By Iddi Yire
Accra, Sept. 12, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the Government plans to introduce a 20 per cent incentive on the basic salaries of health and education workers who will accept postings to deprived and underserved areas across the country.
The initiative, the President explained that was aimed at encouraging professionals to accept postings to communities where their services are urgently needed and addressing the longstanding challenge of workers declining assignments to underserved parts of Ghana.
The President made the disclosure in his remarks on day one of his two-day Resetting Ghana Tour of the Upper West Region at Free Primary Health Care durbar at the Fiano Health Centre in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District.
President Mahama said one of the measures the Government was introducing was an incentive for professionals who accept postings to deprived and underserved districts.
He said he had asked the Fair Wages Commission to identify all deprived and underserved districts across the country.
“Health workers and educational workers who accept postings to those districts will receive an additional 20 per cent of their basic salary as an incentive,” the President stated.
“That process has already begun, and once we complete the necessary approvals, the incentive will take effect.”
President Mahama said they were also improving conditions in every district by constructing roads, expanding access to water and electricity, and providing better public services to make life easier for professionals.
He said in addition, they were providing the equipment health workers need to do their jobs effectively, and that was why they were handing over these medical items at the durbar ground.
“As the saying goes, health is wealth. Your health is your most precious possession. If you are healthy today, give thanks to God, because all of us know what it feels like to be unwell,” the President stated.
“We must protect our health through the food we eat, the way we live, our daily habits, and even our social relationships, because mental health and stress also affect our wellbeing.”
He said every country aims to achieve Universal Health Coverage, which simply means that every citizen should have access to affordable healthcare.
He said in Ghana, with a population of about 34 million people, universal health coverage means that every Ghanaian should be able to receive healthcare when they need it.
He said when his administration took office, health insurance coverage stood at about 60 per cent of the population; saying “in just one and a half years, we have increased that coverage to 76 per cent under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS)”.
President Mahama said from the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound to the health centre and the polyclinic, basic diagnosis, treatment, antenatal care, postnatal care, and the treatment of common illnesses such as malaria, typhoid, and diarrhoeal diseases were provided completely free of charge.
“If you visit your CHPS compound, health centre, or polyclinic, you are not supposed to pay for a single cedi. You do not even need an NHIS card to receive treatment at the primary healthcare level,” President Mahama said.
“You will be examined, treated, and given medicines free of charge, bringing healthcare directly to the doorstep of our people.”
President Mahama said the Free Primary Healthcare Programme this year in Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region and that their first target was to cover 150 districts; saying “and I am happy to announce that we have already reached 135 districts”.
He said by the end of this year, the remaining 15 districts would be onboard, completing the first phase.
The President said their goal was that by the end of 2028, all 261 districts of Ghana would be covered by Free Primary Healthcare.
“The programme is both curative and preventive. If you have malaria, typhoid, or diarrhoea, you receive treatment free of charge,” President Mahama said.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade/Linda Asante Agyei