PAL GETS GREENLIGHT FOR SALARY DISPARITY CONCERNS ……… Following Dialogue With GOL
By: Jerromie S. Walters
Congo Town, Liberia: Following months of strike actions over salary disparity, validation and reclassification of pharmacists across Liberia, the Government of Liberia and the Pharmacitical Association of Liberia (PAL) have resolved through a peaceful dialogue, to have the pharmacists’ concerns addressed before August 15, 2022.
Speaking with scores of reporters at the Ministry of Health mid Monday June 27, 2022, the President of PAL, Dr. Matilnue Dukuly Fahnbulleh disclosed that the government of Liberia has assured the group during a special meeting conveyed on Monday, to ensure that issues relating Salary disparity amongst others, are addressed in due time.
The special meeting was held amongst officers of the Pharmacitical Association of Liberia, Health Minister Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah, and a team from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
The team from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning which represented the government along with the Health Minister, welcomed the pharmacists concerns and agreed to ensure that it is addressed before the end of August of this year.
However, the Pharmacists have assured to remain calm, and count on government by their promise, as their paramount concern remain ensuring that their just renumeration is met, and the salary or benefit gap is balanced.
They believed pharmacists are keen members of the public health team, as such, they deserve the needed benefits other health practitioners are receiving.
The pharmacists described how they have been treated over the period, as being worsely marginalized, noting that they are immensely contributing to the health growth of Liberia, as such, they should also be seen as a priority.
“We have saved this nation, we have saved thousands of dollars in this nation when it comes to premature deaths, recurrence admission in hospitals, pharmacists have done that, yet people have said we have not done anything, we have been marginalized and we hope that this can end as of this meeting,” Dr. Matilnue Dukuly Fahnbulleh intruded.
As it has been seen with doctors and other health practitioners, the pharmacists noted that they have never been to school for about ten years and the government has never looked in their direction in terms of scholarship or other educational opportunities.
Dr. Dukuly Fahnbulleh further urged that salary disparity, housing, and welfare of pharmacists are to be met in Liberia, as they are cardinal to the developmental goal of the heath sector.
The President of the Pharmacitical Association of Liberia also called on all pharmacists to remain vigilant till their concerns are addressed as they are also essential just as other health practitioners, as such; they deserve to be treated with high esteem.
“I’m saying to all pharmacists in and around Liberia, to remain vigilant, remain vigilant for a cause that you believe in and for your renumeration that you deserve, do not be satisfied until you can get your reclassified salaries, that is paramount, you went to school for equal years as doctors l, we are doctors of pharmacy, they are doctors of medicine, we went to school for equal years, we deserve better results,” she urged.
The Pharmacitical Association of Liberia (PAL) is the umbrella union of pharmacists across Liberia, which is currently be headed by Dr. Matilnue Dukuly Fahnbulleh, as it first female President.
