Nurses in Gambia Complain of Unpaid Transport Allowances
Nurses at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital, the Bundung Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Kanifing General Hospital and Sheikh Zayed Regional Eye Care Centre, have complained of unpaid transport allowance increment, since it was effected last January.
In December, a budget speech was presented stating an increment in transport allowances for Grades 1 to 8 workers, from D500 to D1,500 for all civil servants, effected January 2018. However, staff of staff of the above mentioned hospitals said they have not been paid the stipulated increment.
The aggrieved nurses formed a task-force to serve as a lobby group to help them receive their entitlements.
Ousman Touray, Secretary General of the committee of the said task force, said the administrations of these hospitals have made relentless efforts with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, from January to June, to no avail.
“Following a letter addressed to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and copied to all relevant offices, the Minister of Health Dr. Isatou Touray, on Wednesday 1st July, invited us for a prompt meeting about the pending transport allowances, but the meeting yielded no solution,” he said.
Touray warned that any consequent action in the nearest future, will affect health delivery service to consumers; that they have patiently served for seven months without receiving their complete transport allowances.
He urged the authorities to intervene and pay their outstanding allowances to avoid implications in the health delivery system.
