by Linda Straker
The matter involving a medical doctor suing 2 government ministers for loss of income was on Monday adjourned to a date to be set.
The matter was scheduled to be heard in High Court # 4. According to Solicitor General Dwight Horsford, the judge for the court was unwell. “The judge was sick, and so the matter was adjourned for a date to be set,” Horsford said on Tuesday.
According to court documents, case #0498 is Dr Roxanne Hopkin vs Minister for Health, Nickolas Steele and Education Minister Simon Stiell. They are being sued for loss of income. The matter came to the attention of the public while Stiell was addressing the last Session of the Lower House of Parliament. He did not disclose the name of the individual, but a search of the court records revealed that it was Hopkin and there was no gag order on the files.
Steele informed parliament that Hopkin was able to “bob and weave through the bond process by escaping the eyes of those who were supposed to be looking and came out with a full medical degree at the expense of the state, but without an enforceable bond document for the 5 years.”
“That individual received an education from the state, and as far as they are concerned, they have absolutely no obligation to the state and in fact are blatant enough to say that they will sue, that their rights are being infringed,” Steele told the house.
It is the standard obligation of persons who receive state funding for further education to return to serve for a number of years, and should they be unable to serve, the cost of their tuition is refunded to the state. Stiell told parliament that the bond system is needed to increase the number of doctors in the service.
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