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The National COVID-19 Response Centre (NaCOVERC) has laid off 1,095 health workers after almost two years of battling with the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
NaCOVERC made this disclosure in a press release issued on 15 February, 2022.
“Almost two years of containing the disease with bio-medical and socio-economic interventions, the time has come for NaCOVERC to further draw down from 1504-man workforce to 409,” NaCOVERC stated.
The Emergency Response Centre recalled the dismantling of the National Ebola Response Centre (NERC) following the end of EVD in Sierra Leone, and had to set up another Response Center for Covid-19.
They added that did not augur well for the predictable prevention and management of future epidemics, noting a permanent Public Health institutional arrangement is therefore an imperative.
“Government has prioritised health workers throughout this 22 months. Pin-coded health workers have been paid monthly salaries, to which risk allowances are embedded,” NaCOVERC pointed out.
NaCOVERC however noted that the delayed payment of extra risk allowances have been causing disaffection among health workers in the country.
NaCOVERC further noted that all volunteers affected will be engaged as and the need arises, noting that the capacity they have acquired over the two years are expected to be put into use for any future wave of Covid-19 or future disease outbreaks.
