Your safety is government's top priority – Akufo-Addo to Health Workers

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has assured all health workers in the country that his administration has as its frontline agenda, the safety of all health care practitioners in the country.

The President gave the assurance to health workers when he met them at the Jubilee House today the 8th of April 2020, as part of his government's broad consultations will all major players in the health sector of the nation amidst the country's fight against the novel Coronavirus, Covid-19.

"Some of the things you have heard me say, the special arrangements that are being made for health workers, all of it is within the objective of ensuring that you feel reasonably protected, reasonably secured to be able to go out and give off your best," President Akufo-Addo said.

"It would be excellent if all the demands or wishes that you have could all be met. It won't be, but we will do our best to meet the essential ones and that is what we are trying to do," President Akufo-Addo added.

Participation

Amongst the various associations under the broad spectrum of health workers of Ghana who participated in the meeting were the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, Pharmaceuticals Society of Ghana, Allied Health Professionals, Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anaesthetics and the Ghana Physician Assistants Association. Their leaders where given the opportunity to address the gathering to articulate their interests and concerns to the President.

Confusion over Frontline Workers

Madam Pepetual Ofori-Ampofo, President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, in her addresed indicated that nurses and midwives are demotivated and feel unappreciated by government following the many explanations given to the President's statement on allowances for frontline health care workers. It was her contention that every nurse, midwife, physician assistant and nurse anesthetist everywhere is exposed to Covid-19 and they should all enjoy government's incentive package on allowance. All other representatives and leaders of the other organized group also suggested same.

President Akufo-Addo in a response to the concerns of the health care workers noted that it is obvious that the issue of who a frontline worker ought to be must be clearly defined in order to streamline and name the actual beneficiaries of government's tax waivers for health that he announced on the 5th of April 2020. He assured the health workers that the issue will be resolved.

PPE

The availability of Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) was the other major concern to all the health workers who were present at the meeting. They urged government to make good its promise to ensure the supply of PPEs to all health workers. On that score, President Akufo-Addo acknowledged the shortfall while indicating that the local production of PPEs will bridge the shortages that exist in certain places in the country.