“The nurses and the doctors in this country know that Ralph and this government at every turn has been very good to them”.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves comment comes ahead of planned strike action by nurses during the week 7-10 September.
“In the case of nurses, we give them $1200.00 per month. In the case of the associate degree, you get a free education. The degree itself is subsidized. And we pay one-third of the price plus; we give you your twelve hundred dollars monthly. We are the only people paying you to go to school. And then, you could apply and get a tuition scholarship to do your degree.
Look, 735 persons have applied for tuition scholarships for this year. The public servants are finalizing the lists. I told them to give 500 out of 735. Last year I give 400. You hear me? And among them, there are many, many doctors. And there are many nurses”.
Gonsalves said the nurses had a problem with all sorts of issues about their overtime, the midwives among them. This government, he said, dealt with that.
“A couple of them called me, they came to see me, we pay them a million dollars? Remember that in 2019, we sorted that out and so on.
You hear me always talk about the nurses. I love them. Female and male nurses, I love them. The doctors, number of scholarships we get for them. Much has been given to you. Much is expected from you. Don’t make this mistake”.
Gonsalves said the percentage of nurses at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital who have been vaccinated have moved from 25 to 32 per cent, and he is sure that that number will rise.
