Minister of Health and Wellness responds to KHMH’s concerns

 The KHMHA Workers’ Union announced last week that they’ve suspended their industrial action. That decision was taken in the wake of discussions with the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital’s management, the hospital’s board of directors and the Ministry of Health & Wellness. The union has long complained of a shortage in supplies of critical medication and other materials at the country’s flagship health facility. The union’s press release said that the Ministry has given them the commitment to quote “provide a continuous supply of materials, adequate laboratory testing and pharmaceuticals of good quality” (Unquote). When asked about the dialogue with the union, Minister of Health and Wellness Kevin Bernard said that while the issues were a buildup due to years of neglect, he is optimistic that the talks in the future can be productive.

Hon. Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness: “I really thank them. I really thank the union for sitting back, and I said it to them when I had given an interview, for them to really take a look back and understand and I know that they have reasons genuine reasons for raising their concerns and they have all right to do so but my approach to them as I said to them when I met with them is that for us to reason out let us sit down, let us dialogue. Let us work together to address the many issues that they were raising and I find it on my part while I know they may not be happy with the change in the chairmanship that is a privy of the minister but I am prepared and I said to them management and we’re going to ensure that management works with them, as the minister and the ministry is going to work along with KHMH to ensure that we can ensure that KHMH gets what it deserves and what it needs. Can we supply them with everything ? Maybe not but we have to ensure that they issue of shortages, the issue of low morale as they claim is improved, communication has to be built and communication goes both ways from the union the workers to the management and the management to the workers. I have also said that I will challenge my board to take the opportunity to walk the hospital. I myself will do so to hear from the people on the ground and find out what is really the situation, how will they feel that their situation will be improved ? But all these things take like I said it was a build up situation for many years and exploded over a few months. We want to reverse that. We want to fix that.”