BASSETERRE, ST KITTS – Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health, Dr. Earl Asim Martin said Wednesday while welcoming the payment of overtime to nurses at health institutions in St. Kitts “overtime payment will not resolve the crisis” at the J. N. France General Hospital in Basseterre, the Pogson Medical Center in Sandy Point and the Mary Charles Hospital in Molineux.
“The nurses will continue to be overworked. They will continue to be burnt out. What are needed is more trained nurses on the wards, training of new nurses who will join the workforce to relieve the overburdening and an overall salary increase as further incentives for nurses at all health institutions,” said Dr. Martin on the Issues programme carried by Freedom FM and Kyss FM.
Dr. Martin also suggested a new salary scale for the nurses as well as other professions. Civil Servants received a salary increase in January of 2013, January 2014 and January 2015 while the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Government was in office.
Dr. Martin said nurses continue to complain about the deteriotrating healthcare system at the J. N. France General Hospital, the Pogson Hospital and the Mary Charles Hospital.
“At the Pogson Hospital, one nurse complained of working an entire shift. One nurse. This is an indication of the tremendous shortage of nurses in this country. The Government must find ways to attract young people to be trained in the nursing profession,” he told listeners.
Dr. Martin reiterated while the nurses will now be paid for overtime, the nurses need to be respected by the hospital administration and Ministry of Health officials.
“I also call for an end to the disrespect of nurses by the two ministers of health. It is not only a salary increase nurses want. They also want to be respected and within that institution nurses are not being respected by their superiors,” said Dr. Martin, who also reiterated that lack of direction and leadership will result in the continued dysfunctional of the health sector as a result of the infighting between the two health ministers.
“We have a Junior Minister who lacks credulity to be in charge of the Ministry of Heath,” said Dr. Martin, adding that “everything that Minister Wendy Phipps puts her hands to have failed.”
He pointed to the Basseterre High School issue in which she was a part of a decision-making Committee, yet after becoming a minster attempted to give false information.
The NIOSH report had said there was no need for further testing of the soil and that once all the recommendations were implemented, the BHS should be reoccupied. Minister Phipps had told the media the NIOSH Report made no conclusion or recommendation on the soil concern and the issue was still outstanding.
On the issue of the Stem Cell Scandal at the J. N. France General Hospital, Minister Phipps had said there was no stem cell operation at the hospital, only to be told by the senior health Minister Hamilton that there was in fact a stem cell research in operation, thus affirming the statement by Chief Medical Officer Dr. Patrick Martin.
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