Healthcare workers have received approval for overtime payments for the month of January.
This was confirmed by Medical Superintendent Dr Luke Nasedra, who said the decision was reached during a meeting held last week.
“From the initiation meeting last week, the nurses, including the healthcare workers have received approval of overtime payment for January,” he said.
While approval has been granted for January overtime payments, Assistant Health Minister Penioni Ravunawa said the ministry was still reviewing unpaid approved overtime claims for February and March this year.
He said a decision on those payments is expected by the end of this month.
Last month Health Minister Dr Atonio Lalabalavu confirmed that health workers were owed about $1.7million in unpaid overtime for the period between January and March this year due to budget shortages.
Dr Lalabalavu said the Ministry of Health had decentralised its budget allocations across 14 cost centres managed by Heads of Cost Centres, including medical superintendents and Divisional Medical Officers.
He said these officers are responsible for managing budgets covering salaries, wages, overtime payments, and related allowances.
According to Dr Lalabalavu, eight of the 14 cost centres have already exhausted their overtime budgets.
He said the ministry had been allocated $7.5 million for overtime payments for established staff and government wage earners.
However, expenditure up to the latest pay period had reached about $9.9 million, an overspend of $2.4 million.
The ministry has since introduced a policy allowing health workers to receive time-off in lieu instead of overtime pay.
