MPATT slams RHAs for wage discrimination

THE Medical Professionals Associa-tion of Trinidad and Tobago (MPATT) condemned what it claimed was blatant wage discrimination being unleashed upon doctors by the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) and the Health Ministry. In a statement yesterday, MPATT Asst Secretary Dr Lakhan Roop also slammed special arrangements allegedly being put in place for  the arrival of Cuban doctors in Trinidad and Tobago.

Roop said during a meeting at the San Fernando General Hospital yesterday, the doctors expressed their frustration with the manner in which the RHAs have conducted negotiations thus far. “The Joint Negotiating Team (JNT) of the RHAs made no effort to complete the negotiations by the stipulated time frame as set out by the Inter-Ministerial team,” he declared. Roop identified the main deficiencies in this process were the absence of the Chief Labour Officer (CLO) from the negotiations and frequent cancellations by the RHAs of the negotiation meetings. “The doctors again expressed their dissatisfaction with the totally unacceptable wage discrimination that is being practised by the RHAs and the Ministry of Health. Nowhere else in the Public Service does this wage discrimination apply,” he declared. According to Roop, other Public Service Officers in Tobago were earning salaries similar to their counterparts in Trinidad. “Only amongst the doctors there is an alarming disparity between the two islands,” he stated.

Roop claimed Government’s “poor industrial relations practice” caused this situation and “the public is being made to suffer by the RHAs and the Ministry not fulfilling their obligation to have the appropriate contracts available for the medical officers”.  He said doctors “are not prepared to be treated as second-class citizens”. On Tuesday, Public Administration Minister Dr Lenny Saith said the Inter-Ministerial Committee would not intervene unless advised that talks between the RHA team and the doctors had broken down. The MPATT official also criticised the Health Ministry for allegedly preparing on-site accommodation for Cuban doctors while no such provisions are made for local doctors. “The Ministry of Health already is prepared to treat Cuban doctors better than our nationals,” he claimed. The Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Port-of-Spain and San Fernando General Hospitals remained on emergency mode yesterday.