Bahamas Doctors Union

Highlights from our Meet & Greet with 2021 interns and Bahamas DoctorsUnion Executives.

Good Morning

Remember!

BDU members don’t let this momentary silence fool you. Your executive board is still hard at work with issues such as holiday pay, maternity leave and the Foundation Program. The fight continues!

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fthenassauguardian.com%2F2018%2F12%2F18%2Fjunior-doctors-vote-to-strike%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1AgxUz0xIwWqEu6bdqoB_OMpMs-21eipBQODYpupZKcv-n1aO5D8tJjkI&h=AT0ejHY9IBxcVXeBdvil-ogY4OGhnNVTcnQgcif0wub1DNWLjwe8JegJbSD2O4-504mHIhvnYFEsmm_UrBnjA-IGYVb_BWuLoWzmfqzJStGkhVN2eIfNVx58kQI3XX85kvAO&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT2K5FW-OWyyZr4XJFx_GqfwlLhlosMOpqfiO8IrtL839Zp98ctx-1W8ZYb7RLu-ZHzJzoWhPXUfkq__TvQfiECuX1U_s0C70v3ZzgDrfSc025O4cuCM1NZfwhyZimrZrTzBRhUWR8HUcXSv9xXsDpyI8Ksd0uT51xaARVZhPNFotJ0

Junior doctors vote to strike - The Nassau Guardian More than 200 junior doctors voted to strike yesterday, claiming there is an unresolved issue over their holiday pay. This comes two weeks after senior doctors ended their withdrawal of services and nurses voted to strike. Director of Labour John Pinder said the preliminary results from New Providen...

Press Release 20th December, 2018
On 17th December, 2018, the junior doctors of The Bahamas voted to strike against the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) due to their inability to negotiate acceptable terms regarding the issue of holiday pay.
Junior physicians in The Bahamas have NEVER been paid double time for holidays, as is mandated by the Employment Act. Since 2010, the Bahamas Doctor’s Union has taken part in multiple negotiations with the PHA and has filed two disputes with the Industrial Tribunal in an attempt to resolve this egregious injustice, all to no avail. We were even privileged to have a sit down with the Prime Minister who assured us that a meeting would be arranged to table this issue. To our disappointment, the PM failed to honor this promise.
Most recently, the BDU met with the Minister of Health and a decision was made to return to the negotiation table with PHA to resolve the issue in a timely manner. However, as we have applied for a strike certificate, this is still a viable option in the event that negotiations fail.
PHA management offered to pay a lump sum that worked out to be an hourly rate of $1.80/hr for working on holidays. This offer, which is far below minimum wage, is what the Minister referred to as “generous”.
The PHA has also refused to honor the time keeping system that they agreed to under the leadership of the former Managing Director, and as such, there is currently no agreed upon means of determining hours worked on holidays moving forward. PHA has no individual contracts with physicians and the unilateral decision to implement swiping as a means of timekeeping in not supported by law as it goes against our Industrial Agreement.
The $80,000 compensation package for junior doctors that PHA management submitted to the Minister is GROSSLY inaccurate as the net pay of a junior physician is closer to some $30,000 less. We note that the quoted figure included duplicate items such as pay for sick leave, vacation and casual days, which are already allotted for in the base salary.
In closing, the Minister has since acknowledged that his statements questioning the professionalism of junior doctors were unfair. We view this as a positive step toward amicable negotiations.
Bahamas Doctor’s Union

https://www.facebook.com/781409951916003/photos/a.896638087059855/2370783482978634/?__cft__[0]=AZVf-RwwfvUAE3wl9C6IJbSR7JFhMalN_-ELoIdJ86HnzeEVPD3gtNn7b67R6Ch1vAneMcQvCJx-HylTNFQQ7ja1gU1tK0HK255WGg0C48cxtcI01JeZF3FINLinbls9xkyDapbSnvCmqC7r5O9azODx&__tn__=EH-R

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fthenassauguardian.com%2F2019%2F05%2F30%2Fdoctors-union-eyeing-strike-vote-over-contracts%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1oU1cIiZ-tTU6ia6KWCzDkO_fphznsKZxJS-icICAr1VlaYOuUvO37y5k&h=AT1crklcmniSKfN_m0Ol9FqTVBApMdPvPMYH-ZjQO6u1ZYZsHi33ybWxHDrQpC9EVBVFyJ8_peYdhCyA48PzRGO7NjHw-EypVGteAE2q-EX7IE2kJxbIGiBJpM0-nBHbSVW7&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT0W1oqjMJqL0vKrw2rzZtB3JqLe2C-1nwUTGC7h4vv7mFpXznYzRFaFEsTqTvHZkkBmjbUu1Q3n9gZ9ZiTg-S1whpFmRDZRiyIVOluNPa2ryLd6Il8oTiXTAWzXFGgtg3dNkkL7nr3HWlhAW_3ffOBm-hEFDSneePF1zjD4-vy_IlM

Doctors union eyeing strike vote over contracts - The Nassau Guardian Amid dissatisfaction over junior doctors being issued one-year contracts, Bahamas Doctors’ Union (BDU) President Dr. Melisande Bassett said yesterday that the union is eyeing a strike poll. “We have spoken with authorities at Public Hospitals Authority (PHA), as well as the Department of [Public...

Doctors are not greedy - The Nassau Guardian Dear Editor, I am a junior physician employed at Princess Margaret Hospital. I awake at 5:30 every morning to make breakfast for my family, take the children to school, get ready for work, and arrive there not for 9 a.m., but 7 a.m. Rounds start […]

PAY THE DOCTORS! PAY THE NURSES! PLEASE! TALENTED, COMPENSATED, AND MOTIVATED HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS ARE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. NO ARGUMENT, NO EXPLANATION, JUST PAY THEM! Why is this even an argument? This must be the 3rd time in recent times the doctors have had to take a certain course, and they are not being unreasonable or inequitable. Everytime they stand up, they are given some brief reprieve with baseless promises and then nothing....

The conditions they work in become more unbearable, and the patient overload more extreme. Stories circulate about boarders in the public facility, no ventilation, abuses by the public and Sr. staff. There is no way, absolutely no reason why these brillant servicemen and women should be faced with the reality we have created in the health care system.
How can we really be ready for universal health care when we are allowing this desolation to exist in the healthcare system.

You all wonder why many of the best doctors go private, is because the insurance companies can pay them for services that we all need. Its such a big farce.
We work, pay NIB and private insurances if we are blessed, go to a private doctor who may still have to use public facilities and resources for surgeries etc, but we dont want to adequately compensate that support system, that core group.
I stand with the doctors.

When will we grow up in this country and really place value on the things that are important?

Minimum wage increases for unskilled persons vs. appropriate compensation for those who spent thousands to train and adequately take care of EVERYONE including the unskilled worker....

The previous VAT increase cant do both hey? No? Well lets be innovative - give each doctor greater concessions so their cost of living would decrease? No hey? You want to talk land policy? Every doctor can get a plot so he or she can use as collateral perhaps so they can get homes...No hey? something has gatta give here.

Rant over, but yall aine tired a seeing stupid things in this country?
Cause I tired.

Vashti Darville
I'm not one to take to social media to rant but this is 2019 and this seems to be the only thing our people react to, especially when it affects me and mine!

1)Were you there when my parents shed blood, sweat and tears to school me?

2) Were you there when I spent sleepless nights perfecting my craft?

3)Were you there when I spent countless holidays away from family and friends to address the needs of YOU and YOUR loved ones?

4)Were you there when after completing 12 years of tertiary level education, to better advance myself to be of service to YOU, I take on yet another 4 year postgraduate course of specialization?

All of this to be shafted by the very same people that we work so hard to take care of?

And yes the rebuttal is likely to be, "but you chose to do that". I agree it was a choice, one that I am damn well proud of! If me and every other physician packed up our Georgie bundle and left the country to be of service elsewhere you scream "brain drain"!

This recourse was taken because all other options have been exhausted. We are not a bunch of kids throwing a tantrum. We are grown men and women, professionals with families and commitments who have come to a breaking point.

Stop talking what you don't know and walk a mile in my shoes!
Get it together 242!

The real issue with the current debacle at PHA is that they failed to complete the process
for hiring the new interns or SHO's. Whereas all other teaching intuitions throughout the
Caribbean—Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados—informed their new graduates of their
posting 2weeks ago, PHA has failed to do so. To cover their error, they asked the current
interns to remain on staff for 2 possibly 3 weeks while they get their act together. When they
were exposed, they withdrew the offer.
Worse, they have indicated that it is not their intent to promote all the current interns. This is
unprecedented, as the hospital is now without any interns and short over 30 doctors. This
has certainly put a strain on departments that are scrambling to find additional help to care
for patients. Could you imagine the fallout if we have a surge of COVI-19 cases?
Did someone drop the ball? Who will be held accountable for this?
No matter what statements PHA produces, intelligent people know that if there are no
interns in hospital, and PHA does not know who it will hire, these physicians are out of a
job. Mind you these persons applied for these positions months ago.
I'm not sure if you can recall, just 6 months ago we were at this impasse with the prior intern
group, they were asked to "volunteer" for a year and were then told they would be
transferred out of the hospital to the Family Island. Then COVID-19 hit, and the day after, all
of those doctors were given contracts and are in hospital today.
PHA wants to paint itself as the victim here, and only doing its job. No, you cannot get a
pass when no other government department is laying off workers. When you continue on
your path for structural improvement at your facilities and neglect Bahamian doctors who
are in need of employment.
Shame on you!

2020 Donation To the Old Fowlkes Home

2020 Thanksgiving Dinner

Bahamas Doctors Union News

Bahamas Doctors Union updated their business hours.

Bahamas Doctors Union updated their website address.