Enill: End in sight for pharmacists’ sick-out

MINISTER in the Ministry of Finance, Conrad Enill, may have administered much-needed relief to hundreds of frustrated patients across Trinidad and Tobago yesterday, when he hinted that the end was in sight for the latest sick-out by government pharmacists. Speaking with Newsday after the adjournment of the Senate, Enill reinforced statements made 24 hours earlier by Health Minister John Rahael and went a step further to disclose the Chief Personnel Officer’s (CPO) proposal for enhanced pay packages for pharmacists should be decided on by the Public Sector Negotiating Committee (PSNC) within the next two days.

“It’s not a finance matter. It’s a matter with the PSNC which I chair. That’s the committee that deals with all matters of compensation. What happens is that the CPO would meet and treat and then bring it to the committee. It is before the committee and should be decided on within a day or so,” the minister said. Rahael had described the pharmacists’ latest sick-out as “very disappointing” because the CPO put in considerable time and effort on September 22 and 23 to finalise a proposal to forward to the Finance Ministry. Rahael said every effort was being made to expedite the process of giving the pharmacists an enhanced pay package and urged them to return to work. Pharmacists stayed off the job at all major medical institutions yesterday, including the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, San Fernando General Hospital and the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, but are expected to be back on the job today.