According to information released in a Ministry of Health press conference - held earlier on this week - the man holding the specialist position of oncologist at the General Hospital – the nation’s premier medical facility – did not have the qualifications for the job. This was the revelation of Dr. Dilip Mukerjee, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in Grenada. Dr. Carl Rahaman Niamatali, the man presently under scrutiny, was head of the cancer registry at the General Hospital. He is presently on leave, but according to Hon. Carl Hood, Minister for Health, when his one year contract expires at the end of this month (August), it will not be renewed. Dr. Niamatali, who is believed to be a Guyanese national, came to Grenada through Direct Relief International after Hurricane Ivan in 2004 to assist the country in its recovery efforts after the devastation caused by the intense hurricane. He was subsequently allowed to visit Grenada every two months to start an oncology program and by 2007 was able to open the cancer registry at the General Hospital through the assistance of a major trans-national company operating in Grenada. Dr. Niamatali, it is believed, was also allowed to acquire drugs for the program and sell to the hospital, a practice that is outside of the norm. The Medical Registration Board – comprising the Chief Medical Officer and four other persons with a medical background – is responsible for conducting the necessary investigations into the background of medical personnel desirous of practicing in the country. Meanwhile, Dr. Trevor Layne, a Grenadian oncologist residing in the United States, has volunteered his services to Grenada as a consultant oncologist.