Covid-19: Kebbi Gov Approves Operational Allowances for Health Workers

Covid-19: Kebbi Gov Approves Operational Allowances for Health Workers

By Onuminya Innocent

The Governor of Kebbi State, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has approved the payment of operational safety allowances for front line health workers who have been working round the clock to tame the raging the coronavirus pandemic.

This was disclosed on Sunday in Birnin Kebbi, by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Jafar Mohammmed, who also doubles as the Chairman, State Task Force Committee on COVID-19.

The commissioner said: “These allowances are structured to enhance the payment for the front line health workers as a light compensation to the risks involved in handling the patients infected with Covid-19.”

He enumerated the affected workers to include public health officers, medical officers, nurses, pharmacists and Medical Laboratory Scientists.

Others are Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers, Directors of Primary Health Care (PHCs) in local councils and Specialised Medical Consultants.

Jafar further said that according to the categories of the allowances, consultants and medical officers will get N 20,000 and N15,000, daily, respectively

Similarly, nurses, pharmacists and Medical Laboratory Scientists will earn N10,000 daily.

In the same vein, ambulance drivers, cleaners and security personnel will earn N 5,000 daily.

According to the taskforce chairman, the occupational safety allowances for medical officers, as well as disease surveillance and notification officers have been graded according to the level of risks involvement.

Jafar stated that accordingly, high, medium and low risk officers will receive N15,000, N10,000 and N7,000, respectively.

Similarly, the governor has also approved an array of motivational incentives for the taskforce members and other front line health workers for tirelessly working to curb the spread of the disease.

He said each of the members will get N250,000, while the chairman will garner N500,000 monthly.

Jafar maintained that consultants will receive N300,000, while medical officers, pharmacists, Medical Laboratory Scientists and nurses at the isolation centres will each be given N 250,000 monthly.

Also, medical officers at hospitals trained on Infection prevention control and case management will each pocket N200,000 monthly.

Similarly, N150,000, will be doled out to each of the nurses at General Hospitals trained on infection prevention, control and case management.

The commissioner further stated that epidiomologists and surveillance Officers, disease surveillance and notification officers (DSNO), directors of PHC at state and LG levels will each get N150,000.

According to the taskforce chairman, supporting staff at the EOC will each receive N100,000, while ambulance drivers, cleaners and security personnel will each get N 50,000.

Meanwhile, Jafar announced that five more Covid-19 patients have been discharged, as they had tested negative to the disease.

He said that the total number of patients discharged from the Kebbi Medical Centre, Kalgo is now 16.

Jafar said: “This was the handiwork of the dedicated and diligent health personnel, as well as a sign of how beautiful our healthcare delivery system is.

“I must put it on record that the taskforce members, the health team and other related officers have been working tirelessly to effectively contain the spread of the deadly pandemic.”

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