Sierra Leone: Government Increases Salaries, Allocates Fuel to Health Workers

24 August 2022
Concord Times (Freetown)
By Alhaji Haruna Sani

The Ministry of Finance has approved the allocation of financial resources to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation for the welfare of Health Care Workers to address concerns of the Sierra Leone Medical and Dental Association (SLMDA).

Over the past few months, there was a serious bone of contention between SLMDA and the Government of Sierra Leone. According to SLMDA, Government made an unannounced deduction on their salaries since May 2022 and demanded that their weekly 45 litres of fuel be given to them with immediate effect.

The two parties failed to have a common ground on the issue, hence a strike action was effected by SLMDA on August 1st which lasted for a week,leaving patients stranded at all government hospitals.

After several engagements between the Government and SLMDA, they were finally able to come into agreement which made the Health Workers returned to walk. According to the President of SLMDA, Dr. Edris Tejan, their concerns were not met accordingly but they resumed work based on empathy for patients.

On Monday August 22, 2022, Government through the Ministry of Finance increased the salaries of all healthcare workers to make up for the loss of earnings resulting from the removal of Covid-19 allowances amounting to NLe 20.85milion (old Le.20.85bilion). The new salary structure will take effect on 1st September, 2022.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation an Extra-budgetary allocation of NLe.9, 3 million (old Le.9.3 billion) to cover weekly allocation of 45Litres of fuel to eligible Health Workers (Grade 9 and above) to cover the period July to December 2022.

"These benefits would be routinized beyond December 2022 to this end, Government has now directly paid fuel to the oil companies and disbursement of fuel to eligible Health Workers would be by actual delivery of fuel with retained evidence of post utilization/ audit verification, preferably by the Electronic Card System," the statement reads.

According to the Ministry, all Health Workers with assigned Government and or donor-funded vehicles with provision of fuel from any official source should not double dip.

"The MoHS assures the public of its commitment to saving lives, alleviating suffering, and promoting the heath of the people of Sierra Leone".

Read the original article on Concord.

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