Members of the Coalition of Graduate Unemployed Allied Health Professionals say they will quit contact tracing duties if government does not give them fixed employment status.

According to the Coalition made up of public trained health professionals in the field of disease control, medical records assistants, field technicians, and medical laboratory technicians, government has a week ultimatum to address their concern.

In a statement signed by Vincent Amponsah Gyamfi, the General Secretary of the Coalition, the group expressed shock that the Health Ministry processed nurses and midwives for posting without including allied health professionals.

“Our attention has been drawn to a letter with reference number MOH/HR/IT/005 from the Ministry of Health indicating that, nurses and midwives have been given financial clearance by the Ministry of Finance leaving behind Allied Health professionals who heeded calls from the President and the Ghana Health Service to aid in the contact tracing of Covid-19 patients,” it read.

Currently, 19,276 persons in Ghana have been reached through contact tracing, with tests conducted for some 15,384 persons.

Out of this, the result for some 7,461 is out, of which 14 people have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The total number of confirmed cases is now 287, a situation that is of concern to Ghanaians.

President Akufo-Addo says, the 14 days lockdown imposed on residents in Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi, parts of Central region and Tema is to help identify and test people who have come into contact with persons affected by the virus.

He subsequently announced a daily allowance of ¢150 for all persons hired to be contract tracers, among other incentives for frontline health workers.

But the Coalition believes government is taking undue advantage of its members, hence the decision to withdraw from the exercise until their posting is confirmed.

Below is the press statement