PERSONNEL from the Saint Lucia Medical and Dental Association (SLMDA) have refuted claims that medical services were withheld at the Millennium Heights Medical Complex (MHMC) outpatient clinic due to gratuity payments owed to doctors employed with the institution.
Earlier this week, an MHMC release stated that the Officer in Charge of the Complex, Roger Inglis, confirmed that he was aware of the situation.
The release said Inglis advised that he had received SLMDA correspondence regarding unresolved issues, including gratuity payments due to doctors whose contracts ended on March 31, 2023.
However, SLMDA President Dr. Merle Clarke contends that the organisation is at a ‘complete loss’ regarding why the MHMC sent out the release. She said the document was “entirely unnecessary” and out of context.
“Yes, it would seem like we called off our outpatient clinics, but we certainly had called patients whom we thought their care or their being seen could not be delayed. So we did have a very robust plan in place to protect the general public,” stated Dr. Clarke.
She said, contrary to what is stated in the release, the delayed gratuity payments is just one of the grievances to be dealt with.
“Yes, there are outstanding issues between ourselves and the Millennium Heights Medical Complex but we understand the responsibility that we have to care for the general public,” noted Dr. Clarke.
She added, “With the citizens that we serve, we will never abandon that duty. We never have and we never will.”
The SLMDA official reiterates that there are several outstanding issues at stake, including the gratuity payments that was due to be paid by March 31.
“Gratuities were supposed to be paid at the end of the contract …but, to date a large majority of these have not been made,” she explained.
Nevertheless, declared Dr. Clarke, “The public that we serve needs to be protected at all costs, we need to have some basics to give the best possible care to the general public.”
Dr. Clarke noted, “Our services are highly sought after and we cannot be taken for granted, so we wanted to make that clear. But certainly, not at the expense of the general public.”
In addition, she said the MHMC release made it appear that the issue related only to gratuities.
But Clarke said the long-delayed gratuities represented the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“Given how much we have to shoulder, it is very unfair that after much correspondence and so much consultation that, we are currently in this position,” the SLMDA President stated.
Meanwhile, the MHMC release further states that the unit stands ready to make the payments due, soon as the Inland Revenue Department gives the instructions to proceed.
Within the MHMC release, Inglis states: “Upon receipt of the requisite clearances from the Inland Revenue Department, payments to eligible members of the SLMDA will be processed immediately.”