By Lisa Hamilton

FRONTLINE health workers in Guyana will soon benefit from $150 million worth of monetary support through the 2020 Budget, as a means of encouragement in their daily efforts to care for and protect those at risk of the coronavirus.

“We understand and appreciate the tremendous work that our health and frontline workers are doing, the sacrifices they are making in ensuring that we remain safe and protected as a result, given the work they have done for COVID-19 and continue to [do],” President Dr. Irfaan Ali said after making the announcement on Monday.

Speaking later with Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, he noted that, while the specifics of the monetary support have not yet been finalised, frontline workers can look forward to the promised support, following the passage of the Budget.

He assured: “……. the Ministry of Health, they will work with the frontline workers and the doctors to come up with a proposal.”

The newspaper also spoke with Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr. Karen Gordon-Boyle, who said that submissions have been for nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers and more categories of workers to receive support, but the fine details are still to be finalised.

“If it will be a risk allowance then it will include all those persons who have been exposing themselves to working with COVID-19 patients, but if it’s overtime it will go to overtime…there are some workers who have been working 12 hours every day since March,” she said.

Reaching out to a few frontline workers who come into contact with COVID-19 patients, the Guyana Chronicle learned that the announcement, made by the President, was seen as timely.

“I think that the announcement was a very timely one because, as persons around the world can see, healthcare workers are actually putting their lives and the lives of their families at risk, to be on the frontline, to provide care for not only patients that are COVID-19 positive but also other persons that come to the hospital with other conditions,” said Senior Nursing Assistant attached to the Male High Dependency Unit, Kevin Samaroo.

Apart from the monetary support announced, he lobbied for a raise of pay for health workers and duty-free concessions for nurses. He also recommended that cafeterias be installed in all hospitals so that health workers can have a designated place to take their lunch and relax.

Meanwhile, Junior Physiotherapist, Riet Amsterdam, said: “The numbers are climbing daily and, as health workers, we are placed at risk every day so it’s about time that health workers are thought about.”

Amsterdam works to provide physical therapy and chest therapy to patients who are COVID-19 positive. Chest therapy helps to get patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) off the ventilator and maintains lung capacity in those not in need of the ventilator.

Regarding physical therapy, she ensures that patients stay active which helps them to speedily recover and strengthens the muscles of the lungs. She hopes that the sum allotted to frontline workers will help to transport them to and from the hospital free of cost; provide risk allowances and allow for more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to be procured.

All the way at the Lethem Public Hospital is Registered Nurse and midwife, Shelly Toney-Landry. She assists with screening, contact tracing and taking samples. She told the newspaper that she hopes the funds will address an increase in monthly risk allowance for doctors and nurses and ensure more sanitisers and disinfectants for health workers.

Though she looks forward to being a beneficiary of portions of the sum, she advised that the Government or State should always have emergency funds it can dip into in such time of global crises.

Also working to provide chest and limb therapy to COVID-19 patients is Taslikyah Jones, a Junior Physiotherapist. She wants the $150M to be used to provide bonuses to frontline workers so that they can afford to buy more immune boosting foods and vitamins to keep themselves strong.

She added: “It can also help them with their passage in terms of taking private transportation instead of public transportation [and] it can also help us with more masks…last month we’ve seen the most numbers in Guyana so it is critical now that we get the aid so that we can function to the best of our abilities.”

Since March 2020, frontline workers have been going above and beyond the call of duty, working at their own risk to save the lives of others. President Ali said that this has not gone unnoticed and, as more funding and materials are made available, the Government will work to better equip the health sector to meet the challenge.