resident Nana Akufo-Addo has announced a tax holiday for health workers in the country for the next three months beginning April 2020.
The President made this known during his fifth national address today, Sunday, April 5, 2020, where he updated Ghanaians on the fight against the spread of the novel Coronavirus disease in the country.
“Government has decided that all health workers will not pay taxes on their emoluments for the next three months, i.e. April, May and June,” the President said.
He also disclosed that “all frontline health workers will receive an additional allowance of fifty per cent (50%) of their basic salary per month, i.e April, May, and June. The March allowance will be paid alongside that of April.”
President Akufo-Addo also stated that in a bid to protect the lives of the frontline health workers, the government had procured some essentials needed by health workers to enable them discharge off their duties.
“That is why the Government is placing a high priority on the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for them. Thus far, three hundred and fifty thousand (350,000) masks, five hundred and fifty-eight thousand, six hundred and fifty (558,650) examination gloves, one thousand (1,000) reusable goggles, twenty thousand (20,000) cover-alls, seven thousand (7,000) N-95 respirators, five hundred (500) waterproof gumboots, two thousand (2,000) reusable face shields, two thousand (2,000) gallons of hand sanitizers, ten thousand (10,000) 100ml pieces of hand sanitizers, and five hundred (500) shoe covers have been sent to the regional health directorates, for onward distribution to the district health directorates for use by our health workers in all the districts.”
Korle-Bu doctors threaten to withdraw services
Doctors at the Department of Accident and Emergency at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital threatened to lay down their tools over the supposed lack of COVID-19 preparedness by the hospital.
“We write to express our general dissatisfaction with the preparedness or lack thereof of the department to combat the current COVID-19 pandemic. We also wish to express our displeasure with the events surrounding the hospital’s first confirmed case,” a memo the doctors sent to their Head of Department stated.
Two staff of the Korle-Bu hospital have been reported to be tested positive for COVID-19.
COVID-19 cases in Ghana
Ghana’s current COVID-19 count stands at 214 on Sunday.
Five deaths have been recorded with three recoveries. 49 others are also being treated from home after they were discharged last week.
Regional breakdown of Ghana’s COVID-19 cases
- Greater Accra Region – 189
- Ashanti Region – 12
- Northern Region – 10
- Upper West Region – 1
- Upper East Region – 1
- Eastern Region – 1
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