A medical officer prepares to administer a dose of COVID-19 vaccine. PHOTO | FILE
Summary
Dar es Salaam. A section of health workers providing Covid-19 services, including vaccination, have raised alarm over the government’s delay in paying their benefits for the last three months.
Some of the providers include nurses, information technology professionals who have been developing electronic certificates and reference professionals.
Speaking to The Citizen, they said they have been providing the services for a long time without being paid and now the majority of them cannot afford daily fares.
“As a nurse, I have been travelling to many places for education and immunisation, but since I started providing this service I have not yet received any payment. There was a time when we were told this matter is under the director,” she said.
“When we go to the director he tells us to wait for payment which is already in the process and that the money has been taken to the Municipality, but it has been months with no development, and we spend a lot of money for fare. There are times we fail to get it,” said the nurse (name withheld) who works at Pugu in Ilala District.
Some of them said they have been travelling long distances in rural areas to provide the service, but they are not sure when they will be paid.
Tanzania Nurses Association (Tanna) president Alexander Baluhya said the complaint had not yet been conveyed to the association.
“The information has not been brought to me, I have not received any official complaint so I am not in a position to say anything, but let me follow up to know what is happening on the ground,” said Mr Baluhya.
However, when contacted, Ilala City director Jumanne Shauri said the payment process was ongoing and some had already been paid, adding that the matter was up for discussion.
“Tell their leader to come tomorrow morning at 2.30 am, they will find me, the payments started and if some have not been paid, then we need to follow up to know what the challenge is,” said Mr Shauri.
Trends of the new vaccine
As the Johnson & Johnson vaccine runs out, the government has called on the public to go in large numbers to take Sinopharm jabs, which has already been distributed at the stations.
The minister for Health, Dr Dorothy Gwajima said the Johnson Johnson vaccine is almost over and there are now 25,000 doses left, which will be completed within the next seven days.
She said Covid-19 pandemic is still in the country and therefore she urged the public to come forward and vaccinate, because even the centres that have completed the Johnson Johnson vaccine, have already been stocked with Sinopharm.
“The first phase vaccines that came, Johnson & Johnson are over, there are 25,000 doses left which are expected to be finalized in seven days and therefore we have distributed 1,065,000 Sinopharm 1 doses and just today some facilities have started providing the service,” she said.
The first phase of the Johnson Johnson vaccine arrived in July, this year, where 1,058,400 doses were received and distributed nationwide and according to Minister Gwajima’s figures, more than one million Tanzanians have received the vaccine.
However, October 8, the government received 1,065,600 other Sinopharm vaccines from China that are distributed in designated facilities to provide the service to citizens across the country.
Minister Gwajima urged people who have not been vaccinated to go for the vaccination as one of the ways to deal with the pandemic while continuing to adhere to other principles of protection against the disease.
She said Covid-19 was a challenge in reproductive health care for doctors and parents themselves, however they have now figured out how to protect themselves and the mother and baby during childbirth.
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