TT tops world in UN volunteer doctors

The 60 doctors recruited through the United Nations volunteer (UNV) programme has given TT the distinction of having the largest number of UNVs with a single skill. UNVs from in excess of 150 nationalities serve in more than 50 countries across the world. The group serving in TT arrived over the past six months as part of broader collaboration between the Government and the United Nations Development Programme. The 44 men and 17 women have come from 33 countries. A media release from the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) said some of them are general practitioners, many hold postgraduate degrees in fields such as urology, obstetrics, and gynaecology, paediatrics, oncology, ophthalmology, psychiatry, public health, ear/nose/throat, neurology, anaesthesiology and other fields.

The volunteer doctors are paid a stipend or voluntary living allowance to meet their expenses. “All volunteers, regardless of profession, are paid the same allowances with adjustments made only for the number of dependents,” UNIC said. A UNV without dependents is paid US$1,591 monthly, while those with a dependent receive US$1,931 monthly and volunteers with two or more dependents earn US$2,096 monthly. “It is noteworthy that volunteers must work under the same conditions and the same hours as the staff of the receiving institution, however they cannot accept monetary compensation for extra hours worked. This situation is common to many of the UNV doctors currently serving in TT.” The assistance from UNDP is a short-term measure aimed at assisting TT with the shortage of doctors as identified by the Health Ministry. The doctors are working for periods of up to three years and deployed to complement the existing core of health professionals.

The short-term strategy involves UNV doctors working in health centres delivering the Health Ministry’s Community Outreach Programme. Under the agreement, the medium to long-term plan involves strategies being developed and implemented to build local level capacity for longer term sustainability of high-quality health care service delivery. “The presence of UNV doctors therefore offers a period of respite that would allow these strategies to be developed and implemented,” UNIC said. Within six months of placing UNV personnel, and as a condition of ensuring that the shortage is systematically addressed, UNDP will collaborate with the Government to craft an exit strategy for UNV assistance after a period of three years.