What goes for one, must apply to all!

Apr 09, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – The public service sector is governed by rules and regulations aimed at upholding integrity, transparency, and impartiality in the delivery of services to the public. One such regulation requires all public servants, including doctors, to seek approval for any outside employment.

A few years ago, this newspaper quoted the rules of the public service as requiring permission to work part-time outside of the public service. According to one report, Section F10 of the Public Service Rules, “Other Employment Activities During and Outside of Official Working Hours, though public servants are expected to devote full attention and time to their work during official working hours, they may, with the permission of the Permanent Secretary and Public Service Ministry, be engaged in other employment activities of a part-time nature, whether with or without remuneration. The rules it was stated indicate that such request would not be favourably considered if such employment is likely to impair the efficiency and usefulness of the Public Servant in his/her job or conflict with the interests of the Government.

It has been the practice for years that even government employees, employed on contract within the public service, are required to submit to public service rules. As such, when it comes to part-time employment, it is expected that government employees, regardless of whether they are tenured public servants or on contract would seek permission for work outside of official hours.

However, despite these rules, there exists a prevalent practice of doctors moonlighting at private healthcare institutions while being employed in the public sector. This should not be happening without the requisite permission being granted.

Moonlighting doctors working simultaneously in the public and private healthcare sectors inherently face potential conflicts of interest. They may, for example, prioritize their private practice over their public duties, compromising the quality and timeliness of care provided to patients within the public sector.

The allowance of moonlighting for doctors while other public servants are required to seek approval for outside employment creates an unfair double standard. It undermines the principles of equity and fairness within the public service, as it grants certain individuals preferential treatment based on their profession.

While doctors are essential members of the healthcare system, they should not be exempt from the same standards and regulations applied to other public servants. All public servants should be held to the same level of accountability and adherence to regulations to maintain the integrity of the public service sector.

Recent statements from a senior government official suggest that the government is predisposed towards allowing moonlighting practices among doctors employed within the public sector. This unwritten approval however sends a conflicting message regarding the enforcement of public service regulations. The government has a duty to uphold the rule of law and ensure consistency in the application of regulations across all sectors of public service. By condoning moonlighting among doctors, the government sets a precedent that undermines the authority of existing regulations and fosters a culture of impunity within the public service.

The application of public service rules should be consistently even-handed, ensuring that regulations governing outside employment apply uniformly to all public sector employees, regardless of their profession or role. If public servants are required to seek approval for moonlighting or engaging in private sector work, the same standard must be applied to doctors working in the public sector. Failing to do creates a sense of unfairness and inequality among employees. What goes for one, must apply to all!

In as much as it may be the decision of the government to allow public sector doctors to moonlight at private institutions, this policy has implications for other public servants and the policy must be applied even-handedly and not limited only to doctors.

There is an acute shortage of workers within the country’s labor force. Many individuals are turning to moonlighting to seize lucrative part-time opportunities after official working hours. This phenomenon reflects a broader trend wherein workers seek to capitalize on the economic boom by supplementing their incomes through additional employment.

There is money to be made at present in the local economy. No one should be locked out of the opportunities provided by the booming economy.  The surge in economic activity creates an environment ripe for wealth accumulation, one in which workers can capitalize.

Public servants, being integral members of the workforce, should not be deprived of the chance to participate in this economic upswing. Just as doctors are afforded the privilege of engaging in outside employment, public servants should similarly be granted the flexibility to take advantage of part-time work opportunities within the private sector.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaper and its affiliates.)

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