By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
Members of the Sierra Leone Medical and Dental Association (SLMDA) have vowed to go ahead with their strike action starting on the 1st of August 2022, if their demands for improved conditions of service were not addressed.
In a disclaimer dated 29th July 2022, they reinforced their resolve of industrial action in response to a letter from the Financial Secretary in the Ministry of Finance that was addressed to the Permanent Secretary, highlighting the reinstatement of the health workers’ COVID-19 allowances as a salary increase with effect from September 2022, and provision of 45 litres of fuel to a specific set of the health personnel, per week, covering the period July to December 2022. But this they said did not adequately address their earlier concerns presented to the authorities in earlier engagements.
SLMDA release said all representatives of the various allied health professionals were summoned to an emergency meeting on the 28th of July 2022 by the Minister of Health and Sanitation. The medics said that a document was presented to them at the meeting for them to sign, but that they refused to do so.
In stressing their argument for such a decision, they said: “there are several lacunae/gaps with ambiguities for so many unanswered questions and concerns which we are pondering about, going forward”.
They spoke of current follow-ups with the ministry to the ‘’unanswered questions saying, they want to avoid a repeat of the problem in the future.
The letter by the Financial Secretary, Sahr Jusu indicated that the Ministry of Finance has approved the reinstatement of previous COVID-19 allowances as a Salary increase with effect from September 2022 which totals NLe 20.85 million (Old Le 20.85 billion). He added that an extra-budgetary allocation of NLe 9.3 million (Old Le 9.3 billion) will be for the weekly allocation of 45 litres of fuel.
The Financial Secretary noted that the utilization of the fuel benefit should not be in cash, but on actual delivery, for which evidence should be retained for post-utilization audit verification. He advised that health workers assigned with government vehicles and with the provision of fuel from other official sources should avoid duplication.
SLMDA is a body created to seek the welfare of all healthcare professionals in the country.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (01/08/22)
