Ayoung-Chee: Medical crisis imminent

SOMETHING MUST be done immediately to deal with the financial burden being experienced by doctors and to avoid a medical crisis from occurring in Trinidad and Tobago, stated Urological Surgeon Dr Phillip Ayoung-Chee.

Dr. Ayoung-Chee told Newsday yesterday that he feared the country would experience a medical crisis by the middle of August, since many interns and junior doctors were receiving offers from other Caribbean and International Health Institutions with attractive compensation packages for their services. Ayoung-Chee noted that the chances of the offers being turned down are slim, since most interns and junior doctors were financially frustrated, trying to cope with their monthly loan payments and living expenses from a small salary. He explained that student loans, which often represented almost half of the $410,000 needed to complete medical school, are acquired in order to pay the tuition fees, while the student has to come up with the balance of the figure for boarding and other expenses. He further explained that during the school vacation, medical students are placed in hospitals to work as part of their training. However, they do not receive a stipend or salary, which leaves them with a large loan to repay after completing medical school.

Ayoung-Chee noted that after five years of medical school, an intern receives a salary of $4,930. However they have a monthly loan payment of $5,000. He explained that an intern has to work for an average of 18 months before qualifying for the position of House Officer, which increases their salary to $6,695. “But even then with a monthly loan payment of $5,000, you are forced to survive on a $1,695 per month.” To move on to the position of Registrar, which carries a salary of $7,749, a further five years of study at an international university and $410,000 are quired. To become a specialist, which is the highest paying position at $8,320, a position first has to become vacant explained Ayoung-Chee. Asked if he thought the salary issue would be addressed, he said, “Let me put it this way, the arrears from 2001 and 2002 have not been paid although final approval was given in April 2003 and a promise was made that the arrears would be paid in April 2002.” However, he believes that if the situation is not dealt with soon, the country’s health sector will be in a crisis.