Doctors seek higher over time

IF Regional Health Authorities agree to give doctors the over time rate they are seeking this “will go a long way” in making them happier about returning to work, said Assistant Secretary of the Medical Professionals Association (MPATT) Dr Lakhan Roop yesterday.

MPATT has been meeting with doctors “trying to get a position” on proposals submitted by the RHA last week. Thousands of dollars separate the doctors’ salary demands and what the RHAs are offering to them - the RHAs are offering first year House Officer (junior doctors) $17,962, while MPATT is seeking $20,106. Asked what can be done to bridge the gap, Roop said one of the important areas of concern for doctors is the over time rate for service from 4 pm to midnight and midnight to 8 am. Doctors are seeking to have any additional duty calculated at the standard overtime rate of double time but the RHAs are offering overtime at 1.66 times the hourly rate, which Roop described as “unacceptable”. He said doctors are not querying the difference in the compensation packages for doctors in Trinidad and Tobago. However, he said some effort must be made to achieve parity and offering double time would help.

The doctors sent a written response to the RHAs last Friday on proposals presented at a meeting on April 7. A total of six meetings have taken place between the RHAs and doctors, although the parties were supposed to meet twice weekly. Deputy Chairman of the South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) Dr Joel Sinanan is expected to lead negotiations in the absence of Chairman Imtiaz Ahamed who began ten days vacation leave yesterday. No date has been set by the RHAs for resumption of talks. Hospitals in the North and South West Regional Health Authorities have been operating in emergency mode since April 9 after several junior doctors began sick-out action.