Kwara Pledges to Compensate Frontline Health Workers after COVID-19
Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq
By Hammed Shittu
Kwara State Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq has stated that his government will handsomely reward frontline workers after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
Speaking during an unscheduled visit to health workers at the COVID-19 infectious Disease Center located at Sobi Specialist Hospital recently, the governor explained that what the workers were receiving from government was allowance.
He said health workers had volunteered to help the state in combatting the pandemic long before the introduction of allowances.
“Our coming here today is to specially and specifically appreciate you for your untiring efforts at ending the pandemic. We wish to state that we will compensate you specially when the COVID is over. All what we are doing now is payment of your allowance.”
The governor, however urged the workers never to relent in their commitment to end the disease in the state.
In her remark, the Chief Medical Director of the state COVID-19/ Infectious Disease Management Centre, Dr. Sìkirat Lambe described the visit as historic and a better way to boast the morale of the health workers.
She said that Kwara was among the few states with testing centers in the country. This according to her helped in the early diagnosis of this infection. She added, “Kwara is the one of the states with a test centre. Kwara is given a centre despite the numerous calls from other states. Today is a very historic with the way you have come to recognise us here”.
Also speaking, the Director Public Health, Kwara Ministry of Health ,Dr Oluwatosin Fakayode said the mortality rate from the disease in the state stood at 2.6 per cent.
He promised that the team would intensify to henceforth ensure zero death rate.
Fakayode also announced the plan to set up sample centres in all local government areas for voluntary testing. According to him, the rate of health workers infection has drastically reduced in the state. This, he attributed to the training organised by the state for the frontlines on infectious disease.
The Head of Testing Centre, Mr. Salihu Alao also said that the visit was a moral boaster for the workers. “What you have given us is more than the allowance. We urged you sir not to stop this support being given to fight the pandemic”, he said.
