The Government of Sierra Leone, led by President Julius Maada Bio’s Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), has agreed to pay risk and on-call allowances to health workers. It has also agreed to pay location allowance to workers outside Freetown, all summing up to US$12M.
This move follows intense negotiations between representatives of health workers, including the Pharmaceutical Society of Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone Midwives Association, Young Pharmacists’ Group, Sierra Leone Nurses Association, Sierra Leone Association of Community Health Officers (CHOs), Sierra Leone Medical and Dental Association, Junior Doctors’ Association and Government, to amicably resolve the ongoing doctors’ strike.
While the Pharmaceutical Society of Sierra Leone and the Sierra Leone Midwives’ Association dissociated themselves from the strike action, the Young Pharmacists’ Group, Sierra Leone Nurses Association and the Sierra Leone Association of Community Health Officers (CHOs) agreed to call off their pending strike notice.
Unfortunately, representatives of the Sierra Leone Medical and Dental Association and the Junior Doctors’ Association insisted on their demands (additional hospital spaces, construction of infectious disease centre, equipment and supplies, post graduate training, medical insurance scheme for the poor and destitute, increase salaries and allowances exceeding 1,000 percent, among others). Hence they refused to cooperate.
Government’s representatives at the negotiations – Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa, Health Minister, Dr Alpha Tejan Wurie, Labour Minister, Adekunle King and Financial Secretary, Sahr L. Jusu – underscored government’s commitment to recruit 4,000 professional health workers, including government-funded health workers upon graduation as well as establishment of the Wages and Salaries Commission that will review and harmonize wages and salaries of public sector workers and health sector workers.
It was further pointed out, during the meeting held in the office of the Minister of Finance, that there has been a 10% increase in transport allowance for workers in Grades 1 to 6 in the 2018 Supplementary Budget, and 10% and 5% salary increases for professional health workers in Grades 1 to 6 and Grades 7 and above, respectively.
While appreciating the decision of well-meaning Sierra Leoneans, government is calling on all those who have decided to continue with the strike action to be patriotic by resuming work.
It could be recalled that negotiations between government and health workers were suspended on the 4th of November 2018 after the latter requested to go and consult their respective memberships. The negotiations however resumed on 6th December 2018.
Although the demands come after the preparation of the 2019 Budget, government has bent backwards to entertain the concerns of the doctors because of its fervent belief in human capital development by agreeing to pay new allowances to health workers amounting to US$12M.