Hospitals buckle as doctors lose patience
Clarendon: Six-month contracts unconscionable, says physician
OPERATIONS AT hospitals in Clarendon were disrupted on Thursday as 26 medical doctors who were scheduled for duty called in sick.
Eugena Clarke-James, acting chief executive officer, told The Gleaner that the May Pen Hospital was trying to source additional staff to aid operations at the Accident and Emergency Department, following a sickout by 21 physicians.
Four doctors from the Lionel Town Hospital, and one from the Clarendon Health Department, also called in sick.
According to the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA), all outpatient and curative clinics were rescheduled. Patients on wards were assessed and those deemed well enough were discharged.
A total of 158 of the 302 doctors scheduled for duty on Thursday did not turn up for work, forcing the hospitals across the SRHA into emergency mode.
People’s National Party’s Junior Spokesperson on Health Jesse James Clarke said that, while it was unfortunate that doctors sat out from work, it is not too late for the Government to offer redress.
“The minister of health and wellness should resolve the issues facing the disgruntled medical staff to ensure that normality is returned to the sector. We cannot use the excuse that there is no funding to pay our health staff while simultaneously pursuing the construction of a new parliament building,” he contended.
Clarke said the healthcare sector has been subjecting staff to low salaries and inadequate resources.
“We cannot match the compensation packages of developed countries, but we can do better,” the junior spokesman said.
Dr Aujae Dixon argued that six-month contracts was evidence of unfair treatment being meted out to physicians. He lamented that healthcare workers were being taken for granted.
“Six-month contracts leave no job security and are unconscionable. The job is stressful and the hours long. The added stress of not being compensated or compensated adequately is not a stress that doctors need to have,” he said.
Dixon questioned the feasibility of the reviews of medical officer posts.
“Hospitals and health centres are nowhere near well-staffed as is being purported. There’s no time for a five- or 10-year review. It needs to be done much quicker than that,”Dixon told The Gleaner.