Headlines:
| Weeding out fake doctors |
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| Monday, 12 May 2008 | |
The Health Ministry said it is working closely with the
Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ) to weed out fake doctors from the health
sector.Health Minister Ruddy Spencer told RJR News that the Ministry is intolerant of persons posing as doctors as they present a serious risk to patients. He added that a proposal stipulating stronger penalties for persons illegally practicing medicine is to be taken to Cabinet shortly. "(The Ministry) in collaboration with the MAJ will be working to identify these persons and to get them out of the health system." Trying to honour agreements The Health Minister is appealing to the membership of the Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ) to exercise more patience as the Ministry works to meet all the conditions of the last collective agreement. The NAJ had expressed disappointment that the ministry had not honoured all the points of the agreement and said that it would be unwilling to enter any other negotiations if the previous commitments were not honoured. Mr. Spencer said the Ministry has already provided four of the five buses promised in the agreement and that the fifth was being sourced. That bus is due to arrive before the end of next month. Mr. Spencer also asked the nurses to bear with the Ministry as it works out the thorny issue of reclassification and appointment. "Whilst this was to be put in operation, there was a transfer of training to the Ministry of Education, in other words, the training component that normally would be done by the Ministry of Health (has been) transferred to the Ministry of Education, hence the delay." On the matter of persons being appointed Mr. Spencer said a number of promotions had already been made. "There are a number of posts but before we can fill those posts, you must have the support and permission from the Ministry of Public Service ... it's not that we have abandoned the plans, it's that the process is taking a little bit longer." |