Chairman confirms $75,000 paid to private doctors at SFGH

The chairman of the South West Regional health Authority confirmed Monday that in the past two weeks the health ministry paid $75,000 to private medical practitioners to conduct 15 gynecological operations at the San Fernando General Hospital.

Dr Lackram Bodoe made the disclosure at a media conference at which he explained that there was little choice since the hospital is short-staffed.

He said the shortage resulted from the suspension of five doctors and four nurses who were involved in the care of Chrystal Ramsoomair, who died on March 4 at the hospital following a ceserian section.

"We were able to hold the fort for a short while but obviously a backlog arose and because of that the SWRHA took a decision to engage the services of private providers, that started two weeks ago," he said.

Bodoe said the alternative would have been to send the patients to private hospitals, which would have cost much more.

The chairman said the head consultant, who was under suspension, returned to work last Tuesday, adding that "arrangements are being put into place to get the unit that was suspended fully functional".

Health Minister Therese Baptiste-Cornelis is addressing the staff shortage. However she has said the ministry has limited resources in this regard.

"One of the issues we have is not the matter of the conditions; it is the matter of the actual salary, the remuneration we can offer them because you would understand that the doctors who reside abroad are accustomed to different levels of remuneration that we can possibly pay here," she has said.

The minister said some doctors working abroad are asking for 40 per cent more than what the ministry pays to their local counterparts.