Blurred 2020 vision

THE EDITOR: Optician required correcting a blurred vision 2020! Trinidad and Tobago is the 4th richest country in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Trinidad and Tobago is the richest country in the Caribbean. Trinidad and Tobago has the highest per capita income among Caribbean countries. Trinidad and Tobago trains over 60 doctors per annum. Over 75 percent of doctors leave the public health sector and also leave Trinidad and Tobago. Over 50 percent of nurses leave Trinidad and Tobago upon graduation. Teachers are leaving Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago cannot attract lawyers to the State Legal Department. The main reason — poor remuneration and poor working conditions.

One psychologist described the salary as an insult and subsequently volunteered to assist. One former prosecutor and magistrate described the salary as an indignity. In the 70s the medical and legal profession were placed in comparable ranges. A medical intern and a State Counsel were both in the same range. A puisne judge and a specialist medical officer/consultant were in the same range. In the 80’s the Judicial and Legal Services was removed to the Salaries Review Commission (SRC); the medical officers remained within the Public Service Commission. The result: In 2002, a Medical Intern earned $8334.41 monthly without on-call.

In 1998, a State Counsel earned $8,775. In 2002, a SMO earned $14,355 monthly without on-call. In 1998, a Puisne Judge earned $32,166 tax-free. Despite this great disparity, there are many vacancies within the state legal services. Despite our economic status, it is thus with great surprise that the Government has decided to request assistance from the Government of Cuba and the United Nations Volunteer Service. This assistance is usually given to poor and impoverished countries and to countries following devastating natural disasters. In other words, at this point in time, Trinidad and Tobago should be helping our neighbours with assistance, be it technical, personnel, etc and not the other way around. What the government is stating is that it is willing to stifle the salaries of its local professionals at the risk of a mass exodus. In response, it is also willing to beg international agencies for professional replacements. Hence the Vision 2020 of developed nation status for Trinidad and Tobago is but a blurred vision.

PHILIP AYOUNG-CHEE
Urologist
San Fernando