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BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS — The revolving door at the Ministry of Health is spinning yet again.

In the latest twist in what many describe as a four-year saga of instability and dysfunction, Dr. Jenson Morton, until now Director of Health Institutions, has been reassigned to the post of Director of Health Projects and Strategic Initiatives. The confirmation through a WhatsApp status post by Dr. Morton himself as well as an internal memo

The disclosure has only intensified public concern and speculation, reinforcing the perception that the Ministry of Health is operating in a state of persistent internal disorder rather than under coherent strategic leadership.

A MINISTRY IN CONSTANT FLUX

Dr. Morton’s reassignment is not an isolated event. It comes against the backdrop of three Permanent Secretaries in just four years, along with a steady exodus and reshuffling of senior health managers, matrons, and technical experts. For frontline staff and the wider public, the pattern has become all too familiar: appointments, removals, reassignments—no explanations, no accountability, no stability.

Health sector insiders say the ministry has become reactive instead of strategic, with decisions driven more by internal politics than by operational necessity or patient outcomes.

THE COST OF LOSING EXPERIENCE

The current turmoil traces back to what many professionals still describe as a turning point for the worse—the forced exit of respected and experienced figures such as Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, whose departure sent shockwaves through the sector. That was followed by the loss of other seasoned professionals, including veteran matron Kerry Tucket and health operations specialist Gail Cranstoun, among a growing list of senior medical and administrative personnel.

These were not marginal figures. They were institutional anchors—individuals with deep knowledge of systems, protocols, and crisis management. Their exits, critics argue, hollowed out the ministry’s managerial core and replaced experience with experimentation.

MANAGEMENT DETERIORATION, OPERATIONAL STRAIN

Since then, the Ministry of Health has faced mounting criticism over declining management efficiency, poor coordination, low staff morale, and inconsistent policy direction. From hospital administration to nursing services and public health operations, insiders describe an environment of uncertainty where roles shift but problems remain unresolved.

The reassignment of Dr. Morton—now tasked with overseeing major initiatives such as the new national hospital and digitization projects—raises further questions:
Is this a strategic redeployment based on competence, or another symptom of organizational turbulence masquerading as reform?

SILENCE FROM THE TOP

Notably absent from the unfolding developments is a clear, authoritative explanation from the political leadership of the Ministry of Health. No official statement. No rationale. No reassurance to healthcare workers or the public.

Instead, citizens are left piecing together leadership changes via social media posts and rumors—an approach that does little to inspire confidence in a ministry responsible for national health outcomes.

A SYSTEM IN NEED OF STABILITY, NOT SHUFFLES

As this latest reassignment adds another chapter to the ministry’s troubled recent history, one conclusion is becoming harder to avoid: the Ministry of Health is suffering not from a lack of talent, but from a lack of stable, competent governance.

Until experienced professionals are valued, institutional memory is respected, and leadership changes are guided by transparency rather than turbulence, the chaos will continue—and the health system, and by extension the public, will keep paying the price.