Jamaica Doctors Walk Out for 24 Hours in Overtime Row
HEALTH · JAMAICA
Key Facts
- —The country Jamaica, the English-speaking Caribbean island whose public hospitals and health centres are run by regional health authorities under the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
- —What happened Junior doctors withdrew their services for 24 hours, from 8 a.m. on Friday 2 October to 8 a.m. on Saturday 3 October 2026, offering emergency care only.
- —The numbers The doctors’ union says it is owed J$31 billion (about US$196 million) in back overtime. The government puts the bill at J$23 billion (about US$146 million), Gleaner and Observer, 30 September.
- —What it means for you Outpatient clinics and planned surgery were cut back on 2 October and many appointments were moved. Emergency departments stayed open, and the health ministry reported no adverse events.
- —Still open When the labour tribunal will rule. Union members meet early next week to decide their next step, The Gleaner reported on 3 October.
Jamaica doctors in public hospitals stayed off the job for 24 hours from Friday, leaving senior staff to run emergency care. Normal operations resumed at 8 a.m. on Saturday 3 October, when rostered doctors returned, IRIE FM reported. The dispute behind the action is unresolved.
The Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA), the junior doctors’ union, wants a ruling on an overtime pay dispute that began in 2023. It says the state owes J$31 billion (about US$196 million); the government’s own figure is J$23 billion (about US$146 million).
Why the doctors walked out
The dispute sits with the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT), the body that settles labour conflicts the government refers to it. Labour Minister Pearnel Charles Jr referred the case, and the JMDA says it completed its case on 1 April.
On 30 September the tribunal promised a ruling “as soon as practicable”, against a union deadline of 2 October. It said that where delays are excessive, it has a duty to apologise.
Doctors are still paid overtime at 2021 rates, the JMDA says. Its president, Dr Jubilee Brown-Service, told reporters on 29 September that “our patience has been exhausted”.
The gap between the two numbers is J$8 billion (about US$51 million). Conversions use J$158 to the US dollar, the 2 October close.
How hospitals coped on Friday
At St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital about 100 clinic patients were rescheduled, its senior medical officer told Radio Jamaica. The hospital had 234 inpatients and was over capacity on two wards.
More than 100 junior doctors at Mandeville Regional Hospital stayed home, The Gleaner reported, leaving 24 consultants on duty. The hospital closed its outpatient clinic, suspended planned surgery and sent home patients well enough to leave.
In Hanover all 14 junior doctors assigned to six clinics stayed away, the Jamaica Observer reported. Four clinics were moved to new dates, but all 18 health centres in the parish stayed open.
The regional authority for Kingston, St Andrew, St Catherine and St Thomas put its facilities into emergency mode. Annotto Bay Hospital in St Mary, already short of doctors, did the same.
What kept the system running
Consultants and senior medical officers covered wards and emergency departments. Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said the regional authorities reported no adverse events from the action.
“The reports that I have received suggest that the system was able to hold up today,” Tufton said, Radio Jamaica reported. He named emergency departments as the main pressure point.
Fewer patients came in than usual in western Jamaica after staff advised people to stay away unless it was urgent. Psychiatry and pathology services were reportedly unaffected.
The legal limits on Jamaica doctors
Jamaican labour law treats doctors as essential workers with no formal right to strike, The Gleaner noted. The same law expects tribunal awards within 21 days, though extensions are allowed in complex cases.
Opposition health spokesman Dr Alfred Dawes called the delay an insult to doctors. Tufton has urged doctors not to put patients at risk and said he wants a quick resolution.
Doctors in Honduras have been into a fourth week of strike action. For background on the island, see Jamaica Explained: The Country, Its Economy, Its Politics and What to Watch.
What Is Not Yet Known
The tribunal has given no date for its award, nor any sign of whether it leans towards J$23 billion or J$31 billion. No new talks have been announced. The labour ministry says it will not comment on the merits while the tribunal deliberates.
Jamaica doctors in the JMDA will decide early next week whether to take further action, Brown-Service told The Gleaner. On Saturday the union warned of further disruption if the ruling is delayed further. No figure has been published for the clinic appointments lost across the island.
Sources: Radio Jamaica News, 3 October 2026; Jamaica Gleaner, 3 October 2026; Jamaica Gleaner, 30 September 2026; Jamaica Observer, 3 October 2026; Jamaica Observer, 3 October 2026; Jamaica Observer, 2 October 2026; Jamaica Observer, 30 September 2026; IRIE FM, 3 October 2026.
This article was drafted with automated assistance and reviewed before publication. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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