By CAROL MATROO
THE young female medical intern who cried wolf, claiming she was held up and robbed at gunpoint while on duty at the Port-of- Spain General Hospital, has been fired, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh announced yesterday during the Rebirth House ‘Facing Life Seminar’ series launch at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya. He said the investigation which led to the intern’s dismissal was based on compassion, being firm and ensuring that natural justice took place and all sides were heard.
“We had to treat with her compassionately because she is a human being who did something I think she regrets. We have to be firm because the whole health care system was in danger and lives were going to be put in danger because her colleagues had decided to take industrial action and natural justice had to prevail,” the minister said.
He added that he had no role to play in making this decision.
“I set up a team led by the permanent secretary, chief medical officer, a legal officer and the director of human resource management to treat and deal with the matter. The minister of health played no role in any of this because any decision that had to be made must be free from political interference.” The minister said all decisions were signed off in agreement by the intern as investigations were carried out.
After alleged claims, the intern’s colleagues stated they had serious security issues, which Deyalsingh did not dispute, saying there were legitimate issues that were raised and industrial action was threatened.
“As far as the industrial action is concerned, one has to understand that we have a duty in this country to serve those who we are supposed to serve. Many of our professionals in the medical field and elsewhere owe their education to taxpayers of Trinidad and Tobago because it is GATE, (Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses) via the taxpayer that funds tertiary education in TT whether you are a doctor, a lawyer or nurse.
But when contacted yesterday, a senior doctor expressed concern as to whether the intern could be fired. “She is not a permanent worker, so she does not have full registration yet. That would have to be up to the Medical Board of whatever country she applies to.
She still has to go through application from the Medical Board for them to decide whether she would be admitted as a doctor to work in the country. I don’t even know how legitimate firing an intern is because being an intern is a learning process.
“If she does not complete her internship, she would not be qualified (as a doctor). She can apply to another country if she wanted to under the UWI jurisdiction.
You can’t fire an intern, you can suspend with investigation,” the doctor said. (Trinidad Newsday)
