Medium level and senior medical doctors are confused about their condition of employment and entitlements. They conceive themselves as public servants under the personnel management office and should be entitlements accorded to middle and senior management personnel. Some of them claim that they are still using public transport to go to work. They argue that every minute they waste on the road could cause life and suffering at the hospital. They neither have access to official transports or car loans to ferry themselves to and from work. They are informed that they are under the medical board and should be given the entitled to all the entitlements that public servants enjoy. This seems to be mere words and No information has been given to them as to their entitlement.
The minister should study the condition of service of medical personnel under medical boards. The objective is to create other public service structures to promote effectiveness and efficiency in the public service. However the public service commission should provide guidance on how such independent public structures should serve public servants under their purview. If conditions are not created for middle and senior medical doctors the country is likely to lose them to the private sector or even result in them going abroad in search for greener pastures.
Nurses are also suffering the same thing, whether in delay in being absorbed or lack of knowledge of entitlements.
Life is precious and essential personnel for the preservation of life should be given due consideration and motivation to render services to the sovereign people of the Gambia. This is the demand of reason and justice and should not be honoured with disregard.
