Minister says demands by health workers unrealistic: ‘Taking advantage of Covid-19’

Minister of Health and Population, Jappie Mhango has called upon health care workers in the country not to take advantage of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic by making unrealistic financial demands.

Mhango made the remarks this week in Lilongwe when he toured an isolation centre at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) as he was being briefed about the challenges managers are facing.

He said he aware of the situation many countries are in from reports across the globe.

Mhango said in other countries, health workers have ended up being infected in the course of offering health services to Covid-19 patients and that some have lost their lives.

He said no government would want to risk lives of their health personnel, hence ensures that all necessary personal protective equipment is available in all hospitals.

“Our economy is not resilient enough to accommodate hefty demands and my appeal to them is to always be reasonable in their demands,” said Mhango.

He said the essence of one being a doctor is to continue practicing and not collapsing the whole system because of the coronavirus. The minister said no one knows how far the virus will go.

Mhango then reminded the health workers that there is tomorrow and if the economy is run down in the name of corona virus, the same people would protest against the effects they want to create today.

“We rely on donor aid and currently, even the donors have been affected, hence our government cannot commit to meet the demands.

The health workers are demanding a $200 allowance per day, which is equivalent to MK150, 000 and working for 21 days.

Briefing the minister on the demands brought to her office, Director of Health Services for Bwaila Hospital, Alinafe Tambala said the health workers who were on duty refused to get the MK150, 000-package for working for two days in the isolation centre.

She further said the health care workers then agreed to put their tools down and demanded the MK150, 000-offer as a daily allowance.

They also demanded to be paid for working in the self- isolation as they would count it as if they are still on duty since they will still be away from their families.

Tambala told the minister all health workers have now boycotted anything related to the COVID-19 and that none of them was going to work in the isolation centre until their demands are met.

She said her office has no capacity to commit to such hefty demands, adding that the demands needed the attention of the ministry [of Health].

The minister has since advised the Director of Health Services to document the complaints as soon as she can so that they can be tabled to the Special Cabinet Committee on COVID- 19 to see how best they could handle the issue.

Nevertheless, he said having listened to the complaints, they are genuine and that government is in a position to revise the current rates to something reasonable.

Commenting on the issue, District Commissioner (DC) for Lilongwe, Lawford Palani said the council cannot commit to such huge demands, saying it would end up emptying the accounts.

Palani said has nothing against the health workers demanding a revision of the risk allowance and their daily allowance, but said the demands are way too high for Malawi’s economy.

“We have all worked so hard to make sure that the isolation centre at Bwaila is completed and that it is in operation.

“The challenge in front of us now is that health workers have put their tools down,” he said.

Currently, the health workers are also waiting to receive communication on the new rates for their risk allowances which they had asked government to revise from MK1, 800 per day to a reasonable rate.

 

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