President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to introduce a 20 percent incentive on the basic salaries of health and education workers who accept postings to deprived and underserved areas across the country.
The initiative, according to the President, is 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.
President Mahama made the announcement at a Free Primary Healthcare Durbar at the Fiano Health Centre in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa (DBI) District of the Upper West Region, as part of his Resetting Ghana Tour.
He said government had directed the Fair Wages Commission to identify deprived and underserved districts across the country to facilitate the implementation of the incentive.
“Health workers and educational workers who accept postings to those districts will receive an additional 20 percent of their basic salary as an incentive,” President Mahama announced.
He explained that the incentive was necessary because one of the major challenges facing the country had been the reluctance of health professionals, teachers, civil servants and other public-sector workers to accept postings to certain parts of the country.
The President commended health professionals who had accepted postings to the DBI District, describing their decision to serve in an underserved area as an act of patriotism.
“I want to commend them for their patriotism and for accepting to serve in an underserved part of Ghana,” he said.
President Mahama appealed to residents of the district to make the newly posted professionals feel welcome and comfortable in their communities.
“I ask the people of this district to make their lives comfortable here. Show them kindness and make them feel at home,” he urged.
“If you harvest yam, share some with them. If you have a guinea fowl, give them one, so they will know they are welcome in your community,” the President added.
He said the salary incentive would form part of broader government efforts to improve working and living conditions in deprived communities.
According to President Mahama, government is also investing in roads, water, electricity and other public services to make underserved districts more attractive to professionals who accept postings there.
He said the government was committed to ensuring that workers posted to deprived communities had the necessary resources and conditions to perform their duties effectively.
Story: Patrick Asford Boadu
