Health Ministry unable to guarantee no further industrial action by junior doctors

By Racquel Porter    

 

The Ministry of Health is unable to assure the public of no further industrial action by junior doctors in the short term.

 

The doctors stayed off the job until 6 p.m. Monday to press the government over retroactive pay and overtime rates, resulting in health facilities across the island offering only emergency services and pushing back elective procedures.

 

The doctors returned to work following a mediation exercise involving the Jamaica Medical Doctors' Association and Ministries of Health and Finance, facilitated by the Ministry of Labour.

 

On Wednesday morning, the doctors said they were still restive after a more than 12-hour meeting Tuesday.

 

Speaking with Radio Jamaica News on Wednesday afternoon, Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton said he was unable to give any assurances as the decisions are outside his control. 

 

"The issues are still not fully resolved, as I understand it. I wasn't there. The negotiations are being led by the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Finance, where a lot of the conversations around the compensation issues are taking place," he noted. 

 

Dr. Tufton said there is an earnest effort to try and bring some resolution to the issues with the prolonged discussions now underway. 

 

"So the discrepancy now or the disagreements are around the rates for overtime. We've already reached an agreement on the percentage increase on basic pay, which is substantial. It's the overtime rate. The Ministry has a particular perspective, and indeed that perspective, as I understand it - I'm not driving the process - has been signed off on by other categories. And this group has an alternative view, as I understand it, and it is that they're trying to work through. So I'm hoping that they will," he asserted. 

 

Dr. Tufton said more than 50 per cent of public health facilities were impacted by the sickout on Monday.

 

"It meant that we had, in some instances, 60-70 per cent absenteeism among that category of workers, the junior doctors, or the JMDA members. And so we had to cancel a lot of the elective procedures. A lot of health centres had to suspend or scale down operation. A&E was still open, and we, the consultants and others, provided support.... What we're doing now is trying to reschedule some of those appointments," he said, adding that any further industrial action would put more pressure on the sector.