The Federal Government has announced that a special COVID-19 hazard and inducement allowance of 50 percent of Consolidated Basic Salary will be paid to all health workers in teaching hospitals, federal medical centres and designated COVID-19 centres for the first three months in the first instance.
The Minister of State for Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, announced this on Monday in Abuja at the 20th joint national briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
He said 40 percent of the Consolidated Basic Salary would be paid as Special COVID-19 Hazard and Inducement Allowance to health workers at special non-public hospitals and clinics in Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies for a three-month period in the first instance.
“20 percent of Consolidated Basic Salary will be paid as Special Risk Allowance additionally on the Special COVID-19 Hazard and Inducement Allowance, to all Health Workers directly managing COVID-19 at Infectious Diseases Hospitals, Isolation and Treatment Centres.
“10 percent of Consolidated Basic Salary will be paid to non-core medical professionals working in health sector and operating at aforementioned hospitals and clinics, as special COVID-19 allowance, for three months in the first instance,” Mamora said.
He said the non-compliance to the directive on lockdown was responsible for the increase of COVID-19 cases in the country.
He said: “The unauthorized treatment of highly contagious COVID-19 patients in private homes or unaccredited health facilities with the risk of infecting their families, other patients, visitors and health workers. These factors necessitated the active case finding strategy with the house to house and cluster testing which has contributed to increased case detection.”
Fair, but we need to do better as a nation. They deserve better pay already.