The County government of Machakos will pay all health workers an extra allowance in recognition of the sacrifice the workers are making in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a statement issued to the media Wednesday, Machakos Governor Dr. Alfred Mutua announced that the county government has resolved to pay the workers an extra allowance of Sh 20,000, 10,000 and 5,000 per month based on duties beginning from this month for an initial period of three months.
“In recognition of the sacrifice our Machakos County health workers are making at this time of great stress and extra duties due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Machakos Government has decided to pay them an extra allowance,” said Dr. Mutua.
“Those to receive the Sh20, 000 are the health professionals who are in the Machakos Covid-19 Surveillance team doing door to door monitoring of quarantined patients. Non-professional surveillance team members will earn Sh10, 000 per month,” added Dr. Mutua.
He pointed that other professional health workers like doctors, nurses, clinical officers will receive Sh10,000 because they are the ones examining patients some of whom might be Covid-19’positive while the health worker cadres will receive 5,000 shillings.
The Governor further noted that health workers who will be working in the isolation wards will also receive additional allowances equivalent to that of the surveillance teams.
In addition to the allowances, Dr. Mutua added that the county government is ensuring that all health workers handling Covid-19 patients are provided with adequate protective gear like masks, sanitizers and temperature guns that have been availed in health facilities.
“The allowances we are giving our health workers are just a token of appreciation based on what we can afford so as to show them that we care and we will continue supporting them and ensuring we have the right equipment, commodities and environment to keep them safe” said Dr. Mutua.
“We have made this decision based on the doctrine of necessity, public interest and the fact that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures,” added Dr. Mutua.
He further lauded the health workers for their exemplary work and assured all county employees that his government is finding alternative ways to pay their salaries given that there has been a delay by the National Treasury.
“When everything is said and done, investment in health care and supportive infrastructure and systems is what should be at the top of leadership’s agenda, which is why I have made it my key priority,” he added.
He further pointed that the county has 122 isolation beds spread across the nine sub-counties and is in the process of procuring more items to ensure the county is ready to keep its people alive.
By Rachael Kilonzo.
Machakos County Offers Health Workers Special Allowances
