Money owed to doctors in backdated payment was remitted to individual accounts starting on Monday by the Health Department.
National Doctors Association president Dr Kauve Pomat confirmed yesterday that the Health Department had processed the payment of doctors’ domestic market allowances and on call or shift allowances dating back to 2006.
The Government in its last year’s supplementary budget allocated K10.5 million for such payment.
However, the fund was nearly sent to the Government’s consolidated revenue when the Health Department was reported to have been slow in accessing it.
However, Health Department accessed the fund last Dec 17, a day before the close of the Government’s fiscal year.
The delay in accessing the fund prompted the doctors to resort to industrial action, with 26 doctors reported to have signed their consent for strike action.
Dr Pomat said more than 400 national doctors, who are in the public sector, got their money while doctors working with other agencies such as churches would get theirs once the claims were submitted and processed.
Health Minister Sasa Zibe earlier on said the allocated K10.5 million for backdated payment for doctors was sorted out.
He said accessing of the fund was slow because of lack of coordination between the department’s finance and human resource branches and NDA.