Doctors stay away from San Fernando General

The Accident and Emergency Department of the San Fernando General Hospital will operate on an emergency only basis.

Many senior and junior doctors of the hospital failed to turn up for duty again yesterday, causing the hospital to go into emergency mode. The action by doctors has resulted in 20 patients having to be sent from the hospital to private doctors in the area. Hospital management offered assurance that those presently warded at the hospital will continue to be taken care of as usual. Doctors stayed away on Saturday as well, with several calling in to say they were sick and would be unable to come to work.

Minister of Health Colm Imbert indicated that he would not get involved in the issue. This hands-off approach by the Minister is as a result of accusations that he engaged in micro-management on previous occasions. Yesterday was the third day that doctors have stayed away form work and the situation comes as the Ministry has identified 80 Cuban health/care workers, including doctors and nurses, as suitable candidates for jobs in the local health sector. The North West Regional Health Authority previously released a statement, saying that only emergency cases would be dealt with at the Paediatric and Adult hospitals at Mt Hope.