Ministry mum on health perks impasse

Ministry of Health is yet to provide feedback on the status of implementation of healthcare workers’ allowances, days after line minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda assured a response was being processed.

In separate interviews yesterday, leaders of the healthcare workers threatening to launch a sit-in on June 10 2023 said they were yet to get communication on the issue from Secretary for Health Samson Mndolo.

Mndolo yesterday refused to give finer details contained in the response, saying it would only be made known to representatives of the healthcare staff.

“We have written the response and they [healthcare workers] are yet to collect it. You will find out details of the response from them,” he said.

In separate interviews yesterday, Physician Assistants Union of Malawi (Paum) president Solomon Chomba and National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives (Nonm) president Shouts Simeza said they had not received any response.

Chomba expressed surprise with government’s approach, saying previously all ccommunication was through e-mail or WhatsApp.

He said: “We have never gone to collect any communication from their office. What is special with this response? Let them just send the response as usually done and then we will evaluate it.”

In a joint letter dated May 16 2024, Nonm and Paum announced that they would proceed with sit-in as per the collective demand of the membership of both organisations.

They said the delays in the implementation of the agreed allowances were disappointing and undermined their commitment to contact and dialogue which the leadership of the organisations have exhibited thus far.

But inside sources said government was noncommittal on the conciliation settlement because the demands made by the healthcare workers were only adopted as proposals subject to approval from other departments such as Treasury.

The health workers’ representatives last week rejected a meeting that Capital Hill convened on the matter.

But in a written response last week, Ministry of Health spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe expressed hope that there will be continued engagement.

Through Nonm and Paum, Besides agreeing to a 15 percent salary increment, government committed to increase locum rates, professional and risk or medical allowance as well as top-up.