Gov’t urged to absorb salaries of Red Cross workers

Mr Shaibu Wilberforce Adams, the Northern Regional Chairman of the Ghana Red Cross Society, has appealed to government to absorb the salaries of workers of the Society due to reduced donor funding for its activities.

Mr Adams, who made the call at the Annual Regional Meeting (AGM) of the Northern Regional branch of the Ghana Red Cross Society in Tamale, over the weekend, said the Ghana Red Cross played an important role in society hence the need for government to absorb salaries of its staff.

The regional AGM was to deliberate on ways to improve the activities of the Ghana Red Cross Society in the region as well as elect management committee members for the region.

Mr Adams said the Ghana Red Cross has been instrumental in the management of disasters in the country as well as helping train officials of the National Disaster Management Organization on disaster management including seeking to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the country.

He said the need for government to absorb salaries of staff of the Ghana Red Cross, who were less than 50, was because donor inflows for its activities and payment of salaries for staff had reduced.

Mr Adams also touted the Ghana Red Cross’ intervention in the area of eye care services, saying that, it had helped to save lives as well as saving government of its funds.

Mr Abdul-Rahamani Yussif, the Northern Regional Manager of the Ghana Red Cross, who presented an annual report of its activities, said the Red Cross had trained 126 volunteers from seven districts in the region on social communication to prevent the spread of the Ebola disease.

He said the content of the training included key messages on the Ebola disease, with volunteers receiving working tools such as megaphones, hand washing facilities and posters to assist them to undertake community sensitization programmes.

Mr Yussif said the Ghana Red Cross Society, in partnership with the Swiss Red Cross and the Ministry of Health, has been implementing Vision First Programme in some districts of the region to address the issue blindness.

He said a number of challenges affecting the operations of the Red Cross in the region included the breakdown of official vehicles and the recruitment of active volunteers.

Meanwhile, the AGM elected 11 Management Committee Members to steer the affairs of the Northern Regional branch of the Ghana Red Cross Society for the next two years.

The volunteers for the event were drawn from Tamale Metro, Bole, Sawla/Tuna/Kalba, Zabzugu, Tatale/Sangule, Chereponi and Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo Districts.