President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo has granted frontline workers yet another incentive package to motivate them in the discharge of their duties amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The President noted in his 13th address to the nation on the COVID-19 pandemic that the additional 50 percent allowance of their basic salary, he promised in his 5th address on Sunday, 5 April, 2020 which was due for expiration this month, has been extended to September this year.
Additionally, frontline health workers as captured by the Ministry of Health are to benefit from an extended insurance cover over the period.
“I’m happy to announce that I have decided to extend the incentive package for health workers by another three months. This means that all health workers will pay no income taxes for the next 3 months i.e July August and September. Again all frontline health workers as defined by the ministry of health will continue to receive the additional allowance of 50% of their basic salary per month for July or August and September”
President Nana Addo noted that the process in identifying eligible health workers under the incentive package was fraught with challenges. Albeit, he intimated that the situation has been resolved and that beneficiaries should expect their accounts to be credited with these allowance at the end of this month.
“I know the implementation of this directive for the months of April and June has been fraught with some challenges caused mainly by the protracted discussions over the definition of who qualifies as frontline health workers in this contest. I have however been assured they have now been resolved and payments will be effected from the end of June. I should reiterate that the insurance package for health workers is still in place. Whilst we appreciate the efforts of our health workers, I continue to urge them to remain professional and compassionate every avoidable death be it Corona related or not is a tragedy” the President emphasized.