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Paidamoyo Chipunza Senior Health Reporter
Government could have lost millions of dollars under a “nefarious” scheme devised seven years ago by senior health officials under the guise of addressing alleged salary discrepancies between senior and junior grades in the then Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, The Herald can reveal.

The scheme was approved by Treasury, but senior health officials at that time were cautioned against naming the allowances “on call” fearing it could raise eyebrows.

The scam was unearthed last month after a nurses’ protest, resulting in Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa, terminating the scheme forthwith following the exposé by The Herald.

This resulted in “savings” that were later directed towards an upward review of the nurses night duty allowances to $70 from $3.

Dr Parirenyatwa has also ordered an audit of all funding that came through the health sector since the multi-currency regime, which included the targeted approach and the Health Transition Fund (HTF), which were both introduced during the inclusive Government.

At least 494 top officials were drawing nearly $100 000 every month.

Among the beneficiaries were Secretary for Health and Child Care Dr Gerald Gwinji, principal directors Dr Christopher Tapfumaneyi (curative services), Dr Gibson Mhlanga (preventive services), Dr Davis Dhlakama (policy, planning and implementation).

Dr Dhlakama has since retired while Dr Mhlanga was appointed to run affairs at Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS).

Dr Tapfumaneyi is now late.

Other senior directors included director disease control Dr Portia Manangazira and her deputy Dr Isaac Phiri, laboratory services Mr Douglas Mangwanya, director oral health Dr Francis Sibanda, director pharmaceutical services Mrs Ropafadzai Hove and her deputy Mr Forward Mudzimu.

Others were pharmacy technicians, provincial medical directors, provincial pharmacists, hospital equipment technicians, physicotherapists, speech therapists and nurse tutors.

In a circular dated May 6, 2008 leaked to The Herald, then acting finance secretary Mr Pfungwa Kunaka wrote to the then Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Edward Mabhiza (now late), and copied the letter to the Health Services Board (HSB), advising them that their plan to address the salary discrepancy had been approved.

“We note that as discussed at our meeting of April 30 2008, non-payment of on-call allowance to senior grades of consultants, specialists, clinical directors and chief executive officers of central hospitals has created an anomalous situation whereby junior grades now earn higher pay. As noted in our meeting, there is need to designate the allowance that should apply in the case of CEO (non-medical) and principal directors differently from on-call. The term on- call in these cases does not appear to be appropriate.

“The above notwithstanding, Treasury hereby approves the payment of on- call allowance to the CEO (non-medical) and principal directors under the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare with effect from January 1 2008,” reads the circular.

However, in an exclusive interview with The Herald yesterday, HSB chairperson Dr Lovemore Mbengeranwa said the confusion on salary discrepancies between senior and junior grades arose when the multi-currency system was introduced.

Dr Mbengeranwa said during this period, everybody from the President right to the cleaner were getting $100 and all allowances were suspended.

He said allowances were, however, gradually re-introduced and on-call allowance was one of the packages which went to the health sector, resulting in those in junior grades earning more than their seniors who were still earning $100 with no allowance.

“So, this is the scenario. As to who is to blame or who is not to blame I do not think that is the issue right now. The list of beneficiaries which is being used for on-call allowances was a list we got from Treasury in 2007.

“It was felt that as an interim measure everybody gets on-call allowances,” said Dr Mbengeranwa.

Asked why the “interim measure” was still applicable even when employees were no longer earning the $100 they used to get in 2008, Dr Mbengeranwa said it was an administrative oversight.

He said there were schedules from Treasury where it was checked whether every employee was getting the right allowances and salary.

He said it was through these documents that such anomalies could have been picked and corrected thereon.

“So there were a whole chain of failures, from the human resources managers at local stations right up to the accounting officer,” said Dr Mbengeranwa.

“One thing that I want to categorically state is that there was no element of fraud or people abusing powers, not at all,” he said.

HSB executive director Ms Ruth Kaseke, who was also part of the interview, said it was important to note that during the 2008-2009 era, there was massive staff exodus, with the Health Ministry’s head office largely affected.

Ms Kaseke said these allowances for senior officers were therefore meant to respond to issues of brain drain within the head office.

“If you go back to that period in the Ministry of Health headquarters, almost 80 percent of senior management was acting. We could not attract medical professionals to come and work in the ministry, so this whole process inclusive of the request to redefine (on-call) was to be able to address inclusively all the challenges that were there during that period,” said Mrs Kaseke.

Asked why this “retention scheme” was then selectively applied to the top brass when brain drain affected all employees across the board, Ms Kaseke said: “You need the top echelons to drive programmes.”

This controversial scheme was only unearthed last month by nurses as they demanded a fair share of the $1,5 million availed by Treasury in January this year to the health sector for allow- ances.

The nurses, through their association, noted that there were 494 senior Government officials whose duties did not necessarily involve being on call, but were paid up to $403 every month yet they were getting a paltry $3 as night duty allowance.

“On call” refers to someone who has spent the whole day on duty and continues working throughout the night as well as the next day.