COVID-19: FG Reveals When Health Workers Will Be Paid Hazard Allowance

The federal government on Tuesday said it had approved the payment of two months’ hazard allowance for health workers in the frontline of the COVID-19 battle.

Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, announced the development at a meeting between representatives of the federal government and health professionals’ associations.

The payment of hazard allowance to health workers has in the past weeks become a protracted issue with doctors threatening to embark on national wide strike the hazard allowance issue, among other things, is not settled.

Ngige disclosed that the approval was granted by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He noted that the approval is the president way of  appreciating the effort of health workers in the fight against COVID-19.

He said the payment approval covered the months of April and May allowance and would be paid before the end of the week.

The minister said the decision was part of the agreement reached between the federal government representatives and health sector workers.

He added that insurance coverage for the health workers has also been ratified in line with the memorandum of understanding signed between government representatives and health unions in April.

“We reviewed all, and also reviewed all the emoluments that we are to give these gallant workers who are at the frontline taking the risk for all of us and the federal government side has given them the financial implication of what they have done.

“We have fixed a timeline for ourselves that before the end of this week, the health workers captured in that particular COVID-19 net and frontline workers should get all their hazard and inducement allowances for the month of April and May before the close of the week.”