Deputy Speaker says medical doctors, teachers among those who need more

Deputy Speaker Dr Asha Kissoon during her presentation

By Antonio Dey

While lauding the government for its 2024 fiscal plan, Deputy Speaker Dr Asha Kissoon expressed disappointment that medical doctors at the Georgetown Public Hospital are not earning livable wages and salaries in light of the conditions they work under to deliver efficient healthcare to citizens.

She told the 76th sitting of the National Assembly that while she was happy that the government was working assiduously to improve healthcare institutions countrywide, medical doctors who go above and beyond the call of duty deserve “better” wages and salaries.

Although she did not suggest what these salaries should be, Kissoon, during her budget presentation on day five (the final day), proposed that medical personnel should earn incomes that are competitive with what Caribbean healthcare institutions offer. “There must be a competitive salary scale to put us on a level playing field as the Caribbean,” she said.