COVID-19: NANNM Expresses Displeasure Over Unequal Hazard Allowances Between Doctors and Nurses
Recall that that the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello on Thursday approved the increment of the hazard allowance of frontline healthworkers fighting coronavirus. In the memo, doctors are to get N50, 000 daily while nurses and other health care providers are to get #30,000.
However, the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) are not quite pleased with the pay discrepancy, they are of the opinion that nurses and midwives deserved equal pay as doctors or even more because they spend more time with the patients and are more at risk of contracting the virus…
Here is the open letter they wrote to the FCT Minister protesting the “wage inequality”….👇
10th April, 2020
The Honourable Minister
Federal Capital Territory Administration
Abuja
DISPARITY IN HAZARD ALLOWANCE FOR FRONTLINE WORKERS
We bring you fraternal greetings from the National Association of Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council.
We salute the efforts of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) under your leadership in the current fight against the novel corona virus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. Nurses and Midwives in the FCT, as frontline health workers, are completely committed to the fight against Covid-19 and would continue to give our very best shot in containing and defeating the prevailing health insurgency.
We write to express our displeasure with the recent health hazard allowances announced by the FCTA. In the schedule of the allowances, medical doctors will receive N50,000, nurses will get N30,000 while other category of health workers were placed on N20,000.
First, we wish to posit that at this crucial time of concerted efforts to stop the Covid-19 pandemic, monetary benefits should never be prioritized. This does not, however, erode the global healthcare best practice of providing special allowances for medical personnel at the frontline of health emergencies such as Covid-19. Globally, the award of such allowances is governed by the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value as established in the preamble of the Constitution of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Second, Honourable Minister, every health worker is exposed to the same risk while at work. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, nurses and midwives are even at more risk of infection given that they spend longer hours with patients. This is why nurses and midwives earn more than medical doctors in many countries especially in advanced climes. Even in Nigeria, many senior nurses earn more than medical doctors.
As we stated earlier, we cannot prioritize incentives more than our calling to save lives. It is, however, important that where incentives are provided, it should increase the bond of unity among health workers and not divide or distract us. At this time of health emergency, all members of the health team – nurses, midwives, medical doctors, laboratory scientists, and even cleaners, deserve equal treatment.
We, therefore, request that the Honourable Minister should use his good offices to redress this injustice against nurses and midwives in the FCT by granting a flat rate for all category of health workers. This will go a long way in promoting unity, conviviality and solidarity in the ranks of health workers as we continue to give our very best in containing and defeating the rampaging corona virus disease.
While we look forward to your kind consideration, please accept the assurances of our highest esteem.
Comrade Deborah Yusufu
Chairman, NANNM
FCT Council
