Coronavirus: Sammy Gyamfi makes a case for private health workers

National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi, is advocating for the inclusion of private health workers in tax exemptions, salary increments and insurance packages offered to their colleagues in the public sector.

Mr Gyamfi said private health workers are exposed to the same level of risk as public health workers.

I have a problem with tax holidays, allowances, insurance package and free transport affecting only public health workers, because the virus knows no private or public health worker. All health workers are at risk, this is not the time to create divisions between health workers. Because the last thing you would want to do is to create division between health workers and create the impression that one sector’s work is more important than the others", he said on Adom TV’s Nnawotwe Yi Saturday morning show.

President Akufo-Addo in his fifth address to the nation on measures adopted by the government to mitigate the adverse impacts of coronavirus announced a number of incentives made available to frontline health workers.

The incentives included an insurance package worth GH¢ 350,000.00 and the non-payment of taxes by health workers on their emoluments for the next three months – April, May and June-with a 50% allowance on their March to June salary.

Frontline health workers are also to enjoy free rides to and from work on Ayalolo buses.