Health professionals involved in COVID-19 management to get risk allowance

The Sindh government on Tuesday announced it would pay one basic salary as ‘health risk allowance’ to physicians treating COVID-19 patients as well as those working at labs and isolation centres, saying the postgraduate students (PGs) and house officers (HOs) would be paid salaries of 17 and 18 grades respectively from March 2020.

“The health risk allowance equal to one basic salary would be paid to all those health professionals who are performing their duties at COVID-19 treatment wards and other facilities, including the isolation centres,” a spokesman for the Chief Minister House said on Tuesday.

Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho has forwarded a summary to CM Syed Murad Ali Shah for the payment of the health risk allowance, recommending that in addition to the payment of the health risk allowance to health professionals in the management of COVID-19, PGs and house officers would also be given salaries equal to the basic salaries of grades 17 and 18 respectively till the coronavirus pandemic subsides.

Health professionals and physicians had been highly demoralised since April this year when the Sindh government had deducted 10 per cent of their salaries for the coronavirus relief fund.

On the other hand, health professionals working in the private sector said they were being subjected to discrimination and deprived of their salaries and benefits as managements of private health facilities were not paying full salaries to them citing business losses due to reduction in the patient load.