Who is a frontline health worker?
When Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) had their presser on 30th March, 2020, the question on “who a frontline health worker is” was the most asked.
The president of the association said and I quote, “if you’re a nurse or a midwife, you’re a frontline health worker.” I was outraged by her answer.
I believed she was either dodgy on who a frontline health worker was (per the government definition), or was genuinely ignorant on it.
After the presser, I spoke to both the president and the general secretary of the association, and both assured me that frontline health workers as captured on the MoH’s letter on insurance package referred to all nurses and midwives.
I was kind of convinced even though same letter suggestively referred to frontline health workers as persons who “have been deployed to respond to COVID-19”.
When the president gave his 5th address on Covid-19, he stated that health workers were to enjoy three months tax-free salaries.
However, frontline health workers would enjoy additional benefit of 50% more of their basic salary. Clearly, this caveat means not all health workers are frontline workers.
So, the big question is, “Who is a frontline health worker?” Since day one of the logomachy about “frontline”, I have always understood it as “persons who directly respond to Covid-19 cases — contact tracers, isolation centre’s nurses and doctors, field epidemiologists among others”.
As a matter of fact, the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, threw more light on the frontline health worker brouhaha post the president’s last speech. Indeed, his adumbrations clearly torpedoed the GRNMA’s president’s assertion that frontline health workers refers to all cadres of nurses and midwives irrespective of where they are stationed.
For now, there is no operational definition of frontline health workers with respect to Covid-19 crises. However, communication from government kept giving nurses and midwives different and mixed ideas of who truly is a frontliner.
The Information Minister and the Health Minister have both clearly expressed very opposite views on frontline health workers. The latter even said frontline health workers include janitors, cleaners, orderlies etc. Well, most nurses and midwives across the country in various health facilities worry if they were not regarded as frontliners.
Because, before Covid-19 patients get to the so-called frontliners, they might have gone through the hands of the nurse in a tiny deprived village of Kumbungu where basic amenities are a luxury hence, would feel left out.
Nurses who are not at isolation centres or designated for Covid-19 may even stand greater risk as they may not be well PPEed for the virus.
In the light of the misgivings about the frontline health workers, many health professionals especially nurses may be dispirited. It is therefore very important for the government to come out with operational Covid-19 definition of a FRONTLINE HEALTH WORKER to put all these cacophonous grunts to a stop.
Only the official word of the government can be considered seriously as the state would be obligated to live up to words. Until then, I will entreat all nurses and midwives to manage their expectations on any promised Covid-19 emoluments and benefits because there is so much to stress over in these difficult times.
Health professionals in general should not get overly enthusiastic or thrown into oblivion by Covid-19 benefits but rather focus on the rudimentary measures on IPC. Let’s take our personal safety very serious with or without frontline allowance.
The gift of good health is worth more than anything monetarily imaginable.
excellent write up
Im in love with your write-up. Glad to have sat in same class with the only dagomba boy who speaks fluently the queend language
Excellent article my friend. Your fellow ‘frontliners’ will thank u!
This is a great WRITE OUT on such controversial definition of FRONTLINE HEALTH WORKERS. I see it more political rhetoric than factual. PLEASE GIVE ALL
HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS A 10% INCREAMENT OF OUR BASIC SALARIES & USE THE REMAINING 40% TO CONTINUE PROVIDING US THE PPES FOR THE 3 MONTHS. WE MUST BE ALIVE TO ENJOY ANY MOTIVATION BE IT THE UNATTAINABLE POLITICAL OR REAL.WHERE IS THE BACKPAY OR ARREARS PUBLISHED TO BE COLLECTED BY THE END OF MARCH 2020?
Great analysis! Thumb up! There may even be workers at offices who qualify to be frontline health workers. Eg. Senior technocrats.
Very impressive write-ups as usual of Confidence. This front line issue has the propensity of causing serious labour issues if not handled properly.
This is a great WRITE OUT on such controversial definition of FRONTLINE HEALTH WORKERS. I see it more political rhetoric than factual. PLEASE GIVE ALL
HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS A 10% INCREAMENT OF OUR BASIC SALARIES & USE THE REMAINING 40% TO CONTINUE PROVIDING US THE PPES FOR THE 3 MONTHS. WE MUST BE ALIVE TO ENJOY ANY MOTIVATION BE IT THE UNATTAINABLE POLITICAL OR REAL.WHERE IS THE BACKPAY OR ARREARS PUBLISHED TO BE COLLECTED BY THE END OF MARCH 2020?
I know a nurse who has not gone to her facility for the past one week because of Covid-19. God is watching.
You should be able to ask the nurse why she had not gone to work.Most health care workers including the older ones,those with underlying conditions and pregnant women are given a few days or even weeks of stay at home to mitigate the crises if there is a possible infection at their work facilities.So please be factual on the reasons before making such allegations.Thank you.
Just hope this article gets to the right people for a better understanding to all
Good work and as you ended by calling on govt to cone out with operational definition of who a frontline health worker is, I entreat you to employ your professional antics to follow up this FRONT LINE WORKER DEFINITION isue ( with the relevant bodies) which is at the brink of tearing professional health worker groups apart. Laboratory scientists ( sample collection and testing), disease control /public health officers ( regional and district level training, contact tracing and rumours invention, sample collection, storage & transportation etc), the CLEANER at Ridge Hospital respinsible for the collection and disposal of tissue used by COVID-19 patients, nurses and Doctors attending to these patients must all be acknowledged in the operational implementation of these benefits. This enablers package should be handled professional so that it serves as a strength for the fight against COVID-19 and not a weakness or threat to that course. Shalom
I’m a bit surprised the Ghana medical association doesn’t seem to be bothered about this front line thing. Is there an assurance to them that they’ve all been captured?
I love the write up, me my self a staff nurse at the Apowa health centre in Takoradi. Since this covid-19 started up to now not any single ppes in our facility as at now but we gust work with our bear hands only to work up and realise that we are gust suffering for the mother Ghana for nothing. We are patiently waiting for the end of the month to sea whether we are different from the frontlines worker’s or not. There we will now know the steps to follow if our leaders are not to fight for us we will also fight for our own lives. Thanks
You will never disappoint.Thumbs up!!
Well articulated.
I enjoy your write ups but your grammar some times is not simple.
Erudite chief 😏
kindly gift me a dictionary
Erudite chief 😏
kindly gift me a dictionary
Who is a frontliner, I am a nurse at TTH currently under quarantine as a result of exposure to a covid-19 patient. I trust God my (our) second test results come clean. But God forbid that the unfortunate happens, what would you say about it. Who sees the patient before he is sent to the so called facility to be catered for by frontliners.
God is watching and we are all seeing how terrible our health system in this country is. I hope we will learn lessons post covid-19.
Love the article, I work in a hospital as an electrician, we are always around patients, docs, nurses, our responsibility to everyone that walks through these doors is to ensure a safe and functional building. this does put us in situations that exposes us to anything and everything, but we do it everyday, it is a calling. Hang on America, we will get through this and I can only hope our government will fix our health care system. Have a great and safe day America, and GOD bless America.
My brother, I admire reading from you not just because you are a brother but because of the way you address issues of national interest.
The health delivery system in Ghana has grouped the health workers into two main groups, analyzing from my angel of argument here.
1. The clinical staffs. Which includes health workers that takes care of patients direct. Providing medical care. This group includes those in the hospital setup and those in the Pre-hospital emergency Sector. Almost every media person is talking about the clinicians in the hospital setup. No one talks about those of us in the Pre-hospital emergency Sector, that includes the Emergency Medical Service Professionals working with the National Ambulance Service.
2. The other group is about the non clinical staff at the hospitals and other sectors of the health.
So pls you people should also highlight on the risk those of us in the Pre-hospital emergency Sector faces. We are the first frontliners before any other person in the health sector. The critically sick patients will not fly to hospitals or treatment centers. They all need to be transported by ambulance and during that transportation, medical care is given to them in the Ambulance.
Health professionals are not overly enthusiastic to Covid-19 benefits but wants a fairness across. No health workers is fighting over the package and allowances to be given to those at the isolation centers so please tag them as being money driven.Afterall how long is that package going to last, so let’s be careful in how we criticize about their concerns. Just analyze this, it’s been reported that about 5 nurses have been tested positive to Covid-19 in the Greater Accra Region; these nurses are not at the isolation centers so tell me, those packages and allowances to be given to those frontliners at the isolation centers be given to them because they are not captured in it. So what happens to them( nurses who tested positive whiles working).
Health workers are not provided full PPE’s whiles those at the treatment/isolation centers are fully proctected in PPE. So who’s more at risk? Before a patient is tested positive to Covid-19 ,do they go straight to the isolation centers directly when they don’t present any symptoms/signs of Covid-19? There are protocols to such services.
First these patients will attend the clinic / hospitals which health workers would attend to them before samples will be taken and sent for testing and let’s say those health workers aren’t in their full PPE’s but has attended to them and later results states positive to Covid-19, who will be at a high risk? After testing positive, the so called frontlines you regard most are informed about the patients and fully prepare themselves for arrival and management of those patients.
So who’s more at risk?
If this situation had happened to GES we wouldn’t have heard any controversial argument but look at Ghana health service our so-called leaders because of selfish position n fighting over belt you can not make simple concensus over this ,always these GHS leaders show descrimination among the nurses n this situation has expose some these leaders immaturity , especially That women who said 30% should be given to some nurses,please if you know u can’t fight for the welfare of nurse please don’t open ur buccal cavity to make nonsense suggestion , cos someone has promise to give 50% for all,u want to reduce somepeople bonus to 30% please we did not force our President make that promises ,ok if u people not heal peoples injury please don’t add salt to the injury thank