No reports of doctors staying away

HEALTH MINISTER John Rahael said yesterday he would make every effort for the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) to address the salary concerns of senior doctors this week and there were no reports of doctors staying away from any of the nation’s public hospitals over the long Emancipation weekend.

Acting Medical Professionals Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MPATT) president, Dr Lakhan Roop, reportedly said the present rate of calculation would see junior doctors earning more than their senior colleagues. Senior doctors are reportedly unhappy because the pay package being proposed by the CPO falls short of an MPATT proposal. The senior doctors have written to Rahael on this matter. The Minister said he received their correspondence and he would do his part to ensure that the CPO  addresses their concerns. Rahael reiterated that healthcare providers should use dialogue to resolve any problems they have and not resort to staying away from work because this would put patients’ lives at risk.  Minister Rahael said he received no reports that senior doctors stayed away from work over the Emancipation weekend.

South-West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) chairman, Imtiaz Ahamad, said everything was running smoothly at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) and there was nothing “to raise any eyebrows.” Ahamad, who is also chairman of the Joint Negotiating Team of the Regional Health Authorities (which has been negotiating new contracts with the senior doctors since March) thanked all the doctors and nurses who turned out for duty over the last 72 hours at the SFGH. Head of the SFGH’s Anaesthetics Department, Dr Anand Chatoorgoon, said: “I know nothing of any protest action. Dr Lakhan Roop cannot speak on behalf of SFGH. 

The protest action he is talking about... I am not sure all of us (doctors) would want to go down that road of depriving the poor and needy of patient care. He did not speak with many of us at SFGH and certainly did not speak to me.” Chatoorgoon said he has discussed the matter with his SFGH colleagues and while they want to see the salaries issue settled amicably, they “have no intention whatsoever of depriving patients of health care.” Efforts to contact Roop, to find out whether any senior doctors stayed away from work over the long weekend, were unsuccessful.