The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Public Hospitals Authority suggested that junior doctors whose internship programmes have ended have not been hired because of the entity’s reduced budget.

PHA said the one-year contract of interns ended on June 30 and accused the Bahamas Doctors Union of misleading Bahamians.

“As a teaching institution, the PHA provides opportunities for medical graduates to advance their training through the completion of a one-year internship as a requirement for licensure with the Bahamas Medical Council. Generally, internships begin on July 1 and end on June 30 of each year with no change in this practice during the 2020 fiscal year,” PHA said. 

“The PHA finds it regrettable that the Bahamas Doctors Union (BDU) would seek to mislead the public regarding the employment status of junior doctors. We realise and appreciate the disappointment that may be caused by the fact that our current fiscal status does not allow unlimited hiring. The PHA recognises the innumerable contributions and sacrifices of the house officers to our institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the financial impact of this pandemic has significantly altered our course and reduced our operations budget for 2020 and beyond.”

In a statement posted to its Facebook page, the BDU said the current debacle exists because the authority failed to complete the process of hiring new interns.

“Whereas all other teaching intuitions throughout the Caribbean — Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados — informed their new graduates of their posting two weeks ago, PHA has failed to do so. To cover their error, they asked the current interns to remain on staff for two possibly three weeks while they get their act together. When they were exposed, they withdrew the offer. Worse, they have indicated that it is not their intent to promote all the current interns,” the BDU said.

The union said the situation is unprecedented because the hospital is without interns and departments must now scramble to find additional help to care for patients.

The union wrote: “Could you imagine the fallout if we have a surge of COVI-19 cases? Did someone drop the ball? Who will be held accountable for this? No matter what statements PHA produces, intelligent people know that if there are no interns in hospital, and PHA does not know who it will hire, these physicians are out of a job.”

PHA said interns from 2019-2020 are eligible to apply for vacant senior house officer positions as of July 10.