D5.7M for health personnel

In a bid to retain and improve the living conditions of health personnel (doctors and nurses) in the country, the government of The Gambia, has allocated D5.7M as a new incentive package for the monthly allowances of health personnel in the country.

Confirming this to the Daily Observer, Dr Tamsir Mbowe, Secretary of State for Health and Social Welfare, congratulated President Yahya Jammeh on this development, saying that the allocation will help towards curbing instances of brain drain, as well as motivate medical staff.

Secretary of State Mbowe also thanked the President, on behalf of his department, for placing health as one of the key priorities on his development agenda, including Vision 2020.

Ismaila Njie, Chief Nursing Officer of The Gambia, said this incentive package comes at the right time as it will improve, both working and living conditions of the personnel. To this end, he said, doctors and nurses in the basic health facilities will be paid in four areas: risk allowance, responsibility allowance, hardship allowance and uncalled duty allowance.

While noting that the Department of State for Health and Social Welfare has been paying such incentives to doctors and nurses in Banjul and the Kombos for more than ten years, he said, “this is the first time they are providing such a package for the rural areas”.

Mr.Njie revealed that with effect from today September 26, 2007, he will go round to pay the health staff in all basic health facilities, beginning from Barra to Koina.

He further disclosed that a format has been designed which, he said, will be distributed to all the Divisional Health Teams (DHTs) for possible identification.

“A vehicle will be available for transportation and we will also negotiate with Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC) to provide land for deserving and hardworking nurses and doctors, so that they can build their homes.  We are doing all these, simply because we want to improve their living conditions, in order to retain them and maintain quality health service delivery,” he indicated.

Mr Njie then thanked the government of The Gambia for the incentive, geared towards improving the health sector.

He finally advised the health officers to work hard as expected of them. “Without health, there will be no work and in the end, no development can take place,” Mr Njie concluded.