‘Fire’ for CPO and Rahael next week

While critical cases received limited service, most people who went to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, Mt Hope Women’s Hospital, Arima and Chaguanas health facilities were unable to get their medication on Tuesday, Wednesday and yesterday.

The service is not expected to improve unless progress is made in negotiations between the Chief Personnel Officer (CPo) and Public Services Association (PSA) for a higher salary range for Public Service pharmacists. No date has been set by the CPO for the next meeting.

The PSA is also eager to see the terms of the "responsibility allowance" proposed by Health Minister John Rahael on August 11. Although queries have been made to ministry officials, "no information is forthcoming," said first vice-president of the PSA, Stephen Thomas.

He hinted at a massive demonstration of dissatisfaction by the pharmacists saying, "we are going to call on them in our numbers next week."

Thomas said the minister knew what was in the note taken to Cabinet last Thursday and could have sent the offer in writing. "Where is the offer? If we get something to dialogue about it can set the tone and we can move forward." What has aggravated the situation has been the assurance by the minister of "good news" after the Cabinet meeting. Thomas said the pharmacists were disgusted and dissatisfied with the manner in which their issues were being handled by the authorities. He warned of "more fire" to come. Asked what message the PSA had for the public, he said, "public must understand that games are being played."

Service was normal at dispensaries on Thursday. Although the RHAs have been advising people to get their prescriptions filled at health centres, many people have instead been going without medication when it is unavailable. Nine pharmacists were on duty at PoSGH, although there were fewer people than usual at the waiting area.

Sixty-three-year-old Clyde Payne from Belmont said he spent Tuesday and Wednesday "going up and down" trying to get medication for his eyes. He said he needs surgery and has been waiting for two years to get assistance at PoSGH.

Sixty-year-old Khadar Maharaj said he visited the dispensary 12 times. He lives at El Socorro, San Juan. Maharaj said his eyesight is very bad although he wears glasses. He told Newsday he could only get one item on his prescription for his eyes since the others have been unavailable at the dispensary for a long time. He said the service was very bad and hoped that in the 2006 Budget there would be increased funding for medication. Ruth Sealey, 79, told Newsday she had eye surgery for cataracts two weeks ago. Since then she has been unable to get the eye drops recommended by her doctor at the eye clinic.

Sealey decided to try to get her prescription filled yesterday (after attending the clinic) since she saw other people waiting.

"When I don’t get medication, I do without," Sealey said. Two years ago she had surgery on her right eye, but never got the drops.