The Coalition of Health Professionals in Nasarawa State has appealed to the State Government to review the COVID-19 hazard allowance to ensure adequate welfare of healthcare providers in the state.
Spokesperson of the Coalition, Mr Shawulu Tammah, made the appeal when he led the group’s officials on a visit to the Deputy Governor of the State, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, in Lafia on Thursday.
Tammah, who is also the Chairman of the state’s chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, however commended the state government for its concern for health care providers in the state.
He urged Gov. Abdullahi Sule to extend the period of the Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) entered between the government and the coalition in 2020.
The agreement, he said, resulted in the payment of six-month COVID -19 hazard allowance to health care workers, considering the rate of infections amongst health practitioners.
The chairman said with the expiration of the MoU in October 2020, members of the group now lacked the complimentary stipends that were helping them to sustain their lives and alleviate any hardships occasioned by the pandemic.
He called on the deputy governor to advise his principal to consider a review of the MoU to provide an extension of the payment.
Responding, Akabe commended the health practitioners for their efforts at tackling the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
He urged them not to be deterred by the level of infections amongst the health workers,as they continued to render their needed services to humanity.
He said the state government would look at all available options and assured of the governor’s determination to improve health care delivery during the pandemic and beyond.
He, therefore, solicited for their understanding as the state government took steps to offset the backlog of gratuities of retirees. (NAN)