16 doctors’ have been paid salaries, says Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit following the doctors' protest in the country in context of the recent conflicts.
Dominica: Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, following the doctors’ protest, announced a Weekly Reporting Committee to look into and resolve the pay and administration issues faced by the doctors’ and nurses at Dominica - China Friendship Hospital (DCFH) during one of his meetings on Wednesday.
“The salaries of 16 doctors’ have been paid, the cheque was sent to the hospital authority and as we speak, payments are being transmitted to the respective bank accounts of the 16 doctors,” announced the Prime Minister on all the matters relating to unresolved payments and conflicts.
To ensure that no such event takes place in the future keeping in mind the health, well-being and welfare of Dominica, he further spoke - “What we have done in the government system is that we have taken over the payments of the 16 doctors’ directly through the ministry so from October all of the doctors will be directly paid by the Ministry of Health for and on behalf of the hospital authority, so we don’t expect that to be a problem, additional funds have been allocated to the Ministry of Health to cover those doctors and so we don’t expect it to be a problem going forward.”
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Prime Minister Skerrit further clarified that the public was misled by inflated numbers of unpaid doctors and all the patients suffered to create panic in the country. In his meeting with DCFH doctors’ and representatives of the Dominica Public Service Union, each and every concern was addressed as a result of which a Weekly Reporting Committee is formed which would keep a check on doctors’ pay and administration of the hospital to ensure smooth workflow and healthy environments.
Following the matters, he also stated that the delay in the payments was due to structural, administrative issues within the hospital workforce, the result of which was 16 doctors unpaid for months.
Taking the matter into its own hands, the Dominican Government and DCFH doctors’ have issued multiple statements clarifying the rumors and presenting the original facts and records and restoring stability and structure in the hospital.