Junior doctors want more money, overtime

DR LAKHAN ROOP, Assistant Secretary of the Medical Professionals Association (MPATT) said yesterday the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) are still unwilling to make changes to the package being offered to junior doctors.

Speaking to Newsday following another meeting with the RHA’s yesterday, Roop said Health Minister Colm Imbert had promised to look at the compensation packages offered in the United States and the United Kingdom. Roop said doctors were not satisfied with the current offer because the salary packages were not competitive. He said the doctors also want change in the overtime proposal but the RHAs are not yet willing to concede on this point. Roop said the authorities could not continue to provide “less than adequate level of care at this level of income”. He said they needed to commit to an increase in the health sector budget if they wanted to be a first world competitor like the US and UK. “The problem is just not this negotiation, but the administration’s refusal to commit to an increase in the budget for health care for the last 10 -15 years.”

He said health is “high in consumables,” especially in pharmaceuticals because the public keeps expecting a first world level of health care. While the RHAs have submitted proposals for increases in the package offered to House Officers of !5 percent (first year), 17 percent (second year) and 19 percent (third year House Officers). Roop said the increase in basic salary worked out to be $300 (first year), $500 (second year) and ($900) third year. The doctors’ current salary is $8,000. The joint RHA negotiating team is expected to respond today to counter proposals submitted by the doctors.