The Medical Professionals Association (MPATT) is reminding Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh that any change to working hours for doctors must be decided across the negotiating table.
The reminder comes in the wake of a directive from Deyalsingh that specialist doctors (consultants) must be on-site at hospitals between 8 am and 4 pm from Monday to Friday.
This instruction, contained in a report for immediate implementation, was circulated to all public hospitals on November 23 in an effort to prevent the deaths of pregnant women and babies following the death of Candace Santoo and her son baby Nevin.
Santoo died at the Mt Hope Women’s Hospital two Thursdays ago from excessive bleeding, which led to shock and heart failure. Her baby was stillborn.
In a statement, MPATT said it was cognisant that there were certain areas of medicine, such as obstetrics and gynaecology, where patients were at higher risk.
However, the association said, while it supported the need to review the delivery of medical care in order to reduce these risks, “arriving at best-practice outcomes require discussion, negotiation and concurrence.”
MPATT said that at a meeting with the former Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan, the position of Director—Infant Health Services was discussed, in addition to the working relationships that were required from the medical professionals in this particular area.
“Minister Deyalsingh must be reminded that the employer—the Regional Health Authority (RHA)—has not negotiated for these new arrangements and that he may have been ill-advised and misguided with respect to the recent recommendations which affect terms and conditions of employment.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the working hours for doctors cannot be unilaterally changed where there is a recognised majority trade union (RMU). MPATT attained RMU status for doctors employed by the South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) in August 2009 therefore, any change to working hours for doctors must be decided across the negotiating table,” the statement read.