Some Community Health Workers (CHWs) in the Western Area Urban have voiced their dismay over delayed payment of salary for close to a year now.

The CHWs are blaming the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) internal structure, the Integrated Health Projects Administration Unit (IHPAU) for the delayed payment.

The internal structure said that they have cleared 10 months of backlog payments to the CHWs, a claim widely disputed by the health workers.

“Some CHWs did receive their salary but are not for 10 months,” affirmed Dauda Hussein Kallon, a CHW Spokesperson in the Provinces. He added that they have conducted “a series of investigation” and found out that the payments were not equivalent to IHPAU’s claim.

“We have even sent evidence of work to IHPAU as they asked but to no avail,” Kallon said. He continued that the internal structure even promised to do a 100 percent pay increment but failed to mention how the increments were done.

“I call on the masses and the government to see into our plight,” the Spokesperson pleaded.

With Sierra Leone one of the countries faced with insufficient health workers, CHWs are believed to be playing a critical role in helping communities especially vulnerable ones in accessing health care facilities and resources. The health group was important during the Ebola epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic in the country but this recent issue has forced some CHWs to cease work until it is resolved.

“Some of my colleagues have refused to go for work because of the issue,” Kallon said. He also stated their importance during outbreaks while asking authorities to address the issue.

As the situation continue to escalate, some CHWs have taken to social media calling on the MOH and Global Fund to investigate IHPAU.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry is yet to comment on the issue.