President of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP), Dr. P. Abdon DaSilva.
In the wake of two cases of COVID-19 being recorded in this country, some employers are seemingly not putting adequate plans in place to safeguard their workers, and are instead suggesting to their front-line workers in particular, that they seek medical leave as a means of staying out of harm’s way.
The matter was brought to the attention of The Barbados Advocate yesterday by President of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP) Dr. P. Abdon DaSilva, who insisted that it is in contravention of the law, for a doctor to write a sick leave certificate for a person who is not in fact sick. To that end, he is urging his membership and the medical fraternity in general, not to get caught up in such activity.
“We have to ask employers to stop sending their employees to doctors to get certificates for two reasons – one is if the person is infected we do not want them coming to our offices and disseminating the virus and two, if the person is not sick we cannot give them a sick leave certificate. I would hope that doctors will not put their credibility on the line by becoming creative,” the medical practitioner stressed.
The BAMP President stated that the Medical Professions Act clearly prohibits doctors from writing certificates which they know, or ought to know, are not factual.
Dr. DaSilva’s comments came as he said that by now individual companies across this country should have policies in place as to how to deal with the COVID-19 threat. He maintained that given the rapid spread of the virus across the world, the probability of it reaching these shores was very real, and therefore businesses really have no excuse for not having the appropriate business continuity plans and policies ready for execution at the appropriate time.
“To date I have not heard of any policy that the private or public sector have crafted and disseminated about employees working from home and how they are going to be paid; all I hear is that people should be encouraged to work from home. I haven’t heard anybody say we are going to pay you and how long that state of affairs should continue,” he stated.
He continued, “The alternative to not having a policy for people who should self-isolate and they go to work and spreading the virus. It is a tough call.”
DaSilva went further, indicating that there is also a role for the trade unions to play. The medical practitioner said the unions must step up to the plate in terms of policies to safeguard the well-being, health and financial security of employees. He contended that the trade unions should also have clear guidance for their constituents, should they have to stay home and self-isolate.
(JRT)