PM Skerrit Announces Direct Government Payment of DCFH Doctors’ Salaries Starting October

Dominica: Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit stated that the government of Dominica would assume the responsibility of paying salaries to the doctors working at the Dominica-China Friendship Hospital (DCFH) from October, following protests over delayed salaries and unpaid allowances.

The announcement followed a meeting held on Wednesday, involving doctors, hospital management, government officials, and the union representatives to address payment delays.

PM Skerrit confirmed that the salaries of 16 doctors working under the hospital authority have been paid. The money was being transferred to their bank accounts at the time of his statement.

The dispute arose after doctors protested earlier this week over unpaid salaries for September and other allowances. This raised concerns over the hospital’s administrative and payment processes.

The Prime Minister clarified that the problem with salary concerned only a specific group of doctors who are employed directly by the Dominica Hospital Authority and not the entire public health system.

He said that there are around 70 doctors working for the government in the public health sector. Out of these, only 15 to 16 doctors were directly hired by the hospital authority and have been facing problems in receiving their September salaries.

“As a matter of fact, all doctor salaries except those 15 were paid by the Ministry of Health directly,” he said.

Doctors who had their salaries paid to them through the Ministry of Health were not affected by the delay in salary payments.

PM Skerrit confirmed that a cheque covering the salaries of the affected doctors has been sent to the hospital administration, with transfers to their bank accounts underway at the time of his statement.

In order to avoid similar problems in the future, the government will assume direct responsibility for paying all doctors at the Dominica-China Friendship Hospital through the Ministry of Health from October. Additional funding has been allocated for the same purpose.

Alongside the payment changes, the Dominican Prime Minister also announced the establishment of a committee to address concerns that doctors and nurses have about the hospital. It will include members of the Hospital’s Board of Management, board of the authority, its chief executive officer, union representatives, and doctors.

The committee will present its report to PM Skerrit every week. He will also meet with its members monthly to review progress and ensure that all outstanding matters are addressed.

Moreover, the government will be examining individual complaints about outstanding allowances for some doctors. PM Skerrit said that the problem first began with just two doctors before increasing to four in one month.

He stated that the delay may have resulted from the doctors not being properly entered into the hospital authority’s payment system.

Prime Minister Skerrit said that the gap in communication between the hospital administration, the health department, and the administration in the Ministry of Health could have been one reason behind the problems raised by the medical personnel.

He advised the Chief Medical Officer to be more involved in the management of hospital affairs, such as holding regular meetings with doctors and nurses.