Amhara Health Bureau States Backlogged Duty Pay Will Not Be Paid Retroactively

Health professionals in the Amhara Region have shared audio recordings with Tikvah Ethiopia indicating that the regional Health Bureau will not retroactively pay backlogged overtime (duty) compensation to healthcare workers. According to a senior official speaking in a recent meeting with health facility heads, the newly approved overtime payment directive will strictly apply starting from Hamle 1, 2018 E.C., with no backlog payments provided due to budget constraints. The official explained that requests for supplementary budget allocations from regional and federal levels were unsuccessful because of overall budget shortages. A total budget of 8.9 billion ETB—comprising 3.7 billion ETB for hospitals and 5.3 billion ETB for health centers—has been allocated for overtime pay starting from Hamle 1, 2018 E.C., sourced from the institutions' internal revenues via CGS cost estimation. Facilities have been instructed to execute duty payments strictly based on clear calculation guidelines without disrupting other health services. Furthermore, future payments will be determined based on actual medical services rendered rather than staff headcount, taking into account institutional levels and risk tiers while auditing data to prevent fraudulent practices.