President Akufo-Addo has stated that effort is being made on the part of the government, to arrive at an acceptable definition of the group constituted “Frontline Health Workers” for the fight against Pandemic COVID-19.
The President has however invited Leadership of the Ghana Medical Association to bring their input to get a definition that makes sense for everybody and which addresses the issue of people who are also in the frontline, as it were, of dealing with this disease.
This was announced by Nana Akufo-Addo at a meeting with the leadership of the Ghana Medical Association at Jubilee House.
An insurance package, with an assured sum of three hundred and fifty thousand cedis (GH¢350,000) for each health personnel and allied professional at the forefront of the fight, has been put in place, with a daily allowance of one hundred and fifty cedis (GH¢150) being paid to contact tracers.
The government has also decided that all health workers will not pay taxes on their emoluments for the next three months, i.e. April, May, and June.
Furthermore, all frontline health workers will receive an additional allowance of fifty percent (50%) of their basic salary per month, i.e. for March, April, May, and June. The March allowance will be paid alongside that of April.
The Ministry of Transport is also making available, for free, ‘Aayalolo’ buses to convey health workers in Accra, Tema, Kumasi, and Kasoa to and from work, along specific routes, for the entire duration of the restrictions.
But the sector minister, Dr. Kwaku Agyeman Manu addressing the press in Accra today said the allowance will only apply to those working at the frontline of the disease outbreak although the tax exemption will apply to all health workers.
“The critical nurses and perioperative nurses that are in their final year and those on rotation who have been called and are on standby at Korle bu waiting to be deployed to isolation centers, they are the ones we are talking about,” he explained.
He indicated that other nurses who are on rotation in other health facilities who are currently not engaged by the government, as well as those on study leave who have not been called back will not benefit from the allowance package.
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Kofi Atakora
