Doubts about licenses
The return of hundreds of workers from the Yucatán Ministry of Health to their work centers, after a five-month leave by federal decree, reveals that many resorted to the benefit without needing it, or at least under conditions that raise doubts.
The decree, which came to an end on July 31, allowed employees over 60 years of age or with a chronic condition to be absent from their work, even if they did not reach that age.
The list of more than 1,800 employees of the state agency who enjoyed the leave, indeed, many older than 60 years, but also people between 26 and 40 years old who presented various arguments to be granted authorization.
In the relationship, which is under the control of the SSY Human Resources department, concepts such as Chagas disease, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are observed, among others. That is to say, they are suffering of the personnel requesting the benefit, young to a great extent.
Terms such as breastfeeding, “minor children”, “Covid contact” and “Peru Covid contact” also appear in employees aged 30 to 40 years.
Under the last two concepts, people who argued that they were close to a Covid patient benefited with five months without working, when, according to the doctors themselves, two or three weeks of isolation are enough at most.
The “Peru Covid contact” was exposed by those who traveled to the South American country on that excursion that meant the death of a Yucatecan teacher and some infections of members of the group. This happened in the last days of March.
There are cases of employees – from all areas, including administrative – of 30 years on average who argued diabetes, hypertension and rheumatism.
According to the data collected, many of the beneficiaries do not have a medical record. In theory, they had to present an assessment of the ISSTE to support the license request, but in March – the month in which the federal decree came into force – that agency and the entire health sector were focusing all their efforts on attending to the pandemic, which it was just beginning in Mexico. Thus, to enter the benefit, even private doctors’ offices were presented, according to our sources.
With the return, which should officially begin yesterday, there are also problems coming, as several workers are known to have appealed or plan to appeal against the provision. This strategy is followed not only in the SSY but also in other institutions such as the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS).
The license granted in March caused a heavy workload in several hospitals. For example, at the O’Horán Hospital alone, 105 doctors and 104 nurses were left out.
Many doctors who work for the Ministry of Health are retirees from the IMSS and are not even full-time at the SSY. There are numerous cases of those who received the license since March – mainly because they are over 60 years old – but they continued in their private offices.
Most of those who benefited from the federal decree did the procedures directly with Human Resources of the Secretariat. As found out, less than 10 percent did so through the union.— ÁNGEL NOH ESTRADA
The return How many?
Some 1,800 workers from the Yucatán Ministry of Health were absent due to leave.
Prior assessment
Until today it is not known how many of those employees will be reinstated, because they had to undergo a medical evaluation to determine who is capable of doing so. The return process started yesterday.
Staff on hand
There is a union proposal so that, if required, nurses who finished their internship on July 31 be hired. They worked in Covid areas and therefore do not require training.
The complete health sector
In addition to the 1,800 SSY employees, 683 from the IMSS, 532 from the Issste and 156 from the HRAE were licensed.
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