Med techs back on the job in western Jamaica

Western Bureau:

Dr Delroy Fray, the clinical coordinator for the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), has indicated that normality has been restored at the Cornwall Regional, Falmouth and Savanna-la-Mar hospitals, following two days of protest by medical technologists.

“They are back to work, the full workforce,” Fray told The Gleaner, in reference to the medical technologists who took protest action on Monday over matters of welfare and working conditions, and continued their protest on Tuesday, demanding an assurance that their concerns would be treated with urgency.

“A letter was written (to the WRHA) on the 27 (June) that addressed the seven points they were concerned about ... . The concerns were addressed, including the allowance they will get in their pay this month, and the uniform issue has been addressed,” said Fray.

On Monday afternoon, St Patrice Ennis, president of the Union of Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Personnel (UTASP), the union that represents the medical technologists, said the protest was going into a second day because there was dissatisfaction with the assurance that was given by the WRHA.

Ennis noted that the situation, as it was, should not have unfolded as it did because it should have been addressed as soon as the medical technologists took up the job, especially in relation to the provision of lab coats and other personal protective equipment (PPE).

“I can’t explain how is it that you are still talking about procurement for lab coats and other PPE when those workers should not have even started on day one without the requisite personal protective equipment,” said Ennis, in noting that the situation has been dragging on for two years.

According to Ennis, what the medical technologists wanted was for the persons who are supposed to ensure that their welfare and working conditions are at the requisite standard, to be held accountable.

In its initial response, the WRHA expressed surprise at the action taken by the medical technologists, as it was of the view that the issues were being addressed and there was an understanding on both sides.

With the matter now settled, Fray said operations in the WRHA were not adversely affected as, while the medical technologists had taken protest action, they had made sure that there would be no major fallout.

“In fact, they (the medical technologists) did something good for us – all emergency and urgent cases that would have included surgical cases, they did those blood tests,” said Fray. “What they never did were the patients who were coming into hospital to have their tests done. That would have affected clinic work, so they did all the urgent and emergency cases.”

Fray also seemed somewhat relieved that the preparations that were made to utilise outside laboratories for blood testing, had the protest gone on beyond two days, never had to be activated,

“If they had extended [the protest] beyond the two days, we had made preparations with outside labs, but we did not have to do that,” said Fray.

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