Private employers spent $6.6million to treat staff with malaria

Malaria situation in the country had a heavy toll on the financial sheet of private businesses, as report by the Ghana Health Service estimate that some $6,588,729.09 was expended by employers in treating employees with malaria in 2015.

According to the Ghana Health Service, 90% of the amount represents direct cost of treatment of employees while the remaining 10% accounted for productivity losses due to worker absenteeism because of ill health.

This was contained in a presentation by the National Malaria Control Programmes Manager at the Ghana Health Service Dr. Constance Bart-Plange at a press briefing on malaria situation in the country ahead of world malaria day slated for April 25, 2016.

“Businesses spent an average of 0.5% of the annual corporate returns on treatment of malaria in employees and their dependants, 0.3% on malaria prevention and 0.5% on other health related corporate social responsibilities”

Dr. Constance Bart- Plange explained that most of the private employers concurred that malaria affected their business efficiency and therefore stressed the need for government to increased investment in malaria control.

Story by: Michael Creg Afful

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