Fresh Leadership Crisis Emerges at UHWI as Doctors and Nurses Move Against Chief Clinician, Dr. Carl Bruce
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A fresh management crisis may be unfolding at Jamaica’s premier publicly-funded hospital, the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), as senior doctors and other clinical staff seek to remove the institution’s chief doctor, Carl Bruce.
The development comes weeks after UHWI’s Chief Executive Officer Fitzgerald Mitchell proceeded on accrued leave amid a police fraud squad investigation into procurement breaches flagged in an Auditor General’s report made public on Jan. 14, 2026.
Now, attention has shifted to clinical leadership following a Jan. 16, 2026 letter of no confidence submitted to the hospital’s board by senior clinicians.
The letter outlined a litany of complaints against Bruce, the hospital’s Medical Chief of Staff (MCS), mostly related to his management style and human resource practices that led to an initial meeting with management in January.
Now, coming out of another meeting on Friday morning involving dozens of consultants and nursing staff, interim CEO Eric Hosin, Board Chairman Patrick Hylton, and University of the West Indies, Mona Principal Densil Williams, 18° North understands that UHWI management has requested two additional weeks to investigate the complaints raised by clinical staff about Bruce.
The letter of no confidence signed by 13 clinical heads, which is more than half of the full cohort of the hospital’s clinical heads, outlined a series of complaints against the Senior Director of Clinical Services (SDCS), understood to be Bruce. They refer to him as the SDCS because the clinicians contend that the Medical Chief of Staff title is not used in the Jamaican healthcare system—a claim that hasn’t been independently verified by 18° North.
The later stated, “We wish to make it known that we have lost all confidence in the ability of the SDCS/“MCS” to represent the interests of the staff and do not wish him to continue to do so.” It continued, “It is impossible to build the high-performance team required to advance the UHWI without the engagement, empowerment and motivation of the staff.”
Among the allegations are claims that the SDCS made unilateral decisions without consulting clinical leadership, including the reported redirection of approximately $75 million raised through the Sagicor Sigma “Legacy Run” for the hospital’s pediatric unit to other areas of the institution without consultation with the head of pediatrics.
Doctors also contend that the SDCS bears at least some responsibility for operational problems that have contributed to persistent overcrowding in the Accident and Emergency department, which they say stems partly from insufficient bed availability for medical admissions.
Additional complaints outlined in the letter include the cancellation of senior residents’ contracts without consultation with department heads; proposed changes to contracts affecting unionized doctors; refusal to authorize certain payments owed to junior staff; and the removal of equipment while in use, allegedly for treatment of the SDCS’ private patients.
Bruce has been contacted for comment on the allegations in the letter, but he hasn’t yet responded to an email sent on Friday afternoon.
The letter further references three complaints alleging verbal and physical abuse of staff and criticizes what signatories describe as failures by the hospital to properly investigate the matters. 18° North has not independently verified the allegations, and no findings of wrongdoing have been publicly announced.
The letter also notes that two court cases involving allegations of abuse and assault by the SDCS are currently before the courts, and therefore the SDCS “should not remain as the public image” of the hospital while those matters are unresolved. One of those cases stems from a 2007 alleged altercation involving fellow neurosurgeon Roger Hunter.
Two clinical heads who attended Friday’s meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity told 18° North that the alleged longstanding pattern of verbal and physical abuse by Bruce and the “toxic environment” were strongly emphasized during the meeting.
According to the doctors, the board chairman told staff that due process must be followed and requested two additional weeks to investigate the claims of alleged abuse before reconvening with clinicians. Chairman Hylton didn’t answer a call seeking comment. Principal Williams didn’t answer a WhatsApp message. Interim CEO Hosin was contacted this evening via email. Any meaningful response received will be reflected in a subsequent update.
In the meantime, the anonymous clinical heads said clinical staff will boycott meetings convened or chaired by Bruce.
“We will no longer be allowing him to lead us in his current role as Senior Director of Clinical Services,” one of the clinical heads stated.
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