Government has provided a life insurance package worth GH¢10.3 million for health personnel at the forefront of Ghana’s fight against the novel Coronavirus disease in the country.
Health personnel expected to benefit from this package include persons involved in surveillance and case management, as well as other health personnel who get infected in the line of duty.
The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta disclosed this while delivering the 2020 mid-year budget review in Parliament on Thursday, July 23, 2020.
“Mr. Speaker, in motivating health personnel, Government has provided a life insurance package worth GH¢10.3 million for those directly involved in surveillance, case management, laboratory, and all other health and allied personnel who get infected.”
Taxes waived for health workers
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The government also waived personal income taxes for 137,000 health workers and offered allowance for 50 per cent of basic salary for about 10,000 frontline health workers during the lockdown.
These direct reliefs to health workers cost Government additional GH¢320 million, according to the Minister.
“Additional provision was made for overtime and risk-based payments for key frontline workers. Transport costs
and costs of sustenance for contact tracers and field surveillance officers were also absorbed by Government,” the Minister added.
The Health Sector Unions and Professional Associations had earlier estimated that a total of 779 health workers had so far been infected with COVID-19 since the outbreak of the disease in Ghana.
They said at least nine of their members had also died from COVID-19.
The Associations attributed the rising infections to lapses in the government’s management of the COVID-19 situation in the country.
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