KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Several patients were turned away on Friday as hospitals continued to struggle to provide service and hospital administrators blamed the industrial action by the nurses for their inability to offer some regular services.
At some institutions attempts have been made to call on retired nurses to do sessions, but so far this has been met without success. Up to late Friday NAJ officials and the Ministry of Finance were still locked in a meeting at the Ministry of Labour trying to settle their wage dispute.
NAJ President Edith Allwood Anderson has cast blame at Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller who she said has been ignoring calls to intervene in their wage dispute.
She said the nurses are insisting that the Prime Minister take action on their behalf.
“Why is it she said she would have communicated with Mr. Davies and until now we have not been hearing anything from the honourable Dr. Omar Davies It’s time for the Prime Minister to really intervene , we have met with at least three ministers two times already and it’s time for her now to say a word about what is happening” she said. Dalley pleaded with the nurses to end their industrial action saying the sick-out by the nurses was creating a major crisis which was threatening the lives of several Jamaicans.
“Devastating. It has been very, very bad, the reports coming from all the region indicate that the system is in crisis , I hold the nurses responsible to the people of Jamaica and what happens in here from the health sector” he said.
And despite the criticism of the Health Minister the Medical Association of Jamaica, (MAJ), has endorsed the protest action by the nurses.
The MAJ says the nurses are in a just crusade to obtain adequate remuneration for their services. They have called on government to move with urgency to resolve the impasse and ensure that normality returns to the health sector which the MAJ says is dying.
And leader of the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Bruce Golding says he has received reports that kidney patients were unable to receive dialysis treatment on Thursday as a result of the action taken by the nurses.
In a statement issued on Friday Golding said with the likelihood of similar action being taken by members of the police force, the Prime Minister should not leave such important matters to junior Finance Minister Fitz Jackson as she is ultimately responsible for the management of the country’s affairs.