SCORES of expatriate nurses working at the country’s main hospital who had allegedly not been paid for at least three months have received their pending salaries, it has emerged.
Some of them also revealed their contracts have been renewed.
The GDN reported on July 11 that around 60 senior nurses, who have worked for Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) for 10 to 25 years, claimed their contracts had not been renewed but were still asked to show up for work every day without getting paid.
However, the Health Ministry officials reportedly informed the nurses on July 14 and 15 that their salaries would be credited on July 17.
“We are so happy that there was quick action and we started getting calls from the ministry soon after the report was published,” said an Indian nurse on condition of anonymity.
“The caller from the human resources department said the delay in paying the salary may have been due to our contracts not being renewed.
“But now our contracts have also been renewed and my salary was credited the same week.”
The nurses work in SMC’s paediatric department and other wards, along with the Psychiatric Hospital, the Jidhafs Maternity Hospital and a number of health centres around the country.
Another senior Indian nurse told the GDN she received her salary for four months on Sunday.
“I cannot explain my emotions as our family was struggling after my husband lost his job and we had commitments to meet,” she said.
“The rent was pending, and we are thankful our landlord was understanding enough, but the bank loan was a mess – they would not agree and I almost feared being slapped with a travel ban.
“Fortunately, my salary was credited on Sunday.
“I understand all the rest of us have also been paid.”
The nurses said last month they were uncertain about their future and that they were struggling to make ends meet.
The allegations come amidst a Bahrainisation drive in the health sector, with plans to increase the quota among the nursing staff to 80 per cent in the next two years.
The GDN reported that nurses said that most of them were owed up to BD4,000 for months of work without being paid. A similar situation happened last year when nearly 55 nurses were not paid for months; however, that was later cleared up.
The starting wage for nurses at SMC is around BD340 increasing to between BD600 and BD800 with allowances based on grades.
In March, the GDN reported on a plan to expand Bahrainisation of nursing staff at public hospitals and health centres, with Health Minister Faeqa Al Saleh revealing at the time that the ministry had started employing Bahraini nurses.
SMC is one of three government hospitals in Bahrain and was established in 1975, with a bed capacity of approximately 1,200.
The hospital receives an average of 900 to 1,000 patients a day and employs more than 2,000 physicians, nurses and workers, of whom over 70pc are reportedly expatriates.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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