Pyne, a consultant general thoracic surgeon at the facility, has been at the centre of controversy after a report, made by a seven-member committee established to review the hospital's operations, alleged that he solicited public patients to become private ones, among other breaches.

Dr Trevor McCartney, chairman of the Medical Council of Jamaica, explained the decision to The Gleaner yesterday.

McCartney said an enquiry is a legal procedure and the accused would be given the opportunity to engage a lawyer and bring witnesses to support his case.

He said the council would begin the process as soon as it received word from the attorneys but could not say how long the enquiry would last.

"It's a long process and could go on for months," he said.

The solicitor general had advised Health Minister Rudyard Spencer to send the report to the council.

No power

The solicitor general said the minister's committee had no power to make any determination of the rights and obligations of anyone, as it was an advisory body.

Instructions were also given to send the report to the Public Service Commission to determine if there were breaches in the Staff Order Regulations.

Pyne, in an interview with The Gleaner recently, defended his professional integrity and demanded an apology from the Ministry of Health.

But Spencer said on Tuesday that there was nothing to apologise for.