GRA and GCNet workers to benefit from employee wellbeing programme

Accra, Oct. 20, GNA - The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in collaboration with the Ghana Community Network Service Limited (GCNet) has initiated an "Employee Wellbeing Programme and Policy," aimed at improving the holistic wellbeing of their workforce. The programme includes improving access to health care, social protection and financial counseling services.

Dr Adriana Ignea, Employee Wellbeing Programme Coordinator, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Wednesday, said the programme started as a workplace programme but would now serve their immediate families as well as communities they operated in. She noted that the project had received both financial and technical support from the German Technical Cooperation and was aimed at reaching approximately 38,000 people by 2012. Dr Ignea said activities to be implemented at the workplace and the community level would include information and education programmes where information materials would be provided as well as organizing talks for workers on various issues such as HIV/AIDS, Malaria control and Tobacco control.

"Basic and comprehensive health screening and individual financial assessment would be provided," Dr Ignea added. She observed that the policy had defined GRA and GCNet positions and practices for preventing life threatening diseases including HIV/AIDS, tuberculoses and malaria among employees, their families and immediate communities.

"This is to ensure that staffs and their families enjoy full social protection, financial counseling and an improved access to treatment and care facilities that are related to infectious and non communicable diseases," she said.

The programme expresses the standard of behavior expected of all employees and informs all employees on what service and assistance were available. 20 Oct. 10