Doctors: Medical Board Bill frivolous and risky

Doctors yesterday at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex voiced their total dissatisfaction with the Medical Board (Amendment ) Bill 2003. This according to Lakhan Roop, Assistant Secretary of the Medical Professionals Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MPATT). The Act proposes to establish a five-member panel, headed by the Chief Medical Officer, to issue “special temporary licences” to foreign doctors. The Act is intended to permit easier registration for Cuban and other foreign doctors, who have been recruited by the Health Ministry to address the shortage of doctors in the country. According to Roop, this shortage of doctors is a result of the government’s failure to provide adequate remuneration for doctors and proper training facilities. For the past 50 years, the Council of the Medical Board had the responsibility of issuing temporary licences. The duration of the licence is based on the type of graduate and their medical school. Licences do not exceed three years. In a statement to Newsday, Roop reiterated that the country has always had a shortage of doctors and  MPATT has never objected  to foreign doctors practising in Trinidad and Tobago. In fact, there have been many foreign doctors in Trinidad particularly from India and Nigeria.

Roop said that the problem with the proposed amendment was that  it might lead to a declining standard of health practice in the country and that the public needs to be protected from a falling standard of health. According to Roop, the Bill was an effort  to “chastise and subvert the Medical Board by  undermining the duties of the Medical Board and the standard set.” He said that one of MPATT’s aims was to try and persuade the Government about the “frivolous” nature of the Bill. Roop stated that MPATT wants  to educate the public of the risk of  lower health standards if the Bill is passed. The Bill was brought to the Senate last month by Attorney General Glenda Morean. Dr Albert Persaud, president of the Medical Board said after the meeting that he hoped those  involved in the passage of the Bill take the concerns of the doctors into consideration. The Minister of Health, Colm Imbert is expected to present the Bill for debate in Senate on Tuesday.