Public health services

The recent presentation to the trade unions by the Minister of Health of the document Public Service Health Reform - Proposals for New Working Conditions, brought public declarations by the minister regarding some aspects of employment in the public health service.

The Minister of Health publicly called for "new practices of work" to be introduced in our public health service. Everyone, including the trade unions, work for improvements at every place of work, especially in the public health service. But not all things or actions which are dubbed "new" must be glorified to the high heavens.

One of the most important aspects for the good running of the public health services is that its employees must put their mind at rest that their conditions of work are not at the mercy of an "administrator" or of a "director"! This does not mean that we at UHM want anarchy or a laissez-fair attitude in the public health services.

What we mean is that unnecessary turmoil in the conditions of work of health services' employees must be avoided.