TT - historically a lawless nation...

THE EDITOR: Our nation recently celebrated forty years of Independence and the hopes and dreams of those who were alive at the time of this historic event were —“Together We Aspire, Together We Achieve.” 

However, having graduated from ‘youth’ to ‘middle age’, this vision for the nation is further away than it appeared on August 31, 1962. Violent crime continues at an unprecedented level. Blame it on the ‘fresh water yankees’ or home grown talent, the reality is that citizens of Trinidad & Tobago are killing each other.  Were we one of the tourist-based eco-nomies of Caricom, I wonder how much worse it could have been (without our God-given petroleum reserves). At the same time, the absence of real productivity in either the state or private sector is cause for alarm. The cry from every office building is that of ‘underpaid’ or ‘under-valued’, never ‘under-performing’. Yet, a visit to most government offices or large commercial enterprises is a far cry from a customer service success story. The impasse in the Health Sector gives us an opportunity to examine these factors — lawlessness and productivity — in the context of our maturing society. The doctors, in their desire for improved working conditions and the right to free association, have decided that they need MPATT.

Irrespective of the fact that there is a legal process for recognition and certification, we see one of our most learned professions openly flouting the law to achieve their ends. But in doing so, the doctors are not inclined to agree to any conditions that would limit their private practices or cause them to actually put in a day’s work for a day’s pay. For them, the  model set by a former MP is quite acceptable — work two jobs, receive two salaries.
Their hippocratic oath aside, they appear to be simply living off the backs of the poor who must use the Public Health facilities. For those who look on at this troubling situation and wonder how we could have reached here, do not fear — it is simply history repeating itself. In the early 1980’s, the teachers did the very same thing; demanded that teachers represent them to better promote their needs. Some of us can remember the ferocity of the struggle for their share of the pie. A cursory review of the legacy of TTUTA today shows that the teachers have continued to make important and meaningful inroads in the development and recognition of their profession.

Yet, without the introduction of appropriate systems, it is also true that absenteeism, truancy and poor work habits are now critical elements contributing to the wounded education sector and the state of our Secondary schools. Dr Morgan Job has often asked that the ordinary citizen ‘do the math’. By this he means that we must be the ones who determine if the value we receive from the Public (and Private) Sector is acceptable.
And in those cases where the value does not meet expectation then we must protest such situations. Why do we wait for the Minister of Health to ‘bell the cat’? When the doctors received their interim payment in March 2002, a statement was made on a popular talk show that ‘we should now expect a day’s work for the increased day’s pay. The past eight months prove the response to this simple plea.

Interestingly enough, neither the doctors nor the RHAs were prepared to introduce systems to ensure compliance with conditions for hours of work and private practice. In this we see the failure of those elements that should be working to improve the Health Sector, essentially abandoning the patients — who are the entire reason for their existence — to the vagaries of the system. We are all aware of the refrain ‘those who do not learn from history, are doomed to repeat it’.  Yes, a specialised fraternity can be well represented by its own; but not without the necessary expertise in the other areas critical to successful negotiations. At the same time, there is little benefit in emphasising clauses in a contract when no mechanisms exist to monitor compliance and deliver appropriate action.

Louis R Hernandez Diego Martin