Government will allocate $210 million in fiscal 2023 to be distributed to healthcare workers as a special payment for their efforts during the pandemic.

During his budget presentation in the House of Representatives on Monday, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said this will include ex-gratia payments to roughly 20,000 health workers.

It follows a public mandate given to the Finance Minister by Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, for the payments to be allocated in the new fiscal year. 

Speaking on a PNM platform last month, the Prime Minister said: “And it is not to say we do not recognize what other people have done. But those who walked the extra mile and had the extra exposure- it is on that basis alone. And they rose to the occasion. Our health service was there for all of Trinidad and Tobago and we must be a grateful people!” said the PM, who personally contracted Covid-19 on two occasions since the start of the pandemic.