Health officials yesterday addressed concerns that there might be a significant reduction in the number of medical personnel on the job this weekend, as their contracts will end on December 31.

The ministry said in a release that new officers would replace those who have completed the Senior House Officers' Programme.

On Monday, some doctors from the institution raised concerns that their contracts would expire shortly and that plans to ink a new agreement might not materialise until some time in January.

A source at the health facility had cautioned that the hospital could be faced with a crisis if there were emergencies and not enough doctors to treat patients at the hospital this weekend.

Yesterday, Health Minister Rudyard Spencer met with representatives of the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) and senior technocrats of the ministry to discuss the expiration of the contracts of senior house officers at Spanish Town Hospital.

Formal application

Responding to concerns high-lighted in a Gleaner story, the ministry said its policy states that senior house officers whose engagement had expired were required to formally make an application and go through a selection process.

According to the ministry, SERHA was required to consider any such application, manage the selection process and make the relevant decision in keeping with the demands of the system. It said the region also has the authority to deploy health professionals to ensure that service delivery was not compromised.