The Minister of State for Health, Dr. OlorunnimbeMamora, says the Federal Government has paid up to N20bn in COVID-19 inducementallowance to doctors and health workers in the country.
The minister, who applauded all front-line healthworkers in the country amid the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, made thisknown on Wednesday morning while featuring on Channels Television‘sprogramme, Sunrise Daily.
About 16,000 doctors have downed tool over thegovernment’s inability to meet their demands including insurance package,payment of the outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowances as well as thepayment of medical residency training funding, amongst others.
“The Federal Government has not invited us to ameeting after we notified them that we will be proceeding on strike. We havedirected all our members across the country both federal and state institutionsto recommence the strike we suspended on June 22, 2020,” the Nigeria Associationof Resident Doctors had said while it commenced the indefinite strike onMonday.
But speaking on Wednesday during the programmemonitored Mamora said it is regrettable that the kind of situation is happeningat this point in time when the nation is grappling with a pandemic.
He said the N5,000 hazard allowance for doctorsand health workers in the country which has been in existence for about 30years was suspended for the period of the pandemic.
He said, “We have been able to pay the COVID-19inducement allowance because we had to suspend the hazard allowance for thisperiod so that we can go into renegotiation after.
“We are now paying starting from 50 per cent ofthe basic of the workers depending on where the point of operation is. Wewere able to pay April, May full, June, part of it has been paid but not fullypaid and it’s because of the economic situation and these funds have to besourced for one way or the other.
“We’ve been able to disbursed close to N20bn and I
repeat close to 20bn. So, to now say nothing has been done, that is not true.”