Agency Report

Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi state has approved the payment of occupational safety allowances to front line health workers as compensation for the risk involved in handling patients inflicted with Covid-19.


The State Commissioner for Health and Chairman of Covid-19 Task Force, Hon. Ja’afaru Mohammed Zuru, announced this while briefing journalists today, Saturday, on activities of the committee.


He said that front line health personnel include public health officers, medical officers, nurses, pharmacists and medical laboratory scientists.
Others include disease surveillance and notification officers as well as directors of Primary Healthcare at Local Government level.


Also involved are specialized medical consultants whose service will be required especially in co-morbidity related complications.
According to a Commissioner, the allowances have been categorized as follows: consultants will be paid at the rate of twenty thousand naira daily, medical officers, fifteen thousand naira, nurses, pharmacists and medical laboratory scientists will be earning ten thousand naira per day.

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Ambulance drivers, cleaners and security personnel will be paid five thousand naira daily.
Likewise, occupational safety allowances are to be paid to epidemiological and surveillance officers, graded according to their level of risk involvement as follows; high risk, fifteen thousand naira, medium risk ten thousand naira, low risk at the rate of seven thousand Naira.


The Commissioner further explained that motivational incentive was also approved by the Governor for task force team members and front line health workers who are working tirelessly in their efforts to contain the spread of the deadly Corona Virus.


Each task force member will receive two hundred and fifty thousand Naira while the chairman of the task force has been awarded five hundred thousand Naira.
Team front line front workers are to enjoy packages as follows: consultant N300,000, medical officers, pharmacists, medical laboratory scientists, nurses at the isolation centre will receive N250,000, medical officers at hospital trained on IPC and case management will get a package N150,000, epidemiology and surveillance officers disease surveillance and notification officers (DSNO), Director of Primary Healthcare at the state and Local Government levels will each get N50,000.
Supporting staff working with the emergency operation centre will have N100,000, ambulance drivers, security officers and cleaners will get a package of N50,000.

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The chairman also announced that as of Saturday 16th May, 2020, a total of sixteen Covid-19 patients have been discharged following the outcome of their samples which indicated negative.
According to him, this Saturday, five patients have been discharged including an 82 year old man on the advice of doctors.


The Commissioner advised people of the state to always report cases of symptoms of Covid-19 to nearest healthcare centres or members of the committee, or any of the designated isolation centres in the state for prompt action to curtail further spread.


Hon. Ja’afaru Mohammed Zuru thanked Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu for his prompt action to their requests and provision of necessary facilities which facilitated the fight against the spread of the disease.
He also commended health personnel, security agencies, traditional institutions, journalists, members of the task force as well as those who provided support in the fight against the pandemic.