President John Dramani Mahama has announced that health workers who accept postings to deprived and underserved areas will receive a 20 per cent incentive on their basic salaries to encourage professionals to serve in communities where healthcare needs are greatest. The President made the announcement at the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District Free Primary Healthcare Community Engagement, where he commended health workers for their patriotism and willingness to serve in underserved parts of the country. He said the incentive is part of measures the government is developing to address the uneven distribution of health professionals across the country and attract more workers to deprived communities.

He further called on residents in underserved communities to support and appreciate health workers who accept postings to their areas, stressing that their contribution was critical to bringing healthcare closer to the people. President Mahama said government was also working to improve roads, water, electricity and other amenities in deprived districts to make working and living conditions more comfortable for health professionals. The Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, said government had procured an additional 5,000 health care bags and 7,000 motorcycles and tricycles for distribution to Free Primary Healthcare (FPHC) facilities across the country.

The additional equipment, he said, would complement those already distributed and strengthen the capacity of health workers to undertake community and household visits under the FPHC programme.Some essential medical equipment, including delivery beds, cardiac machines, phototherapy machines and healthcare bags, among others, have been presented to the Fian Health Centre to support the delivery of Free Primary Healthcare (FPHC) services.

The event forms part of the HE President John Dramani Mahama’s Resetting Ghana tour of the Upper West Region aimed at ensuring that essential FPHC services are brought closer to the people, particularly at the community level and under served areas.

Source: Jubilee House