Private nurses, midwives to enjoy 50% tax relief - Minister of Health

Ghana's Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu has settled the confusion as to whether nurses at the private hospitals will also enjoy the tax relief directed by the president.

According to the minister, only nurses and midwives in private hospitals who pay taxes will benefit.

"The president mentioned tax relief for all workers and we are working on modalities to grant these tax relief for all health workers including those in the private sector. If your employer gives us your tax returns, we pick your tin numbers, we work with it so that you also benefit so far as you are a health worker"."

He clarified this at the Ministry of Information's press briefing held Tuesday morning.

Mr Agyemang-Manu reiterated that private health workers are not exempted from boarding the Ayalolo bus that conveys them to and from work.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Sunday announced packages for frontline health workers including 50% salary allowance and tax exemption.

The sector minister said the allowance will only apply to those working at the frontline of the disease outbreak although the tax exemption will apply to all health workers.

“The critical nurses and perioperative nurses that are in their final year and those on rotation who have been called and are on standby at Korle bu waiting to be deployed to isolation centers, they are the ones we are talking about, ” he explained.

He indicated that other nurses who are on rotation in other health facilities and are currently not engaged by the government, as well as those on study leave who have not been called back, will not benefit from the allowance package.

Mr. Agyeman-Manu however, thanked the country’s health staff for the tremendous support to the government in the past few weeks.

“Let us continue to work together and as the president has said, this too shall pass, ” he added.