One doctor for 66,000 patients?
Chiefs pay homage to Asantehene-elect
Two banks donate towards chief’s funeral
African - Asian lawyers to fight against poverty
School faces ejection from rented premises
Defective headlights, disregard for signs major cause of accidents - official
Boon to crop production as research station turns waste material into organic manure
Street youth organisation donates clinic for AIDS patients
Varsity students discuss graduate unemployment
Rid church of corruption –Chief executive advises
Security agencies told to heed advice of Prez Rawlings
One doctor for 66,000 patients?
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 26 April ’99
One hundred and sixteen doctors were lost by the country last year alone, and out of the 1,430 doctors trained by the Ghana Medical School since its inception in 1962, only 110 are in the country at present.
Available statistics provided by the Ghana Medical Association indicate that the doctor-patient ratio in Ghana is 1:12,500. In the Upper East region, it is one doctor to 66,000 patients, a situation described as serious.
A communique issued and signed jointly by Dr J.K Kwakye-Marfo and Dr Oheneba Owusu-Danso, president and honorary secretary of the GMA, at the association's second representative board meeting held in Kumasi, announced that the GMA would formally address the issue of the brain-drain of health professionals at its 41st annual general meeting, slated for November this year under the theme "Arresting the Brain Drain in the Health Sector".
This has become necessary in view of the alarming rate at which doctors trained by the two medical institutions in the country are leaving to seek greener pastures.
Meanwhile the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has called on the government to implement without further delay the medium to long term salary/income policy, otherwise called the Price Waterhouse Report.
The government should also put in place a "fair and responsible appellate body" to address any disagreement arising out of the implementation.
The association asked the government to abide by the spirit of the memorandum of understanding and its supporting minutes as signed by the GMA and the government on December 27 last year until the agreed review date in May 1999.
The communique re-affirmed the determination of the GMA to continue with its annual health week activities in all regions of the country. The Afram Plains is a special focus area this year.
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Chiefs pay homage to Asantehene-elect
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 26 April ’99
The Asantehene-elect, Otumfuo Osei Tutu the second, on Sunday sat in state at Kwakorem, a patio at the Manhyia Palace, wearing a simple green adinkra cloth, to receive chiefs and visitors attending the concluding rites leading to his coronation.
Among the chiefs who paid homage were Nsutahene, Nana Adu-Agyei Bonsafo the third, Juansahene, Nana
Agyemang Teatua, Bantamahene, Baffour Awuah the fifth, and Tafohene, Nana Ponkor Baffour the second.
The others were: Amakomhene, Nana Akosa Yiadom, Asemhene, Nana Baffour Kyei, the Anantahene, Baffour Appiah Dankwa the third, and Hwidiemhene, Nana Anarfi Korkorto.
The Gyaase, Ankobea, Manwere and Nkosuo division were also there. The Asantehemaa, Nana Afua Kobi
Serwaa Ampem, was represented by Nana Por, Kumasi Dompoasehemaa.
On Monday, April 26, Otumfuo Osei Tutu will be enstooled at midnight at Pramankesieso, where he will be "put" on the Golden Stool after the necessary rites have been performed at Pampaso and the Kumasi Sports Stadium.
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Two banks donate towards chief’s funeral
Akim Oda (Eastern Region), 26th April ‘99 –
Barclays Bank Ghana Limited and the Cooperative Bank Limited on Thursday presented items at different functions to the Akim Kotoku Traditional Council for the funeral of Okofrobour Agyeman Attafua the IV, Omanhene of the Akim Kotoku Traditional area who will be buried on Saturday, May One.
Barclays bank presented a cheque for two million cedis, a carton Schnapps, two bottles of Gin, two cartons of beer and two crates of minerals, while Cooperative bank gave one million cedis and a carton of schnapps.
Mr Mike Hukpati, and Mr Edwin Sackey, Branch manager of Barclays and Cooperative respectively, presented the items which were received on behalf of the council Nana Akua Asantewaa II, the Queenmother.
The late Omanhene who died late last year will laid in state from Thursday, 29th April.
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African - Asian lawyers to fight against poverty
Accra (Greater Accra), 26th April ‘99 -
Participants at the 38th Session of the Asian-African Consultative Committee meeting which ended in Accra on Friday, have resolved to co-operate with the United Nations and other international bodies to ensure peace and the alleviation of poverty.
In a resolution, they commended efforts to find a solution to the Middle East crisis based on UN Security Council resolutions on "land for peace" and legitimate rights of Palestinians.
"Mindful of the difficulties being faced in the implementation of tenets of the peace process, AALCC expresses hope that a just and durable solution will allow Palestinian people to attain their legitimate rights".
They took note of the difficulties migrant workers face and the need to protect their basic human rights and requested its secretariat to convene an "Open Ended Working Group" to consider the issue.
The session recognised the importance of consultations between member states on the status and treatment of Refugees and asked member states to submit comments on the matter relating to Asia and Africa.
It urged member states to consider ratifying the statute on the establishment of an International Criminal Court, which will be open for signature at the UN headquarters from December 31, 2000.
The resolution acknowledged the growing importance of global electronic commerce and the expertise developed within the UN and other international organisations concerned with international trade law.
It therefore urged member states to consider adopting, ratifying or acceding to the instruments prepared by the UN Commission on International Trade Law.
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School faces ejection from rented premises
Abura Dunkwa (Central Region), 26th April ‘99 –
The Aburaman Secondary School at Abura
Dunkwa in the Central Region is being threatened with ejection from the community centre where it is currently housed.
The headmaster, Prince Osei Nkrumah, said there is pressure on the school to quit the premises so that it could be used to host activities of the centre which have now been thrown overboard because there is nowhere to have them.
Prince Nkrumah told newsmen at Abura Dunkwa that classes are now being held at another site provided by the authorities but said it lacked other facilities such as an administration block and library which made it difficult for the smooth runningof the school.
The headmaster appealed to the Abura-Asebu Kwamankese district assembly and the Ghana Education Service to ensure the completion of science laboratory for the school which was started in 1995 but is still at the foundation level.
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Defective headlights, disregard for signs major cause of accidents - official
Accra (Greater Accra), 26th April ’99 -
Driving with defective headlights, refusal to respond to dim signals, drunkenness, and total disregard for traffic signs and regulations have been identified as the major causes of motor accidents.
Mr Aikins Agamah, Welfare Officer of the Accra-Ho branch of the Ghana Private Roads and Transport Union (GPRTU), said over the weekend.
He has, therefore, advised drivers to check every gadget on their vehicles to ensure that they are in order before getting on the road.
"It is wrong to drive vehicles with one headlight or move with defective gears because they can easily result in accidents," he warned.
Mr Agamah urged drivers not to allow the zeal to get rich quick tempt them to make several trips in a day since leads to over-speeding which could easily result in fatal crashes on the road.
"Passengers should also desist from asking drivers to speed up so they can reach destinations as quickly as. Even when they do, disregard them because you are the driver and you are in control," he said.
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Boon to crop production as research station turns waste material into organic manure
Akim Oda (Eastern Region), 26th April ‘99-
The University of Ghana Agricultural Research Station at Kade has developed a mechanism which will not only clean the cities of filth but also serve as a boost to agricultural production by converting waste material into organic manure.
Dr J.K. Osei, officer in charge of the station, announced this at the closing ceremony of the 15th Conference/Workshop for members of the Eastern Regional Agricultural Science Teachers Association of Ghana (ASTAG) held at Akim Swedru in the Birim South District on Friday.
He said mechanism if properly applied will relive many city authorities of the problems they face in keeping their environment clean as all waste material will be turned into fertiliser for growing crops.
It will also help the production of food as the enriched soil will turn out more food crops in abundance and help the nation’s drive towards attaining food-self-sufficiency.
Mr Kwadwo Akuamoah-Boateng, Birim South District Deputy Co-ordinating Director, who was the guest speaker, reminded members of the association that the interest or otherwise of students in a subject depends, to a great extent, on the way teachers handle it.
He, therefore, appealed to them to try and whip up the interest of students in agriculture.
In his welcoming address, Mr Fred Mante-Larbi, Regional chairman of the association, mentioned insufficient textbooks in General Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Wildlife and Forestry as one of the frustrations facing teachers of the subject.
He called for support from school authorities, the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service towards Agricultural science education.
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Adenta citizens prefer keep fit exercises to talk on environment
Adenta (Greater Accra), 26th April ’99 –
The people of Adenta on Saturday failed to turn up at a durbar organized to create awareness on the need to safeguard the environment.
Children formed the majority of those who turned up for the durbar organised by Environmental Concerns Centre of Ghana (ECCG), an NGO, as officials made frantic efforts to get more people to attend.
Many however preferred their Saturday morning keep-fit exercises and other social engagements to another lecture on the environment.
The durbar, sponsorship of the European Union through PACIPE- Ghana, A French NGO, however went on and was preceded by communal labour. It was held under the theme "Environmental Cleanliness-Community Participatory Concept".
Mr Baffour Ayeh-Kwapong, Director of Ako Waste Limited, a waste management
company who spoke on "Effective Environmental Practices - A Check on Communicable Diseases", called on all Ghanaians to make issues relating to the environment "every one's concern".
He asked the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) to re-engage sanitary inspectors in Tema and Accra to ensure that residents maintain sound environmental practices.
"As a nation, we need to tackle environmental issues with all the seriousness it deserves, by enforcing all the existing laws", he said.
Dr Liberty King, a medical consultant who spoke on "Environmental Cleanliness and Community Hygiene - Problems and Solutions", said a survey carried out by TMA revealed that water from stand-pipes sometimes contain faecal matter.
"This situation, the studies showed, was because some pipe lines are laid in gutters and unhygienic areas, leading to the contamination of the treated water with faecal matter with a little bursting of the line."
He called on all residents to ensure strict hygienic practices to maintain a healthy body at all times.
Mr Franklin W. K. Aheto, Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, called on residents to ensure that they build toilet facilities in their houses to prevent residents from defecating indiscriminately.
"You should also bear in mind that public toilet facilities are meant for strangers ... and not for residents as has become the norm", he added.
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Street youth organisation donates clinic for AIDS patients
Accra (Greater Accra), 26th April ‘99 –
The African Street Youth Organisation (ASYO) has agreed to donate a 32-million-cedi clinic at Bensuo in the Wassa West District of the Western Region to the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) as a rehabilitation centre for AIDS patients.
Mr John Benjamin Mensah, Founding President of ASYO, a non-governmental organisation, said the clinic was built last year with the support of Peaceway Incorporated, of San Francisco.
He said the donation is in response to a request the PPAG made to his organisation, whose aims are geared to the rehabilitation of street children.
Mr Mensah made the announcement after launching a programme to cater for the needs of neglected children who end up in the streets.
The organisation has 30 children under its care who it is training to act as a pressure group for the rights of African street children and to enable them to identify street children for rehabilitation.
Mr Mensah said the ASYO planned to establish vocational and technical schools to train deprived children in employable skills.
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Varsity students discuss graduate unemployment
Accra (Greater Accra), 26th April ’99 –
The University of Ghana branch of the Tertiary Education Network (TEIN) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has organised a forum to discuss the problem of unemployment among university graduates and the youth generally.
The forum, attended by party and government officials, provided a platform for the collation of views and suggestions towards finding lasting solutions to the unemployment problem and strategies to strengthen the youth wing of the party.
Those present at the forum included Professor Patrick Addy, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports and President of TEIN, Mrs Rebecca Adotey, Deputy Minister of Communications and member of Parliament for Ayawaso West-Wuogon, Mr Yaw Akrasi Sarpong, National Youth Organiser, NDC, Commander P. M. G. Griffiths, Deputy Minister of Communications, and Mr Kofi Atoh, Member of Parliament for Ho Central.
Mr Atoh said the government is determined to find solutions to youth problems as evidenced in the launching of the Youth In Employment Project which is aimed finding a holistic approach to the issue.
Professor Addy said a TEIN desk has been set up at the National Headquarters of the NDC to co-ordinate and handle activities and issues of the youth and TEIN members.
Mrs Adotey called on the youth to be self-reliant and initiate activities that would help reduce unemployment.
She advised supporters of the NDC, especially the youth wing, to guard against "the negative propaganda strategies of the opposition" and urged them to devise ways to sustain the interest of the youth in the party.
Mrs Adotey later donated 100,000 cedis to the Legon branch of the TEIN in support of its activities.
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Ejura (Ashanti), 26th April ’99 --The Ejura-Sekyedumasi
district assembly has since 1994 spent a total of 373.5 million cedis on the provision of a variety of facilities and infrastructure to transform the otherwise the health centre at Ejura into a district hospital.
Facilities provided under the face-lift programme by the assembly include the rehabilitation of the out-patient department and the construction of a theatre, two wards and a semi-detached bungalow.
Split air-conditioners have also been installed in the theatre and the water supply system rehabilitated with the aid of the World Vision International, an NGO.
Mrs Joana Appiah-Dwomoh, Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, said this at the commissioning of the blood bank for the hospital on Saturday.
She allayed the fears of the people that blood transfussion could be contaminated in view of the AIDS disease and assured them that equipment for screening all blood samples have been provided to the bank to ensure the safety of their operations.
In an address read for him, Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira, Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, appealed to citizens of the area to accept blood transfusion as a modern therapy and to encourage the youth to form clubs to voluntarily donate blood to the bank.
He said the regional health services administration will assist the Ejura hospital to provide quality services adding that it has allocated an incubator, a theatre lamp, step down transformer, wheel chair, beds and foams to the hospital.
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Rid church of corruption –Chief executive advises
Bekwai (Ashanti), 26th April ’99 –
Madam Grace Awuah, Amansie East District Chief Executive (DCE), has called on churches to make conscious efforts to rid the church of corruption and other anti-social vices that threaten the very fabric of the society.
She told the second annual synod of the Methodist church at the Wesley Chapel, Bekwai on Saturday that the church has a "great responsibility" to bring about total transformation in the lives of its members.
The theme for the five-day synod, which is being attended by over 100 delegates from the 213 societies and 11 circuits in the district, is "Supporting the Vision of the Church".
The DCE stressed the need for Christians to rise above parochial interests in order for the church to be effective at addressing matters that affect the welfare of its members.
Madam Awuah urged members to honour their tax obligations and support the government in its developmental programmes.
The Reverend Samuel Agyei-Mensah, chairman and General Superintendent of the Obuasi district, said there is the need for Christians to re-examine themselves in the light of the "Great Commission".
"To intensify our efforts at evangelism and church planting, circuits are expected to plant at least three churches within the year and increase church membership by at least 30 per cent", he said.
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Security agencies told to heed advice of Prez Rawlings
Kulgi-Duli (Northern Region) 26 April ’99
The member of parliament for Mion constituency in the Yendi district, Alhaji Alabira, has appealed to security agencies to take the recent directive by President Rawlings to clamp down on the activities of alien herdsmen in the country seriously.
The problems caused by these herdsmen were never adequately dealt with last year, the result of which they continue to cause havoc in the district.
The issue came up at separate meetings in seven Konkomba communities in his constituency.
The communities are: Kulgi-Duli, Pion, Jegrido, Naa-Duuni, Baachebor-Yili, Kupaligu and Bunbong-Nayili.
The herdsmen have been destroying farms and polluting water sources, an opinion leader, Npongna Jegiri egiri, said at Jegrido,.
Despite their destructive activities, they do not pay any tax to the district assembly or the government.
The people appealed to the MP to use his influence to protect them from the alien herdsmen.
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