Hazard pay ‘on way to medics’

Millions of dollars in hazard pay owed to medical staff have been transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and should be on the essential workers’ accounts in the coming days, the head of the newly established health communications team, Ambassador Liz Thompson, has revealed.

Government has given $14 million to the QEH, $3 million of which would be used to settle hazard pay claims, she said in her maiden press briefing Monday night in her new role.

The former UN envoy said approval for the money to be transferred had been given last week.

And contrary to popular belief doctors had been paid their salaries on time, she declared, saying the only outstanding money related to hazard pay.

Thompson said: “While it has been all over social media that doctors are not being paid, they receive their salaries on time, they receive their on-call and other allowances on time. What has been outstanding is the issue of the hazard pay which was agreed and negotiated that it would be paid effective from March 2020…the hazard pay itself is in the sum of $3 million.

“All of the money voted for hazard pay is now with the QEH and will be given to the doctors who have not had it honoured and on whose behalf it had been negotiated. So there is $14 million, including $3 million in hazard pay, which has been approved and released and given to the QEH.” (RB)