such a project saying “there are no such cases of stem cell research. As Minister of State with responsibility for health I wish to state categorically that neither the Ministry of Health nor the J.N. France General Hospital is engaged in any stem cell project.
It is extremely unfortunate that Dr. Martin has sought to link his retirement to alleged stem cell research when he knows there is no stem cell research currently occurring in the Federation and he fully understands that he retirement should have been initiated since May of 2016,” said the minister.
Minister Phipps said that the government has given “approval for a research project involving plasma based infusion therapies for overseas patients. She said there were 2 ongoing projects of regenerative medicine at the JNF which commenced on June 13 and would be overseen by JNF medical staff includind Dr Dwayne Archibald and Chief of Staff Dr Cameron Wilkinson. The Minister of State for Health said funding for one of the projects began in 2013 under the former Labour Government and received $80,000.00 SIDF funding.
This research has been conducted at the private ward of the JNF Hospital. Minister Phipps also commented on the retirement of Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Patrick Martin. She said Dr. Martin’s retirement was not sudden and he was aware of it for months.The minister said Dr.
Martin had written to the ministry regarding his employment in May of 2015 and the Hon. Eugene Hamilton wrote to the permanent secretary with instructions that Dr Martin would remain employed until May of 2016.
“This communiqué from Minister Hamilton inexplicably found its way to the desk of the CMO, not the permanent secretary to whom it was addressed. The CMO then became privy to the private communication between the minister and the permanent secretary,” she said.She continued, “He thereafter returned the mail the office of the Permanent Secretary claiming to have found it on his desk already opened and had affixed his own directive to the permanent secretary as to how he should treat his employment extension.
Dr. Martin therefore was well aware since October of 2015 that he was expected to demit office by the end of May 2016.” Minister Phipps said Dr. Martin had written to the previous administration about his retirement but there was no response.
On Freedom Fm on Friday morning Dr Martin again disclosed that he had raised an objection to the stem cell research project been carried out on the private ward of the Joseph N. France General Hospital as the project was not properly approved as is required by law, and that the non-resident medical doctor involved is not licensed to practice in St. Kitts and Nevis.
“Stem cell research or experimentation must be guided by ethical safeguards and other safeguards. Knowledge of those safeguards is the responsibility of the Office of the Chief Medical Officer…subject to the provisions of the Public Health Act. Matters having to do with experimentation, research, have to be regulated and the competent authority is the Office of the Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health,” Dr. Martin told Freedom Fm.
With regard to the personnel matter and the communication between Minister Hamilton and the PS, Martin said he had “no comment” as he was being advised on that matter.