In a surprising turn of events, Minister for Health and Social Development Hon. Vincent O. Wheatley has requested the resignation of Ron Potter, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA).
Wheatley confirmed that on Monday, September 9th, he asked Potter to step down, citing dissatisfaction with the progress in the territory’s healthcare services as a key reason.
Wheatley’s decision comes in the wake of mounting public frustration over the state of healthcare in the Virgin Islands, intensified by the tragic death of Revovion A. Sprauve, also known as ‘Bucky,’ on August 30th. Sprauve sought emergency care at the Nurse Iris O’Neal Clinic in Virgin Gorda, but the clinic was closed, and no emergency contact numbers were answered.
The incident sparked outrage across the territory, with residents demanding accountability. A public meeting was held in Virgin Gorda on September 7, where Wheatley, Potter, and other health officials faced the community’s concerns. During the meeting, Potter was accused of “smirking and smiling” inappropriately—a claim he later denied, stating that he deeply cares about the issues and was not dismissive of the residents’ concerns.
The call for Potter’s resignation comes amid allegations that he has been obstructing the establishment of a proposed medical school in the territory, a project viewed as crucial to improving healthcare services. Wheatley noted that while Potter had not yet submitted his resignation, he had made the request quietly, in part due to the lack of progress in healthcare.
Ironically, Wheatley’s move to ask for Potter’s resignation contrasts sharply with his response to a similar situation involving Premier Dr. the Hon. Natalio Wheatley. When Sixth District Representative Myron Walwyn called for the premier’s resignation over what he described as a “monumental blunder” in budgeting for the civil service salary increase, Wheatley quickly came to the premier’s defense, dismissing the request as “nonsense” and “stupidness.”
At the time, Walwyn had criticized Premier Wheatley for underestimating the cost of the salary increase for public servants by $20 million, which many saw as a significant oversight that placed undue strain on the territory’s finances. Yet, Vincent Wheatley argued that the Premier’s leadership in addressing the issue was commendable and insisted that calls for his resignation were unwarranted and counterproductive.
The contrast between these two instances is striking. On the one hand, Minister Wheatley swiftly requested the resignation of Ron Potter over healthcare mismanagement, a decision framed as necessary to move the sector forward. On the other hand, he staunchly defended Premier Wheatley in the face of budgetary missteps, dismissing similar calls for accountability.
As the situation continues to unfold, questions remain about the consistency of Wheatley’s approach to leadership and accountability within the territory’s government. While healthcare is clearly a priority, the irony of his differing responses to calls for resignation has not gone unnoticed, raising concerns about selective standards of responsibility in the government.