‘Power struggle’ - UWI Visitor dismisses move to unseat Prof Plummer as head of med; cites room for improvement in recruitment process
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The Visitor to the University of the West Indies (UWI) has dismissed a bid by a group of medical personnel at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) to remove Professor Joseph Plummer as head of the hospital’s Department of Medicine, bringing to a close a challenge mounted months after his appointment.
The action, initiated by a small group of consultants, centred on claims that Plummer had not been properly appointed by UWI, which is responsible for such appointments. The matter was referred to the Visitor, Justice Rolston Fitzherbert Nelson, whose office adjudicates disputes relating to the university’s governance procedures.
However, well-placed Sunday Gleaner sources have said the challenge emerged after Plummer insisted that consultants comply with the Ministry of Health and Wellness requirement to provide 28 hours of weekly service to UHWI for teaching and patient care.
The Sunday Gleaner was told that both UWI and UHWI together employ more than 400 professor consultants, with fewer than 0.5 per cent reportedly supporting the petition seeking Plummer’s removal.
The initial petition was reportedly submitted shortly after his appointment last July. While the outcome of that first submission remains unclear, the revised petition was ultimately dismissed.
The decision was communicated to faculty members by UWI Principal Professor Densil Williams during a special meeting of the Faculty of Medical Sciences board on April 28. A notice for the meeting stated that it had been convened to facilitate an address by Williams on “the matter of deanship”.
“There were no specific allegations against Professor Plummer. The claim is that he was not properly selected, which is pure rubbish. The objections came after he asked them to fulfil their requirements to the hospital, both in respect to teaching the students in training, and giving the required time to patient care. Essentially, he was asking people to do their work,” said a university academic, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly.
Documents from the Ministry of Health and Wellness, seen by The Sunday Gleaner, reiterated the longstanding policy governing consultants’ working arrangements.
“The policy of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, whereby medical consultants are afforded a privilege to operate private practice for 12 hours of the 40-hour work week will continue to apply. The conditions for this privilege are set out in the Medical Staff Manual,” the document stated.
It reiterated: “Continuing the long-established and accepted ‘condition of work’ that full-time consultants work within their respective institutions for 28-hours per week, the privilege of conducting private practice for 12 hours within the work week, if they so desire is to be preserved … .”
According to the sources, the requirement predates Plummer’s appointment.
“The 28 hours to UHWI was not a Joseph Plummer requirement, but a MOHW [requirement], and something that has long been in place. But you have individuals who are at their private practice, leaving classes not been taught, and patients’ management not benefitting from their expertise,” one source said.
He also criticised the decision to petition the Visitor before exhausting internal university channels.
Under UWI’s Charter, the Visitor is appointed by the University Council and serves as the final authority for appeals by staff or students concerning the interpretation and application of the university’s statutes and regulations, once all internal remedies have been exhausted.
In his ruling, Justice Nelson concluded that the petitioners had failed to establish their case.
“The petitioners have failed to exhaust internal remedies and, therefore, their petition cannot succeed. I find that the appointment process described by the university registrar and campus principal, in the several documents before me in relation to a call for the candidates for the appointment of dean beyond the faculty across the campus, was lawful and not lacking in merit ... ,” read a section of the ruling.
The Visitor, however, recommended improvements to the appointment process.
“Nonetheless, it is apparent that there is room for improvement and clarification. It would be advisable that the respondent should in future publish a Procedure Manual for the Appointment if Dens, detailing how the recruitment process is to be conducted in accordance with Statute 12.”
The ruling concluded: “It is hereby ordered that the Revised Petition filed on October 8, 2025 be dismissed.”
Deans at The UWI are selected through a competitive process requiring strong academic credentials, leadership and research output. Sources told The Sunday Gleaner that all UHWI doctors are expected to produce at least one publication annually, although many reportedly fail to meet that benchmark.
The position of dean is initially held for three years, with the possibility of renewal.
Sources close to the matter described the dispute as part of a broader struggle for influence within the institutions.
“This is part of a wider power struggle across institutions, and is fuelled by classism, racism and old school ties,” one source alleged, adding that similar efforts had been made to remove other senior officials.
One example cited involved Dr Dionne Bennett, head of the Department of Physiotherapy.
“She is the only PhD head of physiotherapy. Some people wanted her removed when she insisted that individuals should come to work and scan their badges to show them being at the hospital physically, instead of having colleagues scan their badges,” said the source.
Sources warned that inconsistent teaching and weak research output could threaten the future accreditation of the medical school.
“Hiring more staff to cover for absent staff is expensive and ought not to be, because there is staff. Lack of research papers to maintain the academy will result in loss of patients’ confidence in staff’s ability to manage their problems with the needed experience,” one source said.