Rahael: All health workers to operate under RHAs

Health workers now employed by the Public Service are to be transferred to Regional Health Authorities. Health Minister, John Rahael announced yesterday that Cabinet had agreed to amend the RHA Act to allow all health workers who currently operate under the employment of the Public Service, to move over to the RHA. Their transfer to the RHA would be “mandatory,” he stressed. He said under the current constitutional arrangement there are two categories of workers in the health sector — the employee employed by the RHA and the employee who falls under the control of the Public Service.

“What we are hoping to do after we amend the act is to rationalise that, so that all employees would fall under the RHA and this discrepancy of different employers and different salaries would all be rationalised,” he said. He noted that this two tiered management structure had been a problem and Government was hoping that with its removal, the health reform system would be “fully implemented.” Rahael said the amendment would also recognise the PSA as representative and bargaining body for RHA workers. The Minister, who made the announcement at a post-Cabinet news conference, said the amendment would be brought to Parliament by the end of March. He said the legislation would not require a special majority.

In response to questions on whether Government was now forcing all public servants to become RHA employees, Rahael said Government had held discussions with the Public Service Association about the move. Rahael said he did not know whether MPATT would support the proposal. Currently, top management positions in the health sector fall within the purview of the Public Service and many doctors and nurses still operate under the jurisdication of the Public Service. On the issue of the current negotiations between the junior doctors and the RHAs, Rahael revealed that in the South West Regional Health Authority, 40 of the 84 doctors whose contracts expired had signed new contracts. In the North West Regional Health Authority, 81 of the 90 doctors whose contracts had expired, had also signed the new agreement.