HSA board members paid more than medical staff

Payments to Health Services Authority board members have increased tenfold with some directors now earning more than full-time medical professionals, MPs were told at a Finance Committee hearing Friday.

Independent legislator Chris Saunders said the total annual payments to board members have increased from just under $19,000 in 2016 to more than $250,000 in 2023.

He said, “Some board members are going home with eight or $9,000 per month. Some staff members aren’t even making anything close to that.”

Health Minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks said some boards, like the HSA, had been through pay reviews, while others hadn’t. The average monthly pay for board members, based on the financial statements cited by Saunders, is just under $3,000 — though the structure of payments means the chair and deputy chair would receive more.

The Health Services Authority board, in a press release responding to the concerns, said its compensation was set by Cabinet and reflected the hard work, diligence and professionalism required of the governance body of “Cayman’s largest public body”. The HSA has an annual budget of $100 million and a workforce of more than 1,000 staff.