Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands said all doctors, including interns and those on contract, will receive a $1,400 lump sum payment as promised to workers in the public service.
Junior doctors became concerned after the Public Hospitals Authority, in a letter signed by PHA Deputy Managing Director Lyrone Burrows, said only junior doctors identified as permanent and pensionable would be eligible for the payment. The Bahamas Doctors Union said doctors have not been made permanent and pensionable since 2008, therefore only a quarter would be eligible for the payment under this scenario.
Dr Sands said the letter was an instance of misinterpretation and miscommunication by the PHA.
“The letter has been rescinded,” he said. “I have given assurances that all will get their money and the BDU received an apology for the miscommunication. There was never any intention to not pay them but there was an error in interpretation that led to the letter being put out and it has since been clarified and a new letter will be issued.”
Mr Burrows’ letter indicated there was a delay in confirmation of the lump sum payment.
Dr Sands explained: “When money first came from (Ministry of) Finance, doctors and nurses were not included. The prime minister explicitly said doctors and nurses will get $1,400 but the payroll went out and it didn’t include that for them so on (Wednesday) we would’ve made a correction so I was shocked when I saw the letter circulating because we had spent hours (on Wednesday) rectifying the matter.”
The relationship between junior doctors and the PHA has been difficult this year.
In August, doctors went on strike because of holiday pay owed to them over the past decade but returned to work when the government secured an injunction against their action.
More recently, the BDU raised concerns about the job future of more than a dozen doctors who have acted as senior house operators but were not promoted to the substantive roles. Dr Sands has since assured them that no doctor will be fired.
A statement from the Cabinet Office yesterday said: “Lump sum payments will be paid as scheduled in December to all public servants, PHA staff, doctors, nurses, teachers, members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and Bahamas customs, immigration and correctional officers.”
Comments
bahamianson 5 years ago
Dude, i hope you know what you are doing. Don't increase taxes next year because you like to spend money. it is not your money. where is all of this happy money going to come from? i need some money also, give every Bahamian $1400. I don't want hear that we need money for this and that next year. You people use the government's purse like it belongs to you. Everyone wants money, and then , everyone wants more money. We will never get enough.
Hoda 5 years ago
Tell that to your fellow Bahamians who threaten not to come to work, work to rule and adopt terroristic tactics because they want money they know they wouldn’t get in the private sector.
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years ago
Just more robbing of Peter to pay Paul...with more taxes to come for both Peter and Paul. This is the very definition of using other people's money in an effort to 'buy' votes. We see this happening over and over again as a result of the Minnis-led FNM government's inability to govern. Where are the policies designed to successfully create new wealth within the economy in the form of a healthy private business sector offering decent paying jobs?
Minnis and Turnquest are tax and spend freaks who are messing up everything through their obssession with trying to control every aspect of our lives. These two morons must be given the boot by the Bahamian people and never again be allowed to return to active politics. And to these two clowns duped a majority of the voters in May 2017 into thinking no two bozos could ever be worse than Christie and Halkitis. Lord give us the strength to free ourselves of these two corrupt and tyrannical imbeciles!
bogart 5 years ago
Unbelievable!!! Doctors not made permanent and pensionable since 2008...!!!! Doctors holiday pay not paid over past decade...!!! Doctors had to go on strike presumably lawfully but by Court injunction hadurned them back to work. Doctors acting as senior house operators...and not promoted to substantive roles whichinin meaning junior doctors getting shorted. The issues in the Hospital system is greater than $1,400. !!! These issues by all fairness must be addressed go over to ALL AND EVERY other GOVT AREA in Juniors, contract workers, not permanent workers doing senior work, juniors, contract workers not made permanent and pensionable, contract workers etc.
TalRussell 5 years ago
Colony's Comrade Prime Minister Minnis, KP, Dr. Duane and Hon. Brensil created their own big give away to all 22,000 government workers Opera ironic you, you, you and you get's a $1,400 Christmas Shopping Dollars chequie moment. You can't make this up, you just, can't how all them $1,400 comes at the expense of the foreigners who have kindly stepped forward with their donations in the millions and millions of dollars - intended for Abaco and Grand Bahamaland residents - not the attempt to massage more Votes, come the 2020 general election. Something asks England's Lord Buckethead to investigate?
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