The Salaries and Remuneration Commission has given Treasury the approval to release Sh3 billion to pay frontline health workers.
In a letter to Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani, SRC chairperson Lyn Mengich said the national government and the counties can proceed and pay health workers allowances.
“The SRC has deliberated on the matter during its 117th Special Meeting held on April 28, 2020, in cognisant of the challenges faced by the healthcare workers, and approved Covid-19 Medical Emergency Allowance and benefits for the frontline health workers,” she said in her letter.
Mengich said the Sh3,013,390,000 announced by President Uhuru Kenyatta last month as a special package for health workers will not only go towards paying their allowances, but will also cover their welfare and insurance packages. The amount will cover the months of April, May and June.
Governors, through chairman Wycliffe Oparanya, had on April 15 written to the SRC asking for the approval, citing increased workload for medics and exposure to risks associated with Covid-19.
“Health workers are handling the infected and affected families and are at the centre of implementing measures of control and prevention in the communities they work in,” Oparanya said.
“On this, the council recommends that there is a need for your office to determine an honorarium for the Covid-19 frontline staff who are serving beyond their call of duty in this period.”
Doctors, dentists and pharmacists will be paid a monthly allowance of Sh20,000, while clinical officers, nurses, and lab technologists and technicians will be paid Sh15,000.
Others who will be receiving Sh15,000 include biochemists, chemists, medical entomologists, medical parasitologists, medical lab officers, and physiotherapists.
Public health, dental, pharmaceutical, orthopaedic trauma, medical engineering, nutrition and dietetics, orthopaedic technologists and technicians will receive a monthly allowance of Sh10,000.
Paramedics, including community health officers, community health assistants, health promotion officers, health records and information officers, as well as their assistants will all be entitled to Sh10,000.
Also entitled to Sh10,000 allowance are medical social workers, nutrition and dietetics officers, occupational therapists, public health officers, radiation protection officers, radiographers, drivers and mortuary attendants.
Support staff such as cleaning supervisors, hospital support staff-senior 1, 2, 3 and boiler assistants will get an allowance of Sh5,000.
Some counties such as Machakos and Bomet had rolled out the payment of the allowances without the approval of the SRC.
Edited by A.N
