Doctors, nurses and hospital staff of government hospitals across the country will get a daily cash allowance for their quarantine period of 15 days, effective from July 29 this year.
However, those who have availed government accommodation facilities for their quarantine will not receive it. And, a health worker is now getting the allowance for a maximum of 15 days per month.
The Finance division on Saturday issued a circular signed by the same ministry’s Joint secretary Dr Mohamand Abu Yousf.
An official of the health ministry's hospital wing, under the condition of anonymity, said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina approved the proposal in July. The health ministry sought the finance ministry's approval last month for the retroactive effect of the proposal.
The health directorate will issue a circular in this regard with the finance division's consent next week.
The health ministry official also said doctors, nurses and health workers engaged in the treatment of Covid-19 patients stay in quarantine for 15 days of every month after performing their duties for 15 consecutive days.
Initially, housing arrangements were made for them in residential hotels and later at government training institutes.
The cost of staying at these places was high and it was not possible for all hotels' dues to be paid for with the allocation given by the finance ministry. Thus, the health ministry decided to give a cash allowance to health workers for 15 days of accommodation in quarantine every month.
According to the proposal approved by the prime minister, on-duty doctors at government hospitals in Dhaka city will get 2,000 taka daily, per head while nurses will get 1,200 taka and others 800 taka. Doctors outside Dhaka city will be paid 1,800 taka nurses 1,000 taka and others 650 taka daily, per head.
The number of government health workers engaged in coronavirus patient treatment in the country is 23,285. Of them, 5,726 are doctors, 10,044 are nurses and 8,515 are others. If all of them will receive the allowance at the prescribed rate. The total cost for this purpose will be 39.50 taka crore per month.
Health ministry officials said health workers have been allowed to stay in quarantine for 15 days a month at various residential hotels since April following the novel coronavirus outbreak in March.
Till June, the finance ministry had released over 103 crore taka for their bills in three months – about 34 crore taka per month. However, the money was not enough to pay all the health workers.
In those three months, 52 crore taka was spent on the health workers of the Dhaka metropolis alone. Yet, many did not get their dues.
If the new proposal is implemented, it will cost slightly over 12 crore taka monthly for the health workers of the city, which is over Taka 5 crore less than the amount spent per month during April-June.
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