Ministry sets the record straight

THE EDITOR: The Ministry of Health wishes to respond to a letter to the editor published in your newspaper dated April 16, 2003 under the headline “Treat our nurses with respect” and to advise that these are the facts:
*The name of the author Pauline Brown does not appear on the list of student nurses either at the Port-of-Spain or San Fernando General hospitals.
*Twenty-eight Registered Nurses and 16 Registered Mental nurses who were successful at the December 2002 Final Exam-ination were interviewed in March 2003 for employment by the North West Regional Health Authority. Recommendations for their employment are with the Chief Executive Officer and they were advised that they would be employed in May 2003.
*Thirty-four Nurses who were successful in the December Final Examination, were all emp-loyed by the South West Regional Health Authority on March 1, 2003.
*There are several existing vacancies for nurses of the establishment so that the fear of being replaced by a Cuban national is totally unnecessary.

In conclusion therefore the Ministry wishes to state that the information contained in the letter is completely false.

KEITH SANCHO
Public Relations Officer
Ministry of Health