Time to grant nurses new awards, says president

By LULU MARK
THE nurses in Papua New Guinea are contracting Covid-19 while working and some are dying hence the Government should prioritise their awards, an official says.
PNG Nurses Association president Frederick Kebai said the nurses were not receiving any risk or overtime allowance when responding to the Covid-19 in the frontline because of a lack of funds.
“The nurses’ health insurance, overtime, risk and other allowances are captured in the new awards,” he said.
“The new awards was supposed to be implemented on pay five this year but was not and it is now pay seven.”
Kebai called on the Department of Personnel Management (DPM) and Finance to facilitate the payment of the awards.
He said as many as half the number of nurses at some hospitals and health facilities had Covid-19.
“I appeal to the Prime Minister James Marape to call on the DPM and Health Department to look after nurses,” he said.
“When the nurses are affected, the health care delivery is affected.”