Govt Works Out Package For Health Staff Who�d Manage Ebola

An elaborate compensation package is being rolled out by the government for frontline health staff who will manage the Ebola disease in the event of its outbreak in the country. The package, which is being worked out through the State Insurance Company (SIC), consists of a daily incentive allowance and a life insurance package in the unfortunate event of death of a health worker when treating an Ebola patient. The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Victor Asare Bampoe, made this known at a dialogue organised by Development Challenge, a policy research organisation, in Accra yesterday. The dialogue, which is held monthly, brought together students, organised groups and the public to discuss the theme, �Preventing Ebola outbreak...a collaborative effort�. Dr Bampoe said the government was also making strenuous efforts to ensure that the country secured the latest treatment or management tools, such as convalescent serum and vaccines, in readiness for health workers who might be infected by Ebola. Training for regional staff The Director of Public Health Services of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Badu Sarkodie, said all regional health staff had been educated on how to treat Ebola cases. He said it was vital for the country to be in a state of readiness to fight the disease and, therefore, commended the government�s efforts. Dr Sarkodie advised members of the public to be cautious of the way they handled bush meat and dead bodies, stressing that they were sources of the spread of Ebola. A former Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Moses Adibo, and a former Chief Medical Officer of the GHS, Dr Kofi Ahmed, also advised the public to be cautious of how they handled sick people, adding that only sick persons could transmit the virus to uninfected persons. They said early detection and prompt treatment were key to ensuring total recovery of infected persons and further advised the public not to be complacent because no Ebola case had been reported in the country.