The Ashanti Regional Chairman for Nurses and Midwifery, Mr Jones Afriyie Anto has expressed satisfaction at government’s incentive tools towards Health workers in their quest to fight against the novel COVID-19 virus.

The President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo on Sunday, April 6, 2020 announced “placing a high priority on the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for the protection of frontline health workers including insurance packages. An additional 50 percent allowance has been added to the basic salary of health workers for three months.

“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.

“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.

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According to Mr. Anto, the frontline health workers demanded 120 instead of 50 percent additional allowance yet after considering the state of Ghana’s economy and the lives of people been threatened, they opted to go by what the government would give to stimulate their mode of work.

Speaking on Kwame Tanko’s Angel in the morning show on Kumasi based Angel FM, the Ashanti Regional Chairman commended the president for showing concern towards the frontline health workers and revealed that Nurses in the Ashanti Region are very content with the motivational measures and have promised to give their all to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

He further condemned the attack on two nurses in uniform by security personnel at the Manhyia Hospital and called for them to be brought to justice.

“The nurses were in uniform standing infront of the Hospital and we didn't expect them to go through such treatment. We are all frontline workers putting our lives on the line. Why should we begin attacking each other? We need such to b brought to justice,” he said.

Mr. Anto also called on all health workers to always have their valid identification card on them anytime they are reporting to their various workplaces.

As of Sunday, March 5, 2020, Ghana had recorded 214 cases.