Public Services Association president Watson Duke yesterday demanded $10 million in insurance for doctors, nurses and all health care workers who would potentially have to deal with the Ebola virus if it entered T&T. He said those workers should be paid four times their original salaries whether they contracted the disease or not. Duke also threatened to stop Carnival 2015.
“We have influence and the power to make things happen or to change the direction of things and when we say there shall be no Carnival, there will be none,” Duke said. He also demanded that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar should make a public statement expressing Government’s policy measures on the virus and that Health Minister Fuad Khan must provide proper training for hospital staff by sending a medical team to Africa to gain practical experience of treatment for the virus.
He made those demands during a press conference at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, yesterday, while doctors, nurses and other staff looked on. He complained that Khan had misled the country when he said health institutions were 75 per cent ready for the Ebola virus. He added: “It is a hoax. Hospitals are not ready. They have no medication, no test kits to test for Ebola. They have some ‘jokey’ suits available and this is why the media has not been invited on a tour.
“They do not know what they are doing. They are playing a hit-and-miss game and so we have challenged them. “The days for ole talk is over. He (Khan) has to come clear with us and settle the score with all the stakeholders and so we reject the view that we are 75 per cent ready. We believe that it is more 25 per cent.”
Duke said the PSA believed people who were at risk of coming in contact with an Ebola patient and becoming contaminated must be given insurance of $10 million and that money must be made available and placed in escrow for them. “We are talking about port health workers. We are talking about immigration, customs, airports authority, ambulance drivers, attendants, dieticians, nurses and doctors.
“This is not just a doctor business. Who told them it is only doctors alone at risk? It is everybody’s business and so everybody must be paid quadruple their salary and must be given extensive training,” he added. He said the PSA was moving toward a strike of the entire health care system and added that T&T should not send aid to Africa but should partner with African countries to send a medical team abroad to learn best practices in treating with the virus.
“So send these workers out there, protect them and let them come back and deal with this first-hand. “If they fail to make us ready, we will be taking action. Right now we are mobilising because the nation needs to be safe,” he said. Speaking out against temporary visa bans to be applied to certain countries, Duke said he did not support any temporary measures.
“We support T&T being ready to treat with Ebola. We may have nationals abroad in African countries who may want to come back home. Do we discriminate against their spouses?” he asked. Doctors also demand higher salaries Doctors are also demanding enhanced pay packages if they are part of the Ebola response team.
CNC3 News reported last night that following a meeting among medical practitioners on Monday at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, a memo was sent to the Director of Health of the North Central Health Authority Dr Rodney Ramroop, following a meeting on Monday, outlining the proposed terms and conditions.
In it, medical chief of staff for the North Central Regional Health Authority Dr Andy Bhagwandass says all medical doctors are of the view that all infrastructure and equipment must be put in place to care for a patient and ensure full protection of medical doctors.
According to the memo, the team will involve all grades of medical doctors who form part of the Ebola response team, including a payment of three times their salary, in addition to their existing salary, a $10 million payment to the family of the deceased in the event of death of a medical practitioner, separate from any insurance coverage, and a lumpsum payment if a health worker contracts the virus.