Ministry’s Bungled Response Raises More Questions Than Answers in Clarevue Saga

The Ministry of Health’s attempt to “clarify” media reports on the removal of Dr. Griffin Benjamin, Head of the Clarevue Psychiatric Hospital, has only managed to create more confusion.

Antigua.news was the first to report yesterday, Tuesday, that Dr Griffin Benjamin was placed on administrative by the minister, following a dispute with his management team, over the admision of an AUA student.

In a statement issued this morning, the Ministry said it “must be explicitly stated” that Health Minister Molwyn Joseph does not have the authority to place any officer or employee on administrative leave. The claim, while technically correct, misses the point entirely.

Antigua.news never disputed the role of the Public Service. What was reported — and what remains fact — is that Dr. Benjamin was placed on administrative leave with pay. The letter, signed by the Permanent Secretary and copied to Minister Joseph, proves it.

The Ministry’s response, curiously, avoided confirming or denying the central issue: whether Dr. Benjamin was in fact placed on leave. Instead, it attempted to nitpick wording and demand a retraction, even though the substance of the story remains unshaken.

In doing so, the Ministry has managed to make itself look evasive. And how could such a major decision be made without his knowledge or approval? To suggest otherwise insults the intelligence of the public.

What is baffling is the Ministry’s insistence on shifting attention to technicalities rather than providing straight answers. If transparency and accountability — as it so proudly declared — are truly priorities, then why dodge the simplest of questions?

Antigua.news stands firmly by its reporting. The facts speak for themselves. It is the Ministry, not the media, that owes the public clarity.