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Paidamoyo Chipunza Senior Health Reporter
Government has reinstated allowances for health professionals with effect from January 1 this year following an outcry by medical practitioners. The allowances were stopped in 2010. The Health Services Board public relations officer Mr Nyasha Maravanyika said in an interview on Monday that health professionals were being paid a fixed on-call allowance depending on their grade.
Previously, they were paid a blanket on-call allowance of 25 percent of their salary.
Mr Maravanyika said the medical and health factor allowances had also been reinstated, a move which will see the health professionals getting 15 percent and 10 percent, respectively of their basic pay depending on their grades. “HSB has rectified the anomalies that have been there since 2010 on payment of allowances to workers in the health sector,” said Mr Maravanyika. He said the workers received their allowances in February backdated to January. Hospital Doctors Association president Dr Fortune Nyamande said the reinstatement of the allowances was a good starting point although they were less than what they expected.
“I can confirm that payment of on-call allowances was rectified while the medical and health factor allowances were reinstated. It is however less than what we had bargained for, but it is indeed a positive development to our negotiations,” he said.
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