Abal orders meeting with doctors

By KARI TOTONA
DEPUTY Prime Minister Sam Abal has directed Personnel Management secretary John Kali to sort out the National Doctors Association (NDA) log of claims and avert an indefinite strike on Friday.
He appealed to NDA executives to reconsider their actions in the interest of the pubic and safety.
Personnel Management and the NDA are expected to confront each other today in an 11th-hour meeting to iron out their differences.
Abal’s appeal to the doctors followed a briefing from Health Minister Sasa Zibe, Public Service Minister Moses Maladina, Kali and acting Health secretary Dr Paison Dakulala.
“I appeal to you all to consider your role in society and your code of ethics as providing public health services to the people of this country.”
He said the industrial relations laws were good guides for presenting grievances over remuneration and working conditions to government.
Abal said these provided a negotiation process and must be respected and followed by its due process so that amicable outcomes were reached.  
“We respect the doctors as professional people and, as a government, we want to deal with them professionally.
“We do not want doctors to be categorised like everyone else who, when aggrieved, jump to strike without following set procedures.
“Union leaders must respect the process as well and allow your log of claims to come through to the process so that it can be addressed,” he said.
Earlier yesterday, NDA president Dr Kauve Pomat said whether they go on strike would depend on whether the Department of Personnel Management (DPM) agreed today to the final draft of the 2007-09 doctors award review.
He added that he was hopeful of a favourable outcome.
The doctors are planning to start their nationwide strike from 4.06pm on Friday and Pomat added that Kali was aware of the salary package of the 2007-09 review draft because he had signed an MoU with this salary package as an annexure last November.
He said NDA and the Health Department finalised this review after numerous talks with Personnel Management and presented it to Health secretary Dr Clement Malau last Sept 24.
Pomat said the following events transpired:
* Verbal input from DPM to NDA via Health was that NDA was required by way of correspondence to state its stance on the revised document before DPM;
* NDA wrote to Kali on Sept 28 supporting the final draft review award document which Health had submitted;
* Number of meetings took place involving NDA, DPM and Health and Treasury on one occasion;
* On Feb 18, DPM again asked for NDA’s official stance on the final draft review document;
* On Feb 28, NDA provided a copy of its last Sept 28 correspondence Health;
* DPM insisted on NDA’s own written acceptance of final draft; and
* On March 11, NDA provided its written acceptancer.
“Health Department is already an agreeing partner. Why isn’t DPM respecting this?” Pomat said.