SERHA, Labour Ministry to meet July 9 to address ambulance driver sick-out
Published:Tuesday | July 8, 2025 | 5:39 PM
The South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) and the Ministry of Labour are set to meet on Wednesday to try and end a sick-out by ambulance drivers that has disrupted health services across the region.
SERHA, which is responsible for public health institutions in Kingston, St Andrew, St Thomas, and St Catherine, said the meeting is set "with the goal of achieving a timely and amicable resolution to the issues raised".
It confirmed that ambulance drivers took industrial action on Monday and Tuesday, citing outstanding retroactive payments and calls for the upgrading of their posts.
The sick-outs have affected several services in the region, including nursing support at the Kingston Public Hospital, mental health services offered by the Kingston and St Andrew Health Department, and operations at the National Chest Hospital.
SERHA said under its decentralized transport management system, each public health institution is responsible for supervising its drivers and managing transport logistics.
“In anticipation of such challenges, SERHA had previously advised all institutions to establish service agreements with external ambulance providers. This proactive measure allowed for swift support and has helped to ensure that critical ambulance services remain operational,” the agency said in a statement.
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