CIG finally appoints much-needed vet board
(CNS): After failing to appoint the necessary Veterinary Board for almost seven months, officials at the agriculture ministry have finally appointed new members. The ministry said the board had lapsed for so long because of “difficulties in finding willing individuals to serve”. However, this led to a backlog of vets waiting to receive the necessary licences to practice.
According to a release, the recreation of the board has allowed the new members to begin addressing the pending applications and help address what has become a serious shortage of veterinarians in the islands. Several have now been approved, while some have been differed pending receipt of additional information. The letters and certificates for the approved applications are currently being prepared, which will allow the much-needed vets to start work shortly.
The new board will be chaired by Acting Department of Agriculture (DoA) Director Brian Crichlow as an ex-officio member. Other members include Dr Brendan Lee, Dr Olivia Benjamin and Dr Tiffany Chisholm, who were all re-appointed from the previous board alongside new member Justin Woods. The recording secretary will be appointed by Crichlow.
In accordance with the Veterinary Act (1997 Revision), the Veterinary Board’s mandate includes the registration of veterinary surgeons and animal health assistants, regulation of the training of animal health assistants, and the appointment of examiners to conduct examinations of those applying for registration as veterinary surgeons and animal health assistants. The board is also supposed to ensure that the highest standards of professional conduct and ethics are maintained in the veterinary field.
The largely re-appointed board was formally notified on 26 August and will serve for three years. It’s not clear why, with only one new member, the ministry left the profession without a board for so long, creating a recruitment crisis that put animal lives at risk and businesses in trouble.
In a recent article in the Cayman Compass, a number of vets said they had been forced to reduce practice hours and cancel surgeries to cope with the chronic staff shortage after one clinic had new recruits in place for months while waiting for the government to appoint a board.
Last week, Kman Vets posted a message on social media announcing that it would have to limit its opening hours.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Category: Government Administration, Politics
When will CIG finally decide on the licence to supply water to West Bay road/West Bay. Cayman Water has been operating for years without a renewed licence.
Ridiculous that these clinic’s had to wait so long and with the shortage of vets in the world they are only allowed to recruit from a few countries. The board needs to open up the countries allowed so the clinic’s can recruit from other places making it easier to find staff.
Cayman has gone to the dogs!
One of the inherent problems with these government boards (and there are many problems) is that you have people from the businesses regulated by the board who are charged with approving or declining matters relating to their own competitors.
And what exactly does the non vet board member in this case know about owning and operating a veterinary service business?
More civil servants per capita than anywhere on the planet BUT CIG can’t function without politically appointed Boards for everything.
CIG failing at every turn to do anything efficient.