By Wetondo Denis Julius
SIRONKO
The District Health Officer for Sironko district has been tasked to cough up the Shs400Million Covid-19 task force allowances or face the law.
The warning was sounded by the Budadiri East Legislator in Sironko district, Isaiah Ssasaga Wanzira this morning, 22nd September 2021.
Ssasaga told this website that he has given Dr. Paulo Wakoko one week to cough over 400 million shillings released by the Ministry of health to pay village health teams as allowances or face legal action.
Last month, the Ministry of Health released money to all districts across the county depending on the number of VHTs as covid19 risk allowances.
Ssasaga says that he has received outcry from many village health teams (VHTS) at his constituency claiming they have not been paid up to now.
He adds that according to the ministry, each VHT must get 150,000/= but surprisingly Sironko has not given money to VHTs over unknown reasons for one month month.
Ssasaga also tasked Wakoko to have this money paid out this week or else he engages the IGG to take action.
Some of the VHTs who preferred anonymity intimated to this reporter that none payment of their money in time has affected them negatively in terms of running their families.
They add that they have tried several times to remind the DHO about their payment but that he just rebukes them.
However when contacted, Wakoko dismissed the allegation that he has embezzled the VHTs money insisting that the money is their intact at district account.
He explained further that payment is awaiting compilation by community health workers of the work they have done as directed by the MOH.
He adds that VHTs were supposed to work for the three months of July, August and September before being paid where by September has not yet ended.
Wakoko urged the VHTs to be calm saying that all 3,086 VHTs in the district will be paid and each will get his or her 150,000/= on Thursday or Friday this week.
