Covid-19: Frontline Health Workers receive 50% of basic salaries as top-up

• Posted on April 6, 2020April 6, 2020
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Frontline health workers leading the fight against the coronavirus pandemic will receive 50 per cent of their basic salaries as top-up on their emoluments for four months.

They will also be exempt from paying taxes on their salaries for the next three months.

These are part of measures put in place by government to make them comfortable in the discharge of their duties as the country fights the outbreak of coronavirus.

The measures were made known by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Sunday night in a nationwide broadcast.

President Akufo-Addo assured the workers that high priority has been placed on the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for them.

So far, 350, 000 masks, 558,650 examination gloves and 1,000 reusable goggles , among other logistics, have been sent to the regional health directorates for onward distribution to health workers in all districts of the country.

Health workers have complained about the psychological trauma the scourge of the viral disease is having on them especially as some colleagues have fallen victims to it.

At the Accident and Emergency Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, for instance, nurses had planned to stage a strike from Monday over failure by authorities to make PPEs available to them as they claim they were kept in the dark as regards a colleague who tested positive for coronavirus.

President Akufo-Addo noted that government has engaged local manufacturing companies to assist in the production of PPEs to complement the foreign-procured ones.

“I am encouraged by the response of the Ghanaian private sector.”

He said domestic production of these protective items will commence from Tuesday, April 7.

President Akufo-Addo said these are aside an insurance package totalling GH¢350,000 for each and every health worker including allied professionals leading the fight against Covid-19.

Contract tracers will be given a daily allowance of GH¢150.

“Government has also decided that all health workers will not pay taxes on their emoluments for the next three months. ie April, May and June.

“Furthermore, all frontline health workers will receive an additional allowance of 50 per cent of their basic salaries per month. ie for March, April, May and June.”

The March allowance will be paid alongside that of April, the President clarified.

Aayalolo buses will also be on hand to transport all health workers in locked down areas to and fro work.

By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh