Bring on the Cubans

DOCTORS absenting themselves from duty at public health institutions and reporting sick during their ongoing industrial action against the Ministry of Health and the Regional Health Authorities, may well find themselves being treated not as professionals, but as daily paid workers, with their absences duly recorded.

The difference though is that money is deducted from the wages of daily paid workers, who take sick leave in excess of their entitlement without special leave. There is no indication that this will be applied in the case of those doctors, who have been reporting sick within the past several days, nor who reported sick during the industrial relations impasse late last year into early 2003.

On that previous occasion when doctors took industrial action demanding that their new organisation be recognised and bargained with we asked what would be their next grievance. Now we know: it is that doctors in Tobago earn more money. We can be sure that in due course there will be yet another grievance. Government should, therefore not drag its proverbial feet as it did during the last industrial relations action by the nation's publicly employed doctors. It should act expeditiously with respect to the hiring of Cuban doctors as well as other Caribbean doctors, who may be willing to work at public hospitals.

Government must be the only employer refusing to take action against a category of worker taking repeated sick leave, after having signified dissatisfaction with salary levels. Under the Industrial Relations Act, if a substantial percentage of workers in any industry should take sick leave at the same time, they can be deemed to be acting in concert, and offending against provisions of the Act. The Government can seek to have an earlier judgment against industrial action by health personnel invoked, as it did late into the recent sickout by doctors. It is clearly absurd for the doctors to adopt the smug posture that their sickout is against the Ministry of Health or against Regional Health Authorities. Those suffering are persons from lower income groups, whose taxes go toward paying the doctors' salaries and perks, but who, unfortunately, are not in a position to seek alternative medical care, because it is generally outside of what they can with reason afford.

In addition, several of the doctors on sickout, either pursued their medical studies through scholarships paid for by the taxpayers, or at the University of the West Indies, an institution heavily subsidised by taxes on the hard earned incomes of citizens. Government should stop pussyfooting with individuals who are prepared to hold to ransom the health care of citizens. Government should bring on the Cubans to fill as many of the existing vacancies as possible, and put an end to the unnecessary suffering and inconvenience of its citizens.