A show of support for Dr. Griffith
I am writing this letter to express my support of Dr. Kendall Griffith, interventional cardiologist and medical director at the Governor Juan Luis Hospital and Medical Center (JLH). Dr. Griffith was born and raised here on St. Croix and has returned to provide quality healthcare to the people of the Virgin Islands. Despite his efforts, there are a few physicians at JLH who would like to see Dr. Griffith removed as medical director.
One such physician is Dr. Babu Subramaniam, a neurologist on staff at JLH. Dr. Subramaniam has written several letters to the CEO and the Board in an attempt to discredit Dr. Griffith’s efforts at making JLH a premier healthcare facility. Dr. Subramaniam’s animosity towards Dr. Griffith stems from Dr. Griffith requiring him to be on-call while being a staff physician at JLH. Dr. Subramaniam is the only neurologist on staff at JLH but does not feel that he should be called-in after he has put in his daily hours. Can you imagine a situation where your mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or sister got into a car accident in the late hours of the night and incurred serious head injuries, but the only neurologist at the hospital does not want to treat that family member because he is “off the clock”? I find this extremely disheartening. Maybe the leadership at JLH should reconsider Dr. Subramaniam’s employment, or perhaps place it into greater focus.
A quick look at Dr. Griffith’s credentials can only lead to the conclusion that the people of the Virgin Islands benefit tremendously from him being medical director at JLH. First, Dr. Griffith is the only interventional cardiologist on St. Croix. Thus, he is the only physician qualified to reopen clogged coronary arteries to prevent heart attacks. Second, since returning to St. Croix and becoming medical director, Dr. Griffith and his surgical team have reduced the mortality rate of patients suffering from heart attacks, saving the lives of many Virgin Islanders in the process. Third, Dr. Griffith is one of the primary forces behind the establishment of the Virgin Islands Cardiac Center on St. Croix. Once this facility is completed, Virgin Islanders on St. Croix will no longer have to seek cardiovascular treatment off island.
Dr. Griffith has made all of these accomplishments and has yet to reach the age of 40.
In my opinion, it is greed, jealousy, and pure vindictiveness that physicians at JLH are out to get Dr. Griffith. I urge the public to pay close attention to this situation and to support Dr. Griffith in his efforts to provide quality healthcare to the people of the Virgin Islands.
