Doctors to be paid: Zibe

Health Minister Sasa Zibe said the issue of the K10.5 million allocated for back-dated payment for doctors has been sorted out early last week.
Mr Zibe told The National that doctors who claimed domestic marketing allowances and consolidated on call or overtime payments might receive their dues in the coming fortnight as it depended on how fast it was processed by the Health Department.
Health Department’s pay section confirmed the processing of the payment last Thursday, starting with sorting out names of doctors and verifying the eligible claimants.
The K10.5 million was allocated in the 2007 Supplementary Budget to offset outstanding dues back-dated to last year for more than 400 national doctors.
The 400 doctors are financial members of the National Doctors Association.
However, the award benefits other national doctors who are not in the doctors union.
The issue was made public by the union president, Dr Kauve Pomat, after seeing the Health Department’s slowness in securing the K10.5 million from Treasury.
Fearing that the allocation maybe retained by the Treasury Department the union threatens strike action two weeks ago when the 2007 fiscal year almost reached its end.
Mr Zibe said the department sat with the union last week, where solutions were reached.
“It is just that people were working in isolation,” Mr Zibe made reference to both the Health Department and the National Doctors Association’s lack of co-ordination.
The minister’s office said Secretary Dr Clement Malau took up the issue with the Department of Personnel Management resulting in the release of the warrant for payment by Finance Department on Dec 17, a day before the close of accounts.
The secretary also took it up with Finance Department for an extension of the accounts closing date, making it possible for the Health Department to access the K10.5 million.
The national doctors had threatened to go on strike in the new year if they were not paid their entitlements.