Health Ministry prepares as doctors warn of healthcare disruption over delayed IDT ruling

The Ministry of Health and Wellness says it will put measures in place to limit any possible impact on patients if doctors withdraw their services on Friday as they press the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) to hand down a ruling in the long-running dispute over overtime and incentive payments.

The Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA), which represents junior doctors, issued the warning today at a press conference, where it outlined concerns.

The JMDA and the Ministry of Health and Wellness have been at odds over the matter.

“We’ve worked for the past 42 months, long hours, in some of the most adverse conditions. In resource-deficient facilities, with poor accommodation, and high doctor-patient ratios. We’ve worked, we deserve to be paid, we deserve a ruling. Our patience has been exhausted,” said JMDA president Dr Jubilee Brown-Service at a press conference.

The association has been pressing the IDT to make an award of $31 billion in back money for overtime, while the Government’s calculation for retroactive overtime payment for the doctors is $23 billion.

General secretary of the JMDA, Dr Fabian Blake, said the case was completed on April 1, 2026, and more than 170 pieces of evidence were presented.

“And nearly six months later, our members are still waiting on a ruling for their overtime,” he said.

“That delay is unacceptable and it raises serious questions about the accountability, transparency and timely administration of justice in industrial disputes. Workers should not be left in prolonged uncertainty when financial pressures mount and their bargaining position is weakened.”

Reacting, the health ministry, in a statement today, said it acknowledges the concerns of the JMDA and noted that it too is awaiting the decision of the IDT.

It called for doctors to continue to be patient, “given the complexity of the matters under consideration by the tribunal.”

The health ministry said it will make provisions should doctors take industrial action.

“The Ministry takes note of the posture of the JMDA regarding possible interruptions to healthcare service if an IDT decision is not handed down by Friday, October 2. The Ministry, through the regional health authorities, will, therefore, put in place measures to limit any possible impact on the patients who visit health facilities.”

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