Gambia’s Coronavirus—COVID-19 Emergency Committee on Finance and Procurement has found itself in a scandal amid reports that some health workers had prepared an unapproved list of health personnel, who were to be paid allowances in the nation’s efforts to tackle the deadly pandemic, Freedom Newspaper can report. Health Ministry staffers are determined to cash in from the Corona funds, per the internal memo that was issued by Permanent Secretary Muhamadou Lamin Jaiteh. Health Minister Amadou Lamin Samateh and his Permanent Secretary Muhamadou Lamin Jaiteh were included in the said list, even though both Samateh and Jaiteh had asked the preparers of the list not to include their names on that list.
Millions of dollars have been earmarked for the COVID-19 program for The Gambia. IMF and World Bank are among the funders of the program. Some of the donors’ funds had arrived, while local and international fundraising drive are currently ongoing.
The Barrow government has promised to allocate a five hundred million dalasis to help tackle the pandemic. The President said such funds would help the nation in revamping the country’s health sector.
In an internal memo issued April 1st, 2020 and was addressed to the members of the COVID-19 Emergency Committee on Finance and Procurement, Health Minister Samateh, has decided to dissociate himself from the proposed allowances to be allocated to the staff.
“This memo is in connection with the proposed staff list for the payment of allowances in respect of COVID-19, shared by the Permanent Secretary via email to members of the COVID-19 Emergency Committee on Finance and Procurement. It has come to the notice that despite categorically rejecting the inclusion of his name in the list and his instructions to the Director of Planning and Information Gibril Jarju never to add his name to any list of this nature, the Hon. Minister Ahmadou Lamin Samateh is shocked, disappointed and upset that his name was included in a list proposed for allowance payment,” said the memo.
Health Minister Samateh contends that the actions of Gibril Jarju and his Deputy Haddy Badjie was reprehensible. “The Hon. Minister Considers this to be utter negligence and deliberate on the part of the Director Gibril Jarju and the Deputy of Planning Mrs. Haddy Badjie for including his name and the Permanent Secretary Mr. Muhamadou Lamin Jaiteh for sharing the list without his prior review.”
“Members of the above named committee are hereby informed that the Minister’s name was included even though he had from the onset told them his name should not be included in any payment in whatever form as he does not wish to be paid any allowance, honoraria etc, and therefore not a party to the decision,” the memo added.
The said officials responsible, the memo went on “are hereby strictly warned against any repetition, failure of which serious consequences would follow. The shared version of the document is hence to be retrieved with immediate effect.
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