By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
The President of the Sierra Leone Medical and Dental Association Edries A. Tejan says their salaries for the month of May experienced deductions of 20 percent and over. This was made public at a Mid- Year Conference of the association held at the Brookfield’s Hotel in Freetown last Saturday.
The Consultant Physician and Gastroenterologist said apart from their take-home pay, they have some allowances mentioned in an agreement between doctors and the government due to COVID, as an allowance for all health workers.
He said they noticed this May the deduction in their salaries without receiving any formal notification in advance from the Ministry of Finance and the Accountant General’s department.
‘‘House Official's salaries were deducted by 23%, and senior specialists' salaries were deducted by 21.6%. So right across the cadre of medical doctors, their salaries were deducted by at least 20%,’’ he said.
He explained how after receiving the concern of colleagues, he held a meeting with the Minister of Health and Sanitation as well as the Financial Secretary, both of whom he claimed said the agreement that was made initially when COVID struck, was for three months.
Dr. Tejan stated that the pandemic is not yet over and at least government should show appreciation to them as health workers for risking their lives to ensure the pandemic was contained.
He said that in the year 2020, it was agreed that even if a revision of their risk allowances and salaries were to be made, it would be by mutual consent, but stated that they were never informed of any revision of allowances or salaries before such a decision was taken.
The Chairman of the conference, Professor James B.W Rusell in his address noted that in this current age of medicine being a medical doctor is “more of a curse than a blessing” as illustrated in them having to discuss their welfare at a conference.
He said their priority as medical doctors is to serve humanity, but they should also be given improved working conditions.
“Whenever you go around saying that you are a medical doctor, people will expect that you are living more than your peers,’’ he said.
Dr. Rusell expressed dismay that the very theme of the congress focused on ‘rebranding of the healthcare system’ has been seriously undermined by numerous factors. He said in as much as other sectors have been labeled to be unique, he strongly believed that medical practitioners are also unique in their own way.
He said there’s a need to improve the condition of service of doctors who should be viewed as a fundamental force for good. He also called for a critical change and rebranding of the health sector.
He also mentioned the essence of a multi-stakeholder approach involving junior and senior doctors and policymakers in order to achieve the Universal Health Coverage in 2023.
The event also provided a platform for pharmaceutical product dealers and importers of surgical instruments to put on display their products.
“Improving the welfare of medical doctors in Sierra Leone: the way forward in rebranding the healthcare system,’’ was the theme of the conference.
However, officials of the ministry of finance told Politico that the reduction was not on the salary but the risk allowances which included tax exception that was granted to the health workers across Sierra Leone at the peak of the COVID-19 fight.
The Financial Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, Sahr Jusu said that the country provided double Covid allowances to healthcare workers, noting that Sierra Leone is the only country that took such measures in a bid to motivate the health workers.
“Every health worker whether deployed at the frontline or not was receiving a monthly salary tax waiver and at the same time, those at the frontline were receiving allowances from NaCOVERC. Further to this, government-provided life insurance schemes to all healthcare workers on the same payroll,” he said
He added: “So eventually, healthcare workers whether they were at the frontline or not, were receiving these since 2020. 12,000 or more healthcare workers benefited from these. As we try to curtail the pandemic, we are reviewing the finances also. So the general allowances have been removed but those health workers working at the front line will continue to receive allowances from Nacoverc”.
He added that by January this year, there were 1,500 workers at NaCOVERC a figure he said they have reduced to 430 frontline workers.
In response to the claims that the doctors were not given a formal prior notice about the deduction, the Chairman of the COVID-19 response centre, Dr. Amara Jambai said they should have effected this withdrawal of allowances and tax waiver some twelve months ago but that it is only being implemented now.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (10/06/22)
