Dear Editor,
I would like to respond to the Guyana Times article by the Ministry of Health dated January 28, 2024, titled “Asha Kissoon misrepresents facts by giving incomplete information”.
Practitioners of the noble profession of medicine have many chronic grievances which have spanned the lifespan of successive administrations. In fact, it was the current Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, who had accurately outlined six causes for the sufferings of physicians in a letter to Stabroek News on September 25, 2018, titled “Public service doctors working under grueling conditions for poor pay, authorities need to act”. He had highlighted and ably expounded on issues such as long work hours and physician burnout, inadequate accommodations for doctors on call, and the disparity between overtime and on-call allowances.
Dr. Anthony was quoted discussing the challenges faced by physicians at GPHC and other hospitals across Guyana, including inadequate meal and housing allowances, and the low compensation for interns on call. He emphasized the need for meritocracy and equal treatment in compensation for all doctors.
While I acknowledge that some of these issues have been partially addressed by this administration, others remain a bane to physicians. In the scope of the budget debate, I will highlight three major concerns:
- Illegality of the Rate Paid for On-Call vs. Overtime: The ministry’s own admission in their letter shows the illegal arbitrary on-call rates, as previously alluded to by the minister in 2018. The current rate is not in keeping with the Labour Act, which regulates overtime. This practice appears to rob physicians of their rights under the law. The law must apply equally to all physicians.
- Medical interns are not compensated for On-Call or Overtime: As outlined by the Minister in 2018, medical interns in Guyana are not compensated for extended on-call hours, which is not the case in other Caribbean countries. This practice, along with low pay, is driving newly graduated doctors to migrate.
- Inadequate allowances: The allowances provided to doctors, including housing, meals, transportation, and institutional allowances, are inadequate in today’s market. The discrepancy between the allowances for MOH and GPHC doctors is significant.
A Memorandum by Regional Health Services, stating that “All doctors are required to do on-call”, refutes the Ministry’s challenge and demonstrates that health center doctors do work beyond regular hours and on weekends. Additionally, the adjustments in salaries of healthcare workers were made outside the legal framework of the Trade Union Recognition Act, leading to complications and disparities in pay.
The Ministry of Labour must address these irregularities in order to regularize labor practices, as they have done with other entities. These are real grievances affecting job satisfaction and performance, ultimately impacting the quality of healthcare delivered to our citizens. As we aim to create a World-Class Health Care System, it is essential that our human resources are treated fairly according to the law.
Sincerely,
Doctors standing in solidarity with MP Dr. Asha Kissoon
