GPHC wants nurses, doctors to call off protest

– says their concerns being addressed

In an effort to avert a possible strike action that could cripple the operations of the country’s premier health institution amid the growing COVID-19 pandemic, the Management of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) said it is feverishly working to address the concerns of its healthcare workers, who have joined their colleagues across the country in protest for better risk allowances, salaries and working conditions.

“The Corporation remains committed to timely and constructive engagements to consider the requests of our health care workers and  strongly advise them to refrain from accepting inappropriate advice and abandoning their duties to support further illegal protest action until every avenue provided for in the relevant legislation is exhausted,” the hospital’s management said in a statement.

The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has warned that public health workers in the country will strike from Wednesday, October 7, 2020 if their demands are not met. On September 30 it had dispatched a letter to the health institution. But GPHC, in response, said it cannot comprehend GPSU’s posture in threatening industrial action when the matters raised in their letter have been and continues to be addressed.

According to GPHC, it has been working directly with the Doctors and Nurses Branch of GPSU to improve benefits for all workers, particularly those directly involved in the treatment and care of COVID-19 patients, since the start of the pandemic in Guyana. “Towards that end on April 3, 2020 the Administration met with the Doctors and Nurses Branch, GPSU to discuss and resolve issues which they claimed were affecting health care workers emanating from the COVID 19 pandemic.  At the conclusion of that meeting amicable agreements were reached and [initiated],” the hospital said.

According to GPHC, in accordance with the agreements, appropriate training was provided to all staff members to combat the COVID-19 virus, all of whom were provided with adequate and appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Additionally, transportation arrangements were put in place to facilitate the transport of workers to and from work. Care packages, the hospital said, were also provided to employees, in addition to free housing for those staff members operating within the COVID-19 Isolation Intensive Care Unit (IICU).

GPHC said while it appreciate the work of its members who continue to provide quality, efficient and equitable care to patients, it is deeply concerned that amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic some health care workers have resorted to industrial action which will have a negative impact on health care. It noted that last week’s protest contravened the Public Utilities Undertaking and Public Health Service Act Chapter 54:01, and no further protest action should be taken.

“The Corporation continues to take steps to ensure that our staff performs their duties in a safe environment and adequate and appropriate PPEs are provided to them.  Consequently, the accusation of workers not having adequate PPEs, being asked to take their PPEs home for cleaning and recycling of PPEs are absolutely without merit,” the hospital said.

It also refuted claims that two of its healthcare workers died from the Coronavirus. “Management, while it regrets the loss of life of two health care providers, is horrified at the insinuation within the GPSU’s letter that two health care workers from the GPHC died from COVID-19.   Such an uninformed statement was most unfortunate.   Please be advised that none of those two health care workers who died were our employees,” GPHC said.

Nonetheless, it assured healthcare workers that every effort will be made to ensure that they are supported, protected and appreciated for their hard work and dedication.