The Tribune

By Malcolm Strachan

RECENT weeks have unfolded with labour relations fracturing across various sectors, but one in particular has the potential to destabilise the nation. While threats have lingered over the past few months, senior doctors walked off the job leaving a monumental strain on the public health sector as negotiations failed yet again between the Consultant Physicians Staff Association (CPSA) and the Public Health Authority (PHA). The PHA, left with no other choice, had to temporarily cancel emergency services last week.

Imagine that. Had we been hit by a disaster, we could have faced a doomsday scenario. And for what – the buck continually being passed down the line?

Surely, successive administrations would have known that doctors in the public health sector are grossly underpaid. When one takes into account the time and money invested in training in the medical field, they are only able to make a gratifying return when able to open a private practice.

Let’s not fool ourselves – when governments want to find the money to pay for something, particularly when it is politically expedient, they find a way. This much is true - we’ve seen an introduction of VAT and a subsequent increase in July of this year, yet the CPSA still endures the same plight.

Now, with the junior doctors and quite possibly the Nurses’ Association soon to follow suit, we may be on the brink of a full-on collapse, which we dare not imagine.

Although the prime minister has stepped in and supposedly made attempts to bring all parties to a mutually beneficial middle ground, this hasn’t been the first time he’s indicated he would speak to the CPSA. And with no ebb in the tension that has existed for quite some time, it may be safe to assume a raise is not in the cards at this current juncture.

This has perhaps become most evident with the prime minister’s invitation to a meeting at the Office of the Prime Minister that was extended to all unions that have had tense labour relations over the past few months. With the CPSA and PHA dispute possibly having the greatest impact on society if progress isn’t made, the decision to not focus solely on one union issue at a time has been befuddling to say the least.

Certainly, Trade Union Congress president Obie Ferguson shared these sentiments last week. While noting that he, as well as all unions, would be open to meeting with the prime minister at any time, he seemingly prefers to avoid being party to an elaborate publicity stunt when lives can possibly be at stake.

And who can blame him? This is the time to simply present yourself to the people as a prime minister interested in hearing the issues. Minnis needs to strictly be about solving the issues, and a prudent person would know that trying to examine all the issues at once as opposed to prioritising them is a fool’s errand.

The prime minister, a doctor by profession himself, who is fully aware of the hard work and dedication it takes to perform in this role, should be able to appreciate how undervalued these men and women must feel. However, on the occasions he’s commented on the dispute, there seems to be no impetus on his part to address their concerns. Instead, his only retort is that as doctors, they would be unable to allow Bahamian people to suffer, as it is not a part of their nature. While this may be true, in last week’s column, the question was asked: “What happens when enough becomes enough?”

When people have had their fill of poor treatment, they feel that it is time to take a stand. And the reality is caving in under pressure now will never get them the respect they feel they deserve. But where does that leave us?

Prime Minister Minnis may be practising his best poker face, but he is certainly playing a dangerous game.

Strictly by the numbers, out of 2400 deaths that took place in The Bahamas in 2016, 74 percent of them were as a result of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, respiratory diseases and cancer. Alarmingly, over 50,000 people (approximately 30 percent) suffer from diabetes across the archipelago. Additionally, 32 percent of adults and 15 percent of children are suffering from obesity.

This list can go on and on, and one thing will not change, we are on a very risky path if the trend persists – that’s with or without the doctors going back to work.

With these realities in mind, the prime minister should fully be aware of the severity of the nation’s health issue. Likewise, he ought to know that while focusing on balancing the budget may prevent an immediate remedy, they must commit to increasing the pay and providing other benefits such as insurance and pension to the CPSA at some point in the very near future.

It seems as if the medical professionals simply want to be valued, and there’s no secret they have gone unappreciated for eons.

In all likelihood, these parties will come to some form of an agreement, as politically, the prime minister cannot afford for this to continue any longer.

We certainly hope so because it will be the nation’s most vulnerable with the most to lose.