Sikkim to provide financial incentive for doctors, nurses, health workers

Gangtok, July 1 (PTI): Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Wednesday announced a one-time incentive for doctors, nurses and other health workers in appreciation of their service in combating Covid-19 pandemic in the state.

Speaking at a function at STNM hospital on the occasion of the National Doctors’ Day, he said that the doctors will be given INR 20,000, while the nursing staff and support staff will get INR 10,000 and INR 5,000 respectively.

The incentive will be disbursed within 15 days, Tamang said.

The medical teams and support staff deserve kudos for working tirelessly at the screening centres, the quarantine centres, and for carrying out contact tracing, he said.

“It is due to to efforts of the medical fraternity that we have been able to cure 50 out of the total of 88 cases in Sikkim so far,” Tamang said.

The chief minister said that the state government has given highest priority to improvement of healthcare system in Sikkim for which it has allocated an enhanced budget of INR 40 crore for the health sector with a provision for an additional INR 16 crore as buffer fund to meet exigencies.

Tamang also announced the launch of ‘Mobile Village Clinic’ in all districts from the next financial year to provide quality health care facilities to the villagers at their door-step. He said that the clinics, to be manned by trained medical staff, will have state-of-the-art equipment.