NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Health Minister Renward Wells stressed yesterday that a long-promised honorarium was “not for every healthcare worker”, noting the government had allocated some $3 million for that payout.

Wells told reporters yesterday: “The honorarium was not for every healthcare worker. It was a gift from the government initially for those who worked directly on the frontlines in regards to COVID.

“The individuals chosen were done so by those who were the supervisors in the requite sectors of the healthcare sector, who would have put forth their members and would have said these are the persons on the frontline in regards to COVID-19.

“The government would have then issued the requisite compensation to these individuals.”

Wells added: “The head of sections, along with a committee inside the Ministry of Health, determined what each individual was entitled to. This was an incentive to try and incentivize the healthcare sector to come forward.

MORE