After nearly two years of negotiations, two industrial agreements to improve doctors' salaries were signed yesterday.
The Bahamas Doctors Union (BDU) signed an agreement with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Public Service, as well as an agreement with the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA).
Together, the agreements are valued at $17 million and cover the period 2015-2020.
During the signing at the Ministry of Public Service on Monday afternoon, Labour Minister Shane Gibson said, "It wasn't until I started to get involved with negotiations that I realized how low doctors' salaries are.
"As a matter of fact, it is so bad, I'm embarrassed to tell you what it is, because most Bahamians wouldn't believe it, but despite that, they (doctors) pressed and continued to do their work by saving lives, treating sick persons and going above and beyond their call of duty.
"That is why we thought it was important that in addition to doing the little that we did in concluding these negotiations, we will also have a salary review which will really help us to determine and put them on the correct career path and bring them closer to earning the kind of salaries and compensation that they should be earning at this time.
"So we thank them for agreeing to what we agreed to in this industrial agreement."
The agreement allows for the improvement of salaries, increase in disturbance, rental, relocation and educational allowances, and for lump-sum payments to be made.
Health Minister Dr. Perry Gomez said the "historic" agreements will positively impact hundreds of deserving doctors.
"These agreements will jointly impact 462 doctors in our public healthcare system," he said.
"I was pleased to announce that medical insurance was included in the previous agreement for the first time.
"I am now proud to advise that with the imminent rollout of National Health Insurance (NHI), the group medical plan for physicians will be amended and will continue six months following the initiation of the NHI program."
Acting President of the BDU Macumba Millar described the process as "long and torturous", but expressed gratefulness that the process was over.
"For decades, junior physicians in the public healthcare system have been marginalized and disenfranchised in this country," Millar said.
"This industrial agreement is a significant step towards rectifying some of these injustices like inadequate facilities, insufficient staff and sometimes hazardous working conditions.
"...The Bahamas Doctors Union is grateful to pass this hurdle and eager to embrace our remaining challenges."

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