No jobs for UWI medical grads

THE EDITOR: But seriously, no jobs for medical graduates of the University of the West Indies, including at least sixteen locals. In 2003, jobs were not offered to all of the local medical graduates. Days later, Cuban and United Nations Volunteer (UNV) doctors were offered specially created jobs. These same doctors required the hasty formation of a Panel for medical registration. This was created by the Minister of Health since their qualifications did not meet the standards of the Council of the Medical Board of Trinidad and Tobago, one of the oldest Medical Boards in the world. On July 1, 2004, at least 16 local graduates are again left unemployed. Simultaneously, government has imported another batch of Cuban doctors and is presently advertising for persons to teach them to speak conversational English.

It must be noted that government has also given scholarships to at least 20 specially chosen persons to study medicine in Grenada. It is now widely believed that since September 2003, a high ranking official in the Human Resources Department of the Ministry of Health was given the mandate to ensure that all of the UWI graduates would be offered jobs. This official never touched the file until recently, after the twelfth hour. This official is also a leading member of the Health Sector Reform Programme. The lack of performance is nothing new and is now commonly acceptable. It does not take a rocket scientist to understand why the health sector continues to fail.

The silence of the Faculty of Medical Sciences and the University of the West Indies is stone cold deafening. Whilst their graduates are left unemployed, other lesser qualified and non-qualifiable doctors are being employed. Even standards are dropped and the university officials remain silent. Is this the same university which wants to be recognised as the institution that charts the development of the region? Is this the same university that allowed an American university to develop a cricket academy? Who therefore is to chart the development of Trinidad and Tobago? Graduates of the University of the West Indies and foreign trained locals? Or foreigners whose qualifications are not internationally recognised? But seriously, not only is the Prime Minister giving preferential loans to foreign organisations, foreigners are also being given preferential jobs in Trinidad and Tobago.

PHILIP AYOUNG-CHEE, FRCS
San Fernando