THE Ministry of Health & Wellness reported late last night that normal operations will resume at health facilities across the island beginning 8:00 this morning.

“The decision was reached following a meeting of senior executives in the Ministry of Health and Wellness and members of the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA) to discuss today’s [yesterday’s] high rate of absenteeism among junior doctors in the public health system. The meeting, which included participation from the JMDA executive team and stakeholders from the regional health authorities concluded with favourable outcomes,” the ministry said.

Details of the agreement reached were not released.

In a response to Jamaica Observer queries, JMDA Mindi Fitz-Henley said, “The JMDA President met with the ministry twice today [yesterday] and we can report that they have withdrawn all of the contracts that were offered [contrary] to the heads of agreement. They will be changing those illegal contracts to a two- to three-year contract in keeping with our heads of agreement.”

She indicated, however, that the mission is only part achieved: “To us that is a big win, because it means that they will have to stop giving those contracts for the current doctors and all those doctors to come. We, however, know there is a lot more work to be done, as over 100 doctors who were just fighting COVID for Jamaica and being hailed as heroes… are now unemployed.”

The health ministry, in an earlier press release yesterday, indicated that routine operations had been disrupted after a significant number of junior doctors failed to show up for work and that contingency plans had to be activated at primary and secondary public health facilities across the island.

Priority had been given to emergency cases as appointments for elective procedures were rescheduled. People were encouraged to call their health centre or hospital to have specific queries answered.

Fitz-Henley yesterday had indicated that the action was due to unresponsiveness from the Ministry of Health and Wellness to the cries of doctors for many years.

With yesterday celebrated internationally as Doctor’s Day, she said local doctors were not in a position to celebrate and expressed hope that doctors could attain reform in their employment standards.

“Not only are doctors not being offered permanent posts, they are now only given fixed-term contracts which have been trending downwards… three years to two years to one year and now six months. We view these offers as a direct insult and a form of exploitation. When does it end?

“The Ministry of Health and Wellness’s insistence on breaching the heads of agreement by offering junior doctors six-month and one-year contracts has led to numerous negotiations, all ending at a standstill. We have had meetings on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, all yielding the same response; they will continue to offer shortened contracts against the heads of agreement, despite all conditions not being met as repeatedly highlighted.

“The doctors have been working under tremendous strain and arduous conditions for many years. These onerous circumstances have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Fitz-Henley said in the prepared statement.

Burknell Stewart, chief executive officer, Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) and Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH), expressed hope the current situation won’t be prolonged. He shared that of 198 junior doctors, only 64 turned up for work on Thursday.

With just three doctors on duty in the emergency department yesterday, Stewart said only dire emergencies were dealt with at KPH. At VJH only emergencies were attended to as well.

“The accident and emergency section is still functional. We cannot turn people back. Consultants are swamped, but we are making it work. We have around three doctors there and a dedicated nursing staff supporting. We have 64 junior doctors and 53 consultants at KPH. At VJH the clinic that deals with teenage mothers was open. The general persons who had elective surgeries, we can’t handle that today.

“I don’t expect this to be for any protracted period, but one of the things is that the general public must know[is] that we are operating without the full complement of staff, and only cases where you really need to see the doctors should come. Some discussions were had with the union and some positions were taken and arrangements were made to have all of that addressed.”

One woman who works as a porter at KPH told the Observer yesterday that, if cases were not serious, like gunshot wounds or severe asthma, “you haffi go a di nearest health centre or go back home.

“Me work here suh and see my grandmother deh. She get an emergency letter from her doctor to come up here and dem still send har home. She is 99. Dat fi show you seh a serious things a gwaan. You just have to find the nearest health centre or find a home remedy you can use ’til Saturday.”

At University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), a nurse’s assistant said uncertainty surrounded the situation.

“If these people out here waiting know what is good for them they would request a refund. We just came to work like everybody else and a wonder why di doctors not here, and we get a little pinch seh a dat a gwaan pon what a gwaan.”