The Tribune

A SICK OUT at Princess Margaret Hospital and Grand Bahama Health Services continued for a second day on Friday over COVID-19 honorarium payouts.

In a statement issued on Friday, PHA addressed the frustrations of staff, but maintained that not all workers meet the criteria established by Cabinet to receive honorariums.

“The Public Hospitals Authority is aware of the current employee unrest throughout the organisation related to the disbursement of honoraria by the government,” the statement said. “While the unrest has forced the suspension of some services due to staff shortages, the Authority wishes to clarify the criteria for the payment of the honorarium as stipulated by the government of the Bahamas. Further for the purpose of clarity, not all employees meet the criteria as established by the Cabinet for payment of this honorarium.”

PHA said the honorarium was originally intended for a subset of frontline healthcare employees who, “when most healthcare workers were hesitant and declined to serve in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic,” offered to work.

Subsequently, the government expanded eligibility to include additional cadres of staff, some working in clinical and non-clinical settings, during the period March 19–June 18, 2020.

PHA has received approximately $1.4 million dollars from the Ministry of Health for payment of this honorarium.

PHA said eligible employees have and will be receiving payments in the following categories.

Tier 1: Employees that willingly volunteered in advance of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. PHA said these disbursements commenced August 13, 2021 in amounts up to $5,000 and will be concluded on August 16.

Tier 2: Employees that volunteered at, or after, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

These are workers that did not volunteer but were required to work as their job functions were directly related to COVID-19 management, PHA said. Disbursements for Tier 2 will commence following the completion of August 2021 payroll activities and is expected to be concluded within five business days, officials said.

“The PHA is committed to honoring our health service heroes and are making payments in accordance with the mandate provided by the Government of the Bahamas and the Ministry of Health.

“Executive management is grateful to all employees who rendered exemplary service during the first wave in areas which were not in direct support to the COVID-19 response. We have experienced our own personal losses as a PHA family and throughout it all we remain committed to the fight against this pandemic,” PHA said.

The Ministry of Health announced last month that frontline staff workers who were promised honorariums for their services at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic would receive their money.

Despite PHA saying further payments will be made this month, Health Minister Renward Wells said on Tuesday that all honorariums have been paid.

Bahamas Public Service Union President Kimsley Ferguson had previously insisted the matter remains unresolved. He said recently that auxiliary nurses, housekeeping staff, patient care attendants and people from the radiology, EMS and lab departments are among those who have not been paid.

The union is also upset that some people who were not on the frontline during the pandemic have been paid honorariums.

In a statement issued Thursday, the Ministry of Health denied social media reports that Minister of Health Renward Wells received an honorarium payment of $10,000 for the COVID-19 response. However the ministry revealed that Mr Wells’ driver and assistant received $1,158.40 “for their contributions to the COVID-19 response”. The Ministry of Health said this was “the same minimum honorarium payment issued to non-frontline workers” who joined later in the response.

Progressive Liberal Party Senator Dr Michael Darville, opposition spokesman for health, said in a statement on Friday that “discontent” has exploded among healthcare workers over the manner in which the government has issued the payments.

“The response by the minister of health that the honorariums were earmarked for selected frontline healthcare workers in the fight against COVID-19 failed to address or clarify allegations made by PHA staff that personnel located in the Ministry of Health’s headquarters received honorariums,” Dr Darville said.

“It is unfortunate and hypocritical that the government at every opportunity effusively praises all of our healthcare workers engaged in the fight against COVID-19, while selectively rewarding certain healthcare workers and ministry staff, while ignoring others. This narrative plays into what is widely viewed in this country as a government pandering to the interests of selected persons – that is, a government that says one thing and does another. This is completely unacceptable especially since the lives of the healthcare workers directly battling COVID in our public health facilities literally hang in the balance.

“The prime minister must intervene and correct this injustice to our healthcare workers as a matter of urgency,” Dr Darville said.

The sick out has impacted services at public health institutions and as a result, officials said the public can expect delays accessing services at these places. PHA recommended, where possible, the public access services at these institutions at a later date.