The Dominica Nurses Association (DNA) has denied accusations made by Health minister, Dr. Kenneth Darroux, that the association is using social media to encourage nurses to migrate.
Dr. Darroux, earlier this week, expressed shock in Parliament that, according to him, the nurses association would be facilitating nurses wishing to seek employment opportunities overseas.
The DNA has responded saying it is “disturbed about distasteful and false statements and accusations” made about their organization and more specifically, its leadership” by the Minister.
“In his contribution to the Annual National Budget, Dr Darroux accused the leadership of the Association of encouraging nurses to leave Dominica for overseas employment; he questioned the professional status of the DNA
leadership stating that ‘their’ minds and hands are idle and went on to suggest what work ‘they’ should be engaged in,” the association said in a statement released on Saturday.
The nurses association complained that this was “the second time” the Minister had referred to the leadership of the DNA in “unsavory and undignified terms” and said it was equally disturbed about certain accusatory statements made on social media about the DNA president.
“The Association is equally disturbed about the social media statements by one, “Curtis John” on July 28, 2018. The post together with the photograph immediately below it, clearly identifies and accuses the President of the
Association of, among other things, “actively recruiting nurses to send them to England for a finder’s fee” and of constantly posting adverts “to recruit nurses in a nurses group,” the release stated.
The release adds that statements in the social media post and by the Minister for Health which state or suggest
that the “DNA President and/or leadership” is, among other things, recruiting nurses for employment in England or overseas for a finder’s fee and acting in any way that is harmful to the health sector of Dominica, are all false, unsubstantiated and baseless.
The DNA has threatened legal action if such statements about the Association continue to be published.
“The DNA Executive, including its President, requests that the Honourable Minister of Health – Dr Kenneth Darroux, Mr. Curtis John and any other person or group who may have engaged in publishing these or similar statements immediately refrain from further publication of these false, baseless and damaging statements. If these publications continue, the DNA Executive and/or its President will have no reasonable alternative other than to pursue legal action for redress,” the Association warns in its release.
The full statement from the DNA is posted below.
Dominica Nurses Association Press Statement
in response to accusatory and unsavory statements made by the
Honorable Minister of Health and Social Services
Dr Kenneth Darroux and Mr Curtis John
August 4, 2018
The Executive of the Dominica Nurses Association (DNA) is disturbed about distasteful and false statements and accusations made about their organization, and more specifically its leadership, by the Honourable Minister of Health and Social Services – Dr Kenneth Darroux, in the Dominica Parliament on July 30, 2018.
In his contribution to the Annual National Budget, Dr Darroux accused the leadership of the Association of encouraging nurses to leave Dominica for overseas employment; he questioned the professional status of the DNA
leadership stating that ‘their’ minds and hands are idle and went on to suggest what work ‘they’ should be engaged in. This is the second time the Minister has referred to the leadership of the DNA in unsavory and undignified terms.
The Association is equally disturbed about the social media statements by one, “Curtis John” on July 28, 2018. The post together with the photograph immediately below it, clearly identifies and accuses the President of the
Association of, among other things, “actively recruiting nurses to send them to England for a finder’s fee” and of constantly posting adverts “to recruit nurses in a nurses group”.
The statements in that post and by the Minister of Health which state or suggest
that the DNA President and/or leadership:
(i) is recruiting nurses for employment in England or overseas;
(ii) doing so for a finder’s fee;
(iii) has posted adverts, constantly or at all, to recruit nurses in a nurses group;
(iv) is acting in any way that is harmful to the health sector of Dominica;
(v) is acting in any way as a traitor to her country;
are all false, unsubstantiated and baseless.
The DNA Executive, including its President, is shocked and totally denies that these statements or inferences were published at all, as neither the DNA Executive nor its President has had any contact, directly or indirectly, now or in
the past, with any recruiting agency. No nurse recruiting agency has made any contact with the Executive or its President with a view to soliciting their assistance in the recruitment of nurses. The DNA President categorically declares that she has never posted any link to any nurse recruiting agency on the Association’s facebook page, in nurses groups or on her personal facebook page. For several years now, the Dominica Nurses Association has been advocating tirelessly for government to reverse the factors that trigger or contribute to nurses leaving the public service and thereby arrest the escalating nurse migration and health sector crisis.
Any action or attempt by the leadership of DNA to export or facilitate the export of nurses would not only be contradictory to the Association’s nurse retention efforts but would be a betrayal of our professionalism, patriotism and the citizens of Dominica.
In view of the above, the DNA Executive, including its President, requests that the Honourable Minister of Health – Dr Kenneth Darroux, Mr. Curtis John and any other person or group who may have engaged in publishing these or similar statements immediately refrain from further publication of these false, baseless and damaging statements. If these publications continue, the DNA Executive and/or its President will have no reasonable alternative other than to pursue legal action for redress.
In closing, our Association wishes to thank the Honourable Minister of Health for honoring his promise of a second 2017 uniform allowance to nurses in lieu of uniforms lost due to Hurricane Maria. The Association must however express its great disappointment that in his contribution to the Budget, the Minister made no reference to salary scale upgrade for nurses. It is time the Minister identifies and calls out the real recruiter of Dominica nurses for overseas employment; it is undoubtedly the unattractive conditions of work, which include very low salaries,
workplace bullying, stretched human resource and unsafe and oppressive work environments. These conditions, not unsurprisingly, give our nurses no joy in work and no incentive to stay to care for our citizens. In fact, these conditions drive them away.
What is the Honourable Minister of Health and the Government of Dominica willing to do to encourage nurses to stay? Let’s be honest…… Let’s see…….
Rosie B Felix MMid, CM, RN
President
Hmmmmmm
Hope you never end up in the PMh dump for the “soort” nurses to take care of you. When wIll ignorant and intellectually deficient people like you on this little backward under developed island call out wrong when it displays its ugly head. Call a spade a spade and stop allowing partisan politics to blind you.
The Minister ought to be ashamed of himself. He instead should engage himself in doing right by the nurses and the people of Dominica. As a medical doctor himself he should be fully engaged in improving the deplorable health care conditions on the island. He is disgraceful to be picking fights with the nurses. Shame on you Darroux
Nurse Felix continue to champion the cause for what is right. I know you are a prayer warrior and a woman of strong faith, continue to trust in God, he will see you through. The words of the minister are absolutely shameful, these people have no sympathy for hard working people, whilst they live lavishly.
I must say I am disappointed in the minister of health. Shame on you sir.
It is disconcerting for Kenneth Darroux to view the nursing association as his enemy. I would have thought he needs them more than they need him. Ultimately it is people’s health the is paramount, not political grandstanding.
This incumbent ill-administration has been found guilty of incompetence, delinquency and dereliction of duty. It should be sentenced, by the people, with banishment from government in the upcoming general elections. Its occupants think they have an unfettered licence to insult, humiliate and diminish people with the most brutal attacks on their character even if your grievances against them are legitimate. These are clear signs of a failing democracy and a galloping dictatorship. Unwarranted and disparaging verbal assaults on well-intentioned individuals won’t bring solutions to cure the plethora of monumental problems that are presently plaguing Dominica.
The problem in Dominica is taking somebody to court does not necessarily mean one gets justice, in particular taking Skerrit, the government, one of the ministers or one of the cabal to court might prove expensive without justice being served. Unfortunately our country has slipped into a very deep ravine filled with corruption, nepotism, lies, lawlessness and injustice. Sometimes I cry for my country.
It was never so under PJ, OJ,Mamo,Eddo,Pierro,Roosie.It only deteriorated into this mess under a lazy,inept, dunce, incompetent,stuttering,inarticulate leader who could not keep a business (Ross) bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars to the country that he has failed so terribly ..
I sensed something in the minister’s parliamentary comments regarding the nurses which is as offensive as the conditions, physical, mental, economic and otherwise,, which the nurses work under in Dominica. That something is lack of respect. Sir, regardless of your political position and ambitions, please respect the nurses. You can comment on their lack of money, lack of food, lack of clothing, even what you and others may see as lack of leadership. However, please minister Darroux, I ask of you, I beg of you, please give them the respect they deserve, The respect which your latest comments suggest you do not have for them at all.
Well leadership is everything. The current leader had his children born in the United States, has his family living in the USA. Has his son enrolled at a $42000 a year high school in New York.
Contrast that with our nurses who works for peanuts,they have to take an after midnight walk home from work every night, and will never be able to buy a vehicle or a house . My advice is go to England or wherever your can survive.
The minister of health is dishonest and plain incompetent. He is a trained doctor but that doesn’t mean he is competent as a minister or administrator because the sad state of the health services sector in the country is proof positive he cannot do the job. No wonder Skerritt is minister of all ministries by default. With so much on his plate no wonder the country is going backwards. If there is a need for nurses overseas why doesn’t the minister train a surplus of nurses in excess of what Dominica needs so the extra can go overseas to work and help the country by sending remittances. What a shortsighted government which cannot see opportunities which are in plain sight. India sends a lot of its computer trained technicians overseas to work.
All these organizations, be it political, unions or other wise, are threatening legal actions, but not one them is brave enough to take the streets against the Skeritt led Administration. So, the disrespect continues.
That is very true! What they fail to understand is that this is the best way to force them into their knees. If it does not work the first time keep on doing it and get other unions to join you. They will give in eventually. Don’t forget you all are right and they are wrong. You only exercise you rights guaranteed by the constitution of Dominica. Don’t let these tyrants intimate you.
Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, all four suffered humiliation, false imprisonment, severe persecution, two of them paid the ultimate sacrifice for trying to improve the lot of their people who were being subjugated, brutalized and treated like subhuman beings. Even though the case of the nurses is not exactly the same, there are some similarities. Dare to speak out about the ills at your workplace or in society and you are dragged over red hot coal by government ministers and their overly aggressive supporters. The renegade Minister of Health said nothing to bring solace to the overworked, underpaid nurses. Instead, he tried his hardest to embarrass, defame and vilify them. He made outrageously false accusations about them. Minister, cursing doesn’t heal, it only exacerbates the multiplicity of problems the nurses face each day. Hard as you tried to shame the nurses, you only managed to embarrass yourself. Your outburst amounted to buffoonery.
Whoever advise the nurses association needs to tell dem they can sue for what has been said in parliament…..soort
Insensitive………jerk. Adding insult to injury. Have a little compassion for the nurses.
How much longer before Category 100 Hurricane Skerrit leaves Dominica alone boy.
#SendSkerritBarbados2
I am making a solemn plea to the nurses of Dominica to STAND FIRMLY by the side of your association,because the level of insult and disrespect that our leaders in the DLP are showering down on us, is unprecedented and untenable .As a medical doctor, i expected a more cordial relationship from Darroux with the nurses,but nothing done by these DLP MISLEADERS those days surprises me.To the nurses I really can’t tell you all not to hold tightly to opportunities available out there,because our future in Dominica under Labour is doomed.I expected Darroux to champion the condition under which you all work,but he has betrayed you all. Shame on him!!!! STAND FIRM nurses!!!
Where The Wicked Rule The People MOURN
This DLP is a Wicked and Evil Party
The shortage of nurses is not only in ‘Dominica’, This is also a regional concern. There is not enough compensation that one can offer a nurse or anyone on the medical field. Dominica nurses are underpaid. It is a crying shame, on two instances, I traveled to Dominica to visit two different people who were suffering from a terminal illness. Thankfully the nurses are passionate about what they do, so they seem to have been giving it 110%, but in other places nurses are paid decent enough. In St.Maarten, Anguilla, Barbados, etc…..Please pay the nurses better