There are doctors who have not been paid the once off Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSD) gratuity payment months after they were supposed to have received it, the SA Medical Association (Sama) said on Friday.
Some had not been paid a once-off five percent gratuity or been moved to an occupation specific dispensation category which took their experience and qualifications into account, spokesperson Celia Hugo said in a statement.
Hugo said to date several categories of doctors had not been paid the gratuity. ”Sama calls on the department of health to uniformly and appropriately implement the OSD as per both the letter and spirit of the original agreement,” she said.
The OSD negotiation phase was concluded on June 30, and signed off by the employer. Health department spokesperson Fidel Hadebe said it was possible that some doctors had not been paid because they had not submitted their personal details.
”To avoid confusion in the implementation of the OSD we had to ensure that we get individual details of doctors. People who have not been paid could be those who did not submit their details or did not give accurate or correct details.
”The cash was supposed to have been paid a month or two ago. Doctors who have not been paid must contact their employers, who are their respective provincial departments [of health],” he said.
Massive strikes by health workers rocked the country earier this year, as years of underpaying came to a head. – Sapa