Personnel Department, doctors sign agreement

THE issue between the National Doctors Association (NDA) and the Department of Personnel Management (DPM) was resolved yesterday when they met with the Health Department to sign the 2007-09 agreement.
DPM secretary John Kali said the delay was due to some parts of the memorandum of understanding not fully implemented.
He said they were waiting for these to be finalised before moving on.
Mr Kali said they were now happy to sign this so that negotiations and the implementation of the MoU could begin.
In accordance with the agreement, the implementation of certain outstanding provisions of the 2007- 09 MoU regarding salary reclassifications, senior management contracts of employment and domestic market allowance, and housing allowances for national doctors and dentists in health services in the country comes into effect.
These include the identification of individual doctors and dentists, by the Health Department in consultation with public hospitals, who will move into the new grade levels whose payments will be backdated to January 2007.
Others are mainly for implementing the salary reclassification under the National Doctors Award clause 4.4, that will be readjusted to the agreed salary reclassifications by the DPM and Health Department.
Mr Kali thanked the doctors for their understanding and for going through the right channels to get their ultimatum heard.
Health secretary Dr Clement Malau said he was optimistic this venture would work out for the good of all doctors and unions within his department.
He said beginning next week, the department will be organising to meet with all the unions and advise them of what has just been done for the doctors.
NDA president Dr Kauve Pomat said he was happy that the MoU was signed.
 “I am happy about this signing and I hope that we do not let this happen again, as we believe that this is for the human resources and the country,” Dr Pomat said.