Pharmaceutical society seeks Insurance Packages for members

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana is appealing to the government to roll out insurance packages for families of pharmacists who died in the line of duty following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Society said the families will depend on such insurance packages to survive.

Speaking at a forum in Accra, President of the Society, Dr. Ben Botwe said the package will mitigate the plight of affected families.

“Some pharmacists working in the front line in the communities were infected with the COVID-19 and some, unfortunately, lost their lives. The society is appealing to you to extend the support that was offered health care workers affected by COVID-19 in the public sector to them, particularly in the form of insurance,” he said.

About 2,000 health workers were reported to have been infected with COVID-19 in Ghana at the height of the spread of the virus in Ghana.

While the majority of those infected recovered, a number of them lost their lives.

In April 2020, the government announced various packages for health workers due to the high risk of their involvement in the discharge of their duty.

An insurance package with an assured sum of ¢350,000 for each health personnel and allied professional at the forefront of the fight was put in place while contact tracers were given a daily allowance of GH¢150.

Health workers emoluments were also made tax-free.