The Borno state emergency health workers have urged the federal and
state governments to offset three months bag log of coronavirus
(COVID-19) allowances.
The 300 workers were recruited under the Federal and Borno state
government’s Health and Nutrition Emergency response project.
While appealing for the payments Sunday at news conference in
Maiduguri, Chairman of the affected health workers, Isaac Nsoha
disclosed; “This health emergency project is for one year. After its
elapse, we’re asked by the State Director of the project, Dr. Babagana
Shehu; to continue implement the health emergency project for three
months.”
He noted that the health workers also served in the front lines of
COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
Continued; “We are being advised by Shehu to continue; claiming that
the state government was talking to federal government on extending
the project to three years, but after three months without pay they
had to stop.
“We are, the ad-hoc staff of Health and Nutrition Emergency Response
Project (HNERP) of Borno state, a project set up under the auspices of
the Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Borno State
Ministry of Health,” adding that the project, was to respond to
Nutritional and Health Emergencies occasioned by Boko Haram insurgency
in the state.”
He said that the 300 health workers constituted 33 teams with 10 members each.
While lamenting bag logs of allowance, he said: “It is with a heavy
heart that we bring to the public that no payment has been made on our
account since the assumption of duties.
“It is now eight months, and there has been no indication for
governments pay us out of the remunerations.”
He said the first contract expired last year on November 30, 2019, but
we were asked to continue working with state coordinator of the
project, Dr. Shehu”
“Despite the non-payments of allowances, we were also asked to submit
our Jackets on March 1, 2020, that the program has been stopped.
“The recipients of health emergencies are Internally Displaced Persons
(IDPs) in various camps across the state.
“IDPs are in dire need of health emergency interventions,” noting that
it was unfair to deny the health workers their legitimate allowances
by sacrificing to work in hard to reach areas of Borno state.
Confirming the nonpayment yesterday, the Commissioner of Health, Dr.
Salihu Kwaya-Bura said that the State Ministry of Health; is making
efforts to address the issue of health workers under the HNER project.
“I had been communicating with Governor Babagana Zulum, so that the
issue is resolved amicably,” he pledged, adding that the emergency
health workers, include doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical records
personnel, nutritionists, community health workers, medical laboratory
scientists and technicians.
