JMDA urges Industrial Disputes Tribunal to issue overtime ruling amid health service warnings

Jamaicans have been warned to brace for longer wait times and delays in the completion of procedures in the healthcare sector as junior doctors remain restive over the matter of overtime rates which has been before the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) for the past year. In a press release on Friday, Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA) President Dr Jubilee Brown said the body “cannot guarantee normalcy from 8 am on Friday, October 2, 2026 to 8 am on Saturday, October 3, 2026. “Only emergency services will be provided during this period,” the JMDA president said. She added that the association has activated relevant protocols to minimise adverse outcomes during the period. According to the JMDA, the Government owes the doctors $31 billion in retroactive overtime, but the Government’s calculation sits at $23 billion. “We have been working at the same overtime rates since 2021. This is unacceptable. The JMDA calls upon the Industrial Disputes Tribunal to hand down its award without further delay,” Brown said.

The Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA) is calling for the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) to provide a timeline for delivering its ruling in the longstanding dispute between doctors and the Ministry of Health and Wellness over overtime payments. In a press release, JMDA President Jubilee Brown-Service said it took note of the IDT’s September 30 statement, which conceded that “justice delayed is justice denied”. “We call on the IDT to stop denying justice to our doctors by handing down its award without further delay,” the JMDA declared.

The Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA) is calling for the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) to provide a timeline for delivering its ruling in the longstanding dispute between doctors and the Ministry of Health and Wellness over overtime payments. In a press release, JMDA President Jubilee Brown-Service said it took note of the IDT’s September 30 statement, which conceded that “justice delayed is justice denied”. “We call on the IDT to stop denying justice to our doctors by handing down its award without further delay,” the JMDA declared.

The Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) says that it has taken note of pronouncements by the Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA) that it cannot guarantee normality in the public health system if it fails to finalise its award by Friday.