Insurance for frontline Ebola workers welcome news

The Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa has highlighted the urgent need for increased support for frontline health workers and the systems that support them in the discharge of their duties. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that as of November 2, 2014, some 546 health workers had been infected with Ebola, with 310 of them dying, while caring for the more than 13,000 people confirmed or suspected to be infected with the virus.

Nearly all of these lives have been lost in the three Ebola endemic countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone that have some of the lowest numbers of health workers per capita in the world.

All three countries had less than three doctors, nurses or midwives per 10,000 people before the Ebola epidemic took hold, far less than the 22.8 per 10,000 ratio the WHO says is the minimum needed to deliver basic health services.

For us at the Daily Graphic, we believe that access to competent and dedicated health workers can no longer be allowed to languish as a global health policy afterthought.

We are happy to note that 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 we  are told is being worked out through the State Insurance Company (SIC), consists of a daily incentive allowance and life insurance package in the unfortunate event of the 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.

It is in this respect that the Daily Graphic commends the country’s health authorities for recognising the heroic sacrifices of our frontline health workers and meeting them with honour, compassion and support for their efforts.

Beyond the insurance package, we also urge the government  to invest in equipment, supplies, training, effective management and financial support for the retention of health workers to ensure that every community has the workforce that is needed to save lives.

 We, therefore, urge the government to ensure that both local and international health workers have the supplies they need through a responsive and sustainable supply chain management system.

The authorities must also ensure that all health training programmes provide adequate infection control information on Ebola and other transmissible agents.

The Daily Graphic also appeals to all health workers to use the personal protective equipment (PPE) supplied by the government to safeguard their lives against deadly diseases such as Ebola.