Samangan Covid-19 hospital staff unpaid for last 8 months

AIBAK (Pajhwok): Employees of a Covid-19 hospital in northern Samangan province have not received their salaries for the past eight months, according to the hospital’s chief physician on Wednesday.

Addressing a gathering of Health Council this morning, Hospital Director Zabihullah Wakeel said the hospital had no issue when it came to human resources and all doctors and paramedical staff performed their job on a daily basis.

The meeting was organized by the Integrity Watch Afghanistan to help address problems of health institutions including the 20-bed Samangan Covid-19 Hospital supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Dr. Wakeel, however, said salaries of the hospital staff had not been provided for the past eight months. There were no medicine, food items for patients and no wood for fire and these problems hampered the provision of basic health services, he added.

He asked IWA to convey their problems to the world so that aid providing agencies could come to their rescue and resolve their problems.

Referring to the state of coronavirus, he said, the situation in Samangan was under control and a very few patients suffering from coronavirus referred to the hospital. Only one patient was hospitalized who is in better health condition.

Abdul LatifQurbani, provincial head of Integrity Watch Afghanistan, said their organization was a non-government institution and was responsible for monitoring the provision of health services in Samangan.

He said they monitored 16 health clinics on weekly basis in Samangan and shared problems in these facilities with Integrity Watch Afghanistan officials in the centre.

The International Anti-Corruption Day — Dec 09 — seeks to highlight the rights and responsibilities of everyone – including States, Government officials, civil servants, law enforcement officers, media representatives, the private sector, civil society, academia, the public and youth – in tackling corruption.

Corruption affects all areas of society. Preventing corruption unlocks progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, helps protect our planet, creates jobs, achieves gender equality, and secures wider access to essential services such as healthcare and education.

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