Health Services Board (HSB) heavyweights reportedly controversially awarded themselves additional allowances while health care front liners are reportedly getting paltry salaries and incentives. Daily News reports.
According to the publication, HBS documents show that:
Top office bearers recently got huge added “coronavirus” allowances for just two weeks of work.For example, HSB chairperson Paulinus Sikhosana received a further 480 litres of petrol for his use, despite him already having a monthly allocation of 600 litres a month. He also got $800 worth of airtime, $2 250 for data bundles and $3 050 for transport.His deputy Auxilia Chideme-Munodawafa was also given an additional 360 litres of fuel, on top of her monthly 600 litres.In addition, she received $750 for airtime, $2 250 for data bundles and $3 000 for transport.
She was also allocated $650 for airtime and $2 250 for data bundles while general manager Englebert Mbengwa and four others, who have monthly fuel allowances of 200 litres, were each given 200 more litres, $380 for airtime and $1 500 for data bundles.Their deputies got allowances ranging between 40 and 80 litres of fuel, between $150 and $300 for airtime, and between $400 and $900 for data bundles depending on the number of days they were on duty during the two weeks.
When contacted for comment HBS Chair Paulinus Sikhosana said the allowances were not enough because they travel a lot:
It is actually not enough because we do a lot of travelling. I am sometimes with the minister (Obadiah Moyo) when he visits institutions.At times we will be working online. So, we need data … there is nothing unusual about the allowances. The officers have less because they do not come to work every day because of the lockdown shifts.
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