Weekend Report | The Freeport News | PDF Online Guide

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Home National Sports Business Lifestyles Religion Arts & Culture Pulse Spice Editorial letters Opinion Foodie Sportscope Real Talks Weekend Report PDF's Classifieds Contact About Us Archive Weather

Letters | Opinion | Editorial | Weekend Report
FOODIE SPORTS SCOPE REAL TALKS
PM: Govt couldn't find funds for nurses' health insurance By KEVA LIGHTBOURNE ~ Guardian Senior Reporter ~ kdl@nasguard.com: Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said yesterday that the last thing in the world he wanted to do was not pay nurses and doctors their increases and not provide nurses with their health insurance. "That was the last thing I wanted," Ingraham said in the House of Assembly late yesterday afternoon. "It was only in the last and final consideration of the budget and we knew we could not find the extra $10 million, we could not unless we made some other choices. So I instructed the minister of Education and the minister of Health to meet with their agencies in advance of the Wednesday budget presentation." Ingraham's comments came hours after 130 nurses employed by the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) in New Providence and Grand Bahama called in sick yesterday, forcing the PHA to shut down three government clinics and cancel all elective surgeries at the Princess Margaret and Rand Memorial hospitals until further notice. Some nurses employed with the Ministry of Health also phoned in sick. In his 2009/2010 Budget Communication in the House of Assembly on May 27, Ingraham announced that a health insurance benefit provided for in the nurses union contract, totaling $10.5 million, would have to be delayed because the government cannot afford it at this time. However, according to leader of Opposition Business in the House of Assembly Dr. Bernard Nottage, if the relevant people met with the nurses and they were forewarned about the health plan, he did not understand why they were off the job. "It is a serious matter for me, when there are people who need health care and nurses - the foundation of the system - feel it necessary to remove themselves from the work place. Nurses don't do that. They are the ones who are on the front-line, they are the ones who come into contact daily with people with contagious diseases, they are the ones who we send out to do surveillance. They are the ones who have to put up with the boisterous activity of unruly patients, who have to take abuse from people who can't get beds in the hospital, who have to take the abuse from people who have to wait hours for service. They are hardened, dedicated professionals and when they decide to walk off the job, or (stage) a sick-out, or take industrial action, you can bet your bottom dollar they have been provoked, or they think they have been provoked," Nottage said. He stressed that for years the nurses have been bargaining for respect. "They want to have what the ministers have, health insurance. They want what members of Parliament have," he said. Tuesday, June 9, 2009