December 8, 2005
Albany -- An Albany Doctor says Phoebe Putney Hospital Executives wasted taxpayers money with another trip to the Cayman Islands this week.
Seven members of the Grove Pointe Indemnity board flew to the Cayman Islands on a private jet Tuesday. They held a board meeting and attended one session of a Cayman Island Insurance conference Wednesday.
Dr. John Bagnato, Former Phoebe Head of Surgery,sent a letter to the Hospital Medical Staff and Dougherty County Commissioners, criticizing the trip to the Caymans. He wrote, "As has been their custom, they flew by private jet charter out of Albany, instead of the more economical commercial service."
He continued "Why was it so important that they spend tens of thousands of dollars of the hospital's funds to make the trek to the Grand Cayman for one talk?"
Dr. Bagnato said "They are spending tens of thousands of dollars. The meeting was a thousand dollars a person, and they only went to one talk. So you know, it's just unnecessary spending of money."
Phoebe spokesperson Jackie Ryan says "The trip was pre approved by the Hospital Authority and met all travel oversight procedures."
The average cost of a round-trip private charter jet flight to the Caymans is twenty thousand dollars.
The seven could likely have flown commercially for less than five grand.
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