Machakos County health workers will now get extra duty allowances of up to Sh20,000 for three months as the country grapples with coronavirus pandemic.
According to Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua, the extra allowance is a token of appreciation and recognition of the sacrifice of all health workers during a time of great stress and extra duties due to the Covid-19.
"We have made this decision based on the doctrine of necessity, public interest and the fact that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures," Mutua said in a statement on Wednesday.
The special allowance will range between Sh5,000 to Sh20,000 per month based on the specific duties and involvement starting April 1.
According to Mutua, health professionals who are in the Machakos Covid-19 Surveillance team doing door to door monitoring of quarantined patients will receive a token of Sh20, 000.
Non-professional surveillance team members will receive Sh10,000 per month.
Mutua said the other professional health workers - doctors, nurses, clinical officers will receive a token of Sh10,000 shillings because they are the ones examining patients some of whom might be Covid-19 positive.
The supportive health worker cadres will receive Sh5,000.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mutua noted that Machakos already has 122 isolation beds spread over nine sub-counties and are already procuring more items to ensure readiness to keep residents live.
"The health workers who will be working in isolation wards will also receive additional allowances equivalent to that of the surveillance teams. In addition to the allowances, we are ensuring that we are providing adequate masks to all health workers," he said.
"This is in addition to sanitizers and temperature guns that have been availed in health facilities. Protective gear is available to frontline health workers handling Covid-19 patients."
Further, the Maendeleo Chap Chao Party Leader assured county employees that he is determined to finding alternative ways to pay their salaries following a delay in Treasury that has delayed payment to all government employees countrywide.
"When everything is said and done, investment in health care and supportive infrastructure and systems is what should be at the top of leadership agendas, which is why I have made it my key priority," he said.
