The Ghana Health Service (GHS) says all designated frontline workers at the various health facilities across the country have been paid their allowances.

Speaking to JoyNews, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kumah Aboagye stated that any frontline worker that is yet to be paid their allowance for the work done might be as a result of technical issues with their account details.

The Director General’s explanation follows threats by members of the Covid-19 taskforce team at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital to withdraw their services for non-payment of their 50% basic salary allowance as promised by the government since July 2020.

Speaking on the sidelines of the commissioning of a Covid-19 centre at the Cape Coast Metro Hospital, the Ghana Health Service boss indicated whatever challenges there are would be rectified and the affected persons paid.

He explained, “so far as we are concerned, all designated frontline workers have been paid. All those people who were defined as frontline workers have been dealt with and if there are outstanding ones, they may be either having issues with their account number or something and that’s what is causing the delay.”

He intimates the movement of workers to and from the frontline designation might account partly for the delays that some have encountered.

“It is not one person who does the work. You work in a lab; you did three months and someone came to replace you. And so, all those changes make it tedious to ensure that all those who are moved out are taken out and those who move in are paid. And that’s what caused the initial delay but currently, almost everyone has been paid,” he stressed.

On the procurement of vaccines, Dr. Kumah Aboagye says, there is a lot of work going and very soon, the vaccines would come in so that those who are due for the second jab would be served.

He assured, “efforts are being made to ensure they have their first shot.”

He commended the Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Akosua Sarpong, for her instrumental role in getting the testing centre in place.

“You are going to get a P3 laboratory- a prefabricated lab- that’s a very high-level support system for the region so that not only you can get access the PCR but all the Public health reference diseases and other diseases would be available for you.

"We will work with the region to identify where it would be done since it is a prefabricated lab, it would be just lifted and put at the designated place," he added.

Central Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Akosua Sarpong said they had to spend funds on transportation to send specimen and get the results of the specimen. She indicates, it had implications for clinical decision-making because taking the specimen and receiving the results delayed.

She said, “as a region, we made a request to the Director -General and he being so responsive and caring for the people of the Central Region and also for the country, worked so hard to get the PCR machine through the donation of Nalex.”

She intimates, Nalex donated the equipment to them and subsequently, the Management of the Cape Coast Metro Hospital did so well to put all the things they needed, to set up the place, in place.
She promised the facility would be put to use to quicken the pace of testing and the receipt of results.