Glenda Anderson, Staff Reporter
THE MEDICAL Association of Jamaica (MAJ) has supported the Government's recent decision to dismiss eight locum interns who failed local qualifying examinations, calling it a "reasonable response" to the situation.
Other doctors in the health care system are more cautious however pointing to a potential strain on some hospitals.
The dismissed interns are non-Jamaican doctors who were trained overseas (but not in the United States or United Kingdom), who were hired on a temporary basis until they had passed the local exams set by the Medical Council of Jamaica.
The doctors were offered jobs based on need and after interviews by Senior Medical Officers (SMOs) in the Regional Authorities.
But MAJ officials say in light of cost-cutting strategies by the Government, local medical personnel must be given priority.
"We regret that any doctor will not continue his employment but the Government is obliged to provide opportunities for local doctors and interns if it is an issue of it being in a financially-strapped position," said MAJ first vice-president, Dr. Alverston Bailey.
President of the Jamaica Medical Doctor's Association, (JMDA), Dr. Patrick Toppin, was however cautious in his support of the move which he said would result in a severe reduction in staff at some facilities.
In a statement last week, the JMDA (formerly the Junior Doctors' Association) said it was concerned about some of the recent changes in the health care system.
"In a time when the Govern-ment is looking for ways to cut costs, we would like to advise caution in any plans to reduce health care service.
"In many cases the staffing at public hospitals and clinics is already inadequate to ensure timely delivery of health care to the public. Further reduction in staffing can only worsen this situation. For example at the Linstead Hospital, cuts have resulted in only one doctor being on emergency duty at that hospital on most days. This is not sufficient staff to resuscitate and stabilise a seriously injured patient or to save the lives of more than one victim of a motor vehicle accident. The problem may worsen over this holiday season when there are traditionally more motor vehicle accidents and trauma cases. We believe that it is unacceptable to put the public at risk in the name of cost-cutting," the JMDA stated.
Ninety-nine locum interns currently work in the public system, with the majority, 48, assigned to the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA). SERHA has responsibility for the parishes of Kingston and St. Andrew, St. Catherine and St. Thomas, with a total of 10 hospitals and 89 health centres.
Twenty-two locum interns (including the eight dismissed) were assigned to the western region (WRHA). The interns come mainly from territories outside the Caribbean like Russia, Burma, India and Hungary, but some were from Cuba.
Despite years of training and experience, each intern must pass examinations set by the local Medical Council, and is allowed three sittings of the examinations which are offered twice per year.
Meanwhile Health Ministry officials insisted that the system would not suffer significantly as staff would be bolstered this year by its local internship programme.
Of 62 doctors who completed their internship in the public sector on December 31, 2003, 41 have applied for positions in the Regional Health Authorities and will be placed, the Health Ministry reported.
Last July seventy interns were received from the UWI and 21 were assigned to jobs in the Western Regional Health Authority. An additional seven interns were assigned on January 1 and four will be assigned to the Western Region.
