MPATT: Ministry misinformation on doctors’ salaries

THE MEDICAL Professionals Association of TT (MPATT) has again accused the Health Ministry and Regional Health Authorities of publishing misinformation on doctors’ salaries.

“This a waste of taxpayers’ money,” MPATT said in a media release yesterday. Responding to the ad, it referred to the tuition costs of engineering students — $46,200 and law students—$57,082. It takes three years to earn an undergraduate degree in these faculties. Government subsidises half the cost through the Dollar for Dollar programme. MPATT said studying medicine for five years at the Faculty of Medical Sciences cost $228,000 with the government also subsidising half. Added to this are living costs totalling $182,000.

MPATT said medical students are not allowed vacation and access to jobs during the five years they are studying. “Their living costs are thus of a full year/12 month duration and not confined to two semesters.” MPATT said doctors are repaying student loans at the monthly sum of $5,000. It said prior to legal profession being transferred to the Salaries Review Commission, salaries in this field were parallel with the medical profession. In the 1970’s Puisne judges and Specialist Medical Officers were in the same range. Highlighting the gap between the salaries MPATT said the basic salary of an SMO  in the Public Service at Range 64 is $8,320 (2001), and 10,400 (2001) in the Regional health Authority. The Assistant Solicitor General at Range 64 earned $12,300 (1998). A medical Intern Range 46B earned $4,930 (2001) and State Counsel 1 $6,625 (1998). House Officers Range 56 earned a basic salary of $8,000 while a State Counsel III range 55E earned $9,450 (1998).

MPATT said the basic salary of the medical profession is vastly inferior to that of the legal profession. It said if the Ministry is comparing remuneration packages they must be equivalent terms of reference such as a 40 hour week. The doctors said the remuneration package offered by the RHAs is $17,172 and includes 56 hours of on-call duty calculated at a rate of 1.5 the hourly rate and not double time. MPATT wants any additional duty beyond the 56 hours and sessional rate to be calculated at 2.5 the basic hourly rate. It is also seeking basic salaries of $8,600 (2003), $8,900 (2004) and $9,200 (2005), housing allowance, and compensatory days for working on the weekend and public holidays calculated at three times the hourly rate.