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At the top of the newscast, we showed you how the media grilled the CEO in the Ministry of Health about his dealings with the Chief Pharmacist Sharon Anderson. Â Well, hovering in the background is the case Director of the Drug Inspectorate Danini Contreras. Â She’s being empowered to approve entry of medical supplies – which has stirred another controversy about her fitness to do this. CEO Allen defended her again today:

Dr. Peter Allen - CEO, Ministry of Health
"Now, the issues regarding the Directorate of the Drug Inspector, the position that we've created a temporary contract for, is that the person appears to hold all of the best possible to perform those functions which we will require from the Directorate of the Drug Inspection Unit. I've heard people saying that Ms. Contreras is being paid all kinds of money, and I'm sorry, it's just not true."

Alindy Marisol Amaya - News Director, KREM News
"You say that it's pay scale 18; can you clarify what it is then?"

Dr. Peter Allen
"Well, a contract is not on a pay scale, as you know, but our recommendation for the Directorate of the Drug Inspectorate to the Ministry of Public Service is that the post should be on pay scale 18, the same as we would offer our technical advisors, but we don't know. I can tell you that in terms of the contract, the officer has been put on the lower point."

Mike Rudon - Channel 5 News
"Experienced pharmacists are saying that she doesn't have the qualifications, the experience, and the skills to do the job. The Ministry of Health is saying that she does."

Dr. Peter Allen
"With the young lady in question, we just sent her for additional training, beyond her bachelor's degree, of course, to Guatemala. It was sponsored and doesn't cost the tax payers any money. I was a bit surprised because the executive of the association wrote to the organizers objecting the person being able to get the training. I couldn't understand that, and then I heard that they were saying that we'd invited them to guide the officer around inspecting missions that she might be doing, but that really wasn't the offer. It's one of the misrepresentations, if you like. What we wanted to do, and what we still want to do is we want to be transparent and clear. What we were offering to the Executive of the Association, which they have rejected is we were offering them the opportunity to ensure transparency by coming along with the inspectorate on any of their inspections so that they could personally ensure that the objective, scientific criteria were being met and properly assessed, not to guide her, but to be transparent in the process. But they have turned that down."

Allen later explained that she is at the bottom point of payscale 18.