Jordan clears air on risk allowance request

– chides Parag for spreading propaganda, misinformation

Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag has once again been called upon to fact-check her remarks this time by former Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan on Saturday for claims that he “flatly refused and rejected” allowances for health care workers.

At the time of the remarks, Parag was speaking during an interview at the National Communications Network (NCN). When asked to speak about the nationwide protest of frontline health workers, Minister Parag deflected blame to the previous Administration for its non-issuance of allowances while in Office.

“For several months now the GPHC and Ministry of Health were making several requests through the Department of Public Service to the Ministry of Finance for increases in allowances; the then Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, flatly refused and rejected those requests for increase in allowances,” Parag said in an article carried by the Guyana Chronicle.

However, on the very day of the article, the former Finance Minister was quick on the ball to respond, noting in a Letter to the Editor that Parag has been badly advised and misinformed or may be looking to score cheap political points amid the demands of health workers.

“The payment of a COVID Risk Allowance (CRA) was my idea. Yes, you heard correctly: it was my idea. It arose out of an earnest conversation I had with a nurse of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). I was struck by the passion with which she represented the plight of nurses in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the issues she raised with me were the absence of PPEs and cleaning agents, the absence of security in the triage area, exposure to COVID-positive patients, the lack of transportation from their homes to the hospital and vice versa during the curfew hours, the absence of counselling for nurses and their families, and payment of an allowance for the increased risks they faced. This conversation took place circa April 4, 2020,” Jordan informed the Editor.

Though the Coalition Government had made a major payout of over $900 million in increased allowances to the health sector in December 2019 – including increased Risk Allowance — the nurse informed Jordan that most nurses did not benefit from the increase.

On April 5, 2020, the Finance Minister said that he contacted the then Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence via WhatsApp outlining the issues raised and urged that these matters be addressed quickly. He offered the Ministry of Finance’s help to prevent a crisis from developing, “including the payment of a risk allowance to frontline workers”.

Jordan said that he stressed that priority should be given to those who did not benefit from the 2019 increases, including doctors, nurses, nurse assistants, physiotherapists, and workers in the emergency department, intensive care unit, infectious diseases units, and respiratory and other wards where patients with suspected pandemic influenza were housed. Consideration was also instructed to be given to porters, cleaners, maids, and workers at the Palms Geriatric Home.

Tasked with putting this package together swiftly was the MOPH Permanent Secretary (PS) and the Director of the Office of the Budget (DOB). However, Jordan said that critical information was not provided and, where information was provided, it was partial and useless in some cases. From his standpoint, Jordan said that it seemed as if the Public Health Ministry was preoccupied with getting the COVID hospital completed, among other matters.

Recounting some of the information provided, the former Finance Minister said that an initial list of those to benefit was submitted by the PS but it excluded those in the 10 Regions and GPHC. A next list was submitted but this included the PS, Deputy PS, and others who are not categorized as frontline workers.

Within the information were recommended monthly payments, retroactive to March 2020, which ranged from $120,000 to $60,000 but no information was provided by the Health Ministry as to how these figures were arrived at. Jordan said that this information was vitally important as he learned that GPHC had already begun paying some frontline workers around $10,000 per month while some workers at the Palms were getting $15,000.

In addition, no information was provided on the number of persons to be paid in each category; the number of persons in receipt of risk allowance who will need a ‘top-up’ to the COVID Risk Allowance, depending on the category in which they fell; and on the period for which the payments were to be made.

The absence of this information prevented the estimated cost of the package from being determined and the finalising of a package of financial assistance.

“In the absence of these and other critical pieces of information, the package could not be concluded; hence, the Minister of Public Health was unable to present it to Cabinet for approval. I was, therefore, aghast when the PS, Department of the Public Service, by Memorandum to the PS, MPH that was copied to the Ministers of Finance and Public Service, purported to have approved a COVID risk allowance, as recommended by PS, MPH. After my intervention that the approval was done without the requisite information being submitted and without the knowledge of the Ministry of Finance, this Memorandum was put on ‘pause’; it may have been withdrawn, subsequently,” Jordan said.

On August 2, 2020, he informed the Editor that the Minister of Public Health reached out to him to bring an end to the inordinate time it was taking to conclude the issue of risk allowance for health workers. In response, he said that he wrote in a WhatsApp message: “Good morning Volda. This matter is with your PS who seems to have thrown in the towel. Until answers to specific questions are given, I can’t help. I’m the one who suggested this allowance to you. So, I remain a friend. But we have to do things systematically to avoid future problems, animus from other sector employees, and sustainability over the defined period.”

Jordan said that Lawrence responded: “Okay I will get on to Sonya [DOB] and see what is needed. Thank you.” It was on that very day that all Ministers of the Coalition Government demitted office paving the way for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration to take up leadership