Doctors stop work over demands

MORE than 40 Angau Memorial General Hospital doctors in Lae have stopped work after the management failed to address their petition, National Doctors Association Morobe branch president Dr Barry Mutan says.
Dr Mutan said the hospital management failed to respond formally in writing their demands submitted last week. The demand letter, addressed to the Morobe health authority chief executive officer Dr Kipas Binga, dated March 23, stated that association members resolved to stop work as of 4.06pm, March 31, if their demands were not met.
“Our demand was to increase or recruit more medical and nursing personnel to deal with the influx of the coronavirus (Covid-19) patients and other regular (outstanding) problems,” Dr Mutan said.
“We have been talking to our management and the Department of Personnel Management to take note and act on it for three years but nothing has happened.
“We also have staff whose entitlements have not been paid since December.
“I am under heavy pressure with very disgruntled medical officers because the petition raised last week are not new issues or problems.
“They cannot take it anymore.
“We have had phone conversation with the Binga but the responses are not addressing our concerns.
“So, I have no option but to allow our community and responsible authorities to be aware that our officers will not be coming to work as of 4.06pm today (yesterday) until our demands were met.”