Doctors sick of waiting

The health ministry last night assured that it will put measures in place to minimise the impact of any interruptions to health-care service if the country’s doctors go on strike. This after president of the Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA) Dr Jubilee Brown-Service said the association “cannot guarantee normalcy in the health sector” if the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) does not hand down, by Friday, a long-awaited ruling on the matter of overtime rates.

“The Ministry of Health and Wellness acknowledges the concerns of the Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association regarding the delivery of a decision by the Industrial Disputes Tribunal in relation to the dispute over overtime payments and related matters. The ministry is also awaiting the decision of the IDT, an independent statutory body established to determine and settle industrial disputes referred to it; and urges the continued patience of all parties, given the complexity of the matters under consideration by the tribunal,” the health ministry said in a release.

“The ministry, through the regional health authorities, will… put in place measures to limit any possible impact on the patients who visit health facilities,” it added.