Docs blame RHAs for delays in wage talks

Doctors yesterday blamed the procrastination of the Joint Team of Regional Health Authorities for the delay in completing negotiations for House Officers (junior doctors) and said the job could be done in two days.

They said the authorities (RHAs, government) are using procrastination to justify bringing in Cuban doctors and other non-nationals. Major health facilities have been operating in emergency mode since April 9 due to a shortage of junior doctors, whose contracts expired last December 31. Six meetings have taken place since February and a date is yet to be set for doctors to meet with the JTRHAs again. MPATT submitted its proposals since November last year. “The RHAs, and Ministry and CPO and whoever are involved in the negotiation have never made a serious effort to hasten the conclusion of this,” said head of the Medical Professionals Association of TT (MPATT) , Dr Colin Furlonge at a media briefing held yesterday at Kam Po Restaurant, Chaguanas. He said the doctors’ proposal for junior doctors would cost government $1 million monthly, while the total sum for Registrars and Consultants is $2 million monthly.

“For all the doctors both RHA and government, the total package we are asking for is $24 million per annum. This is the package we are asking government to put on the table”
Furlonge wondered if this amount was too much for government to encourage young doctors to remain in TT, as $400 million is being spent on the Community Environment Protection Enhancement Programme. At a meeting on April 17, the RHAs reduced the amount offered to doctors on April 7 from $18,071 (for first through fourth year House Officers ) to approximately $17,180 for light duty and $17,717 for heavy duty. MPATT is seeking salaries ranging from $19,000 to $21,000. He said while doctors spent close to $400,000 to be trained as a doctor, engineering and law students paid  over $100,000. Furlonge said the education for medical students was also the least subsidised. To further illustrate how doctors’ salaries have not kept pace with other fields he showed a comparison of Interns salaries with workers at TSTT. Figures available for two years ago showed a maid at TSTT earned $4,400 while an intern earned $4,255. A clerk was paid higher than a Registrar and Senior Manager earned $12,000 and a Specialist Medical Officer $7,450. “TT has been underpaying doctors for the longest while.”

Furlonge also showed that doctors in Jamaica, Barbados and Tobago earned higher salaries than their Trinidad counterparts. House Officers in TT at present earn $15,626 (for a 56-hour work week) while doctors in Tobago (2001) received, $19,549, Barbados $18,518 and Jamaica $25,500. Trinidad registrars receive $19,195 those in Tobago receive $24,827, Barbados $23,000 and Jamaica $26,250. Specialist Medical Officers were receiving $6,000 more, while those in Barbados received $10,000 more and Jamaica $14,000 more. He said if doctors were really greedy they would be working for more money abroad. “Many of us want to provide our service because this is our country, but if we are forced out many of us will go.” Furlonge said paying doctors well and keeping them in the system is the first step and improving facilities and process of delivering health care delivery should also receive attention. He warned that improvement in health care would not happen unless action is taken to keep quality doctors and provide training for them.