St. Brendan's Hospital is in need of a "shake-up'', says a departing psychiatrist who lost a race discrimination case against the hospital.

Ghanaian Dr. Isaac Ewusi-Mensah said he was not satisfied with the Human Rights Commission's investigation of his claim that his contract was not renewed because of his race.

He was to leave yesterday for Ghana where he has been offered the post of senior lecturer of psychiatry at his country's university.

The mental handicap specialist felt it was a mistake to let him go though.

And he also wanted to defend himself against unfavourable comments made by his colleagues to the Commission.

Expertise in his field was needed in Bermuda due to the "high proportion of inter-breeding'', he said.

"The other doctors can cover the field but it does not give it stability, consistency and leadership,'' he said. "You can't treat mental handicap in an ad-hoc manner.'' The Commission had noted in its decision that St. Brendan's administrators believed mental handicap was not a condition requiring a full-time consultant psychiatrist.

Dr. Ewusi-Mensah claimed the doctors who told the Commission he was "difficult'' to work with were protecting their own interests because they had been competing with him for contract renewals.

Furthermore, the Chief of Psychiatry, who said there had been complaints about his attitude, recently had a written complaint about his own performance, Dr.

Ewusi-Mensah claimed.

He added it was "unfair'' of the Commission not to have invited him to respond to his colleagues' criticisms, which he had not heard before.

"I'm quite satisfied that I am not difficult to work with. And what about all the letters and favourable comments about me from staff and patients that were not included in the (Commission's) report?'' he asked.

The Bermuda Hospitals Board had announced last year that one of four consultant psychiatrists would have to be let go due to financial constraints.

It was decided last June Dr. Ewusi-Mensah, one of two black doctors in the group, would not have his contract renewed. He subsequently filed a complaint with the Commission complaining the choice was based on his colour.

But in a decision obtained this week by The Royal Gazette , the Commission, chaired by Cannon James Francis, dismissed his complaints, saying they were "without merit.'' "There is no evidence before the Commission that indicates the Bermuda Hospitals Board acted in a discriminatory nature...'' Dr. Ewusi-Mensah said one of the Commission's findings he did agree with was their criticism of the administration practices of the Bermuda Hospitals Board, especially regarding the running of St. Brendan's.

"St. Brendan's Hospital needs a shake-up,'' he said. "I could write a book on its policies. And contracts are made and broken and amended without mutual agreement.'' He pointed out he was St. Brendan's longest serving consultant and normally companies would let go their most recent employees in a lay-off situation.

And like the three remaining consultants, he had considerable experience in the area of mental illness as well, he said.