by Quinton Alomp – EM TV News, Port Moresby
The Papua New Guinean government has given greater recognition to nurses working in rural health centres.
Nurses in rural centres will receive five and ten per cent increase in consolidated overtime and on-call allowances, compared to nurses working in district and provincial hospitals respectively.
Personnel Management Department Secretary, John Kali, says this will attract nursing officers into rural health centres.
Nurses working in rural health centres and sub centres will receive a 25 per cent increase in consolidated clinical overtime and on-call allowances.
The government has allocated a K3,000 end of year lump sum as rural nursing attraction allowance.
Nurses will receive book and equipment allowances totalling K2,000 per annum.
Uniform allowance totalling K750 per annum for three sets of uniforms, radiation and risk allowance of K100, among others.
Mr Kali said rural nursing is vital and more nurses are needed in rural areas.
Every year nurses are passing out with diploma and degree in nursing colleges and universities.
But when signing the Memorandum of Agreement for increased nurse’s allowances last week, Mr Kali said the country still needs more nursing officers to serve in rural areas.
Over the last five years, nurses have received a total average increase of about 45 per cent as a result of government’s general increase to base salaries.
And as of January next year, nurses will receive an average general salary increase of 7.5 per cent from their current base salary.
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