By Caribbean News Global contributor
CASTRIES, St Lucia – Members of the Saint Lucia Medical and Dental Associations (SLMDA) have decided to withhold services provided at the outpatient clinic at the Millenium Heights Medical Complex (MHMC), says a press release from the medical facility on July 3, 2023.
“It should be noted, however, that emergency services will not be affected,” MHMC.
The SLMDA advised regarding its membership unsolved issues, including “gratuity due to doctors, whose contracts ended on 31 March 2023.”
The press release advised that MHMC management has been in dialogue with the SLMDA and “assures that the necessary steps are being taken to address their concerns.”
As it relates to gratuity “Officer in charge at MHMC, Rojer Inglis, advised that upon receipt of the requisite clearances from the Inland Revenue department, payments of the eligible members of the SLMDA will be processed immediately.”
The policy statement of the 2023-2024 budget of the government of Saint Lucia boasts “18 percent economic growth; unemployment was reported at 19 percent; youth unemployment at 25.9 percent and a budget surplus of XCD29M.”