Dr. DeCastro named new acting CMO while insiders speculate that Dr. Joseph has fallen out of favour with Minister of Health

A new acting chief medical officer (CMO) – Dr. Karmarla DeCastro –
has been named, replacing Deputy CMO Teri-Ann Joseph who has
been acting in the position for several months now.
 
A letter written by the permanent secretary in the Ministry of
Health, Wellness, Social Transformation and the Environment and
addressed to heads of departments and senior technicians
confirmed the appointment of DeCastro.
 
The October 31 letter was captioned “Meeting to officially introduce
the appointment of the Chief Medical Officer (Ag).” In it, the PS
informs the staff that the Ministry had been notified by the Public
Service Commission that Dr. DeCastro, a specialist consultant in
internal medicine, has been appointed to act in the vacant CMO
position.

Dr. Rhonda Sealy-Thomas had held the post from 2000 to 2004.
However, she has since left for the position of assistant director of
the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

DeCastro’s appointment took effect on Thursday, November 2. A
meeting is scheduled for Friday, November 3, with Ministry of
Health staff, to whom she is expected to officially introduce herself.
 
While most people had expected the popular Dr. Joseph to be a shoe-
in for the position, based on her performance during the COVID-19
pandemic, it appears that she has been bypassed.
 
A source tells REAL News the position was advertised and that
Joseph was among a number of candidates.
 
Reportedly, she underwent the interview process – which the source
claims was more like an interrogation, with all types of questions
being thrown at the doctor.
 
Based on the outcome, insiders are speculating that Dr. Joseph must
have fallen out of favour with the minister of health, since she had
acted in the post of CMO on previous occasions.

Dr. Joseph had been widely commended for her appearances on
television and other media outlets during the pandemic, and for the
easily understood manner in which she explained the COVID-19
facts and statistics to the public.

The insiders say they believe that Dr. DeCastro will act for about
three months and then be confirmed in the position of CMO.