GRi Press
Review 25 - 05 - 2000
MOH makes strides... in reducing high mortality
rate among children
Lecturers resume work
41 Aburi girls out of hospital
Mamponghene to pay 0.3million cedis cost
"I am shocked at allegation"
"Blood will flow"
Code of conduct for political parties... NDC
forces amendment
Re-define national interest - Akufo-Addo
It's still Obed
MOH makes strides... in reducing high mortality
rate among children
The Daily Graphic, in its banner headline,
reports Dr George Amofa, Deputy Director of Public Health as stating that the
ministry has made a significant progress in the reduction of some childhood
diseases responsible for the high mortality rate among children.
He is said to have indicated that some of the
diseases, such as diphtheria and whooping cough, may even be close to the
elimination stages if the trend continues.
Dr Amofa who was speaking in an interview with
the Ghana News Agency in Accra said a total of 43, 078 cases of measles were
reported country-wide in 1995 but this figure dropped to 11,511 in 1999 while
the 1,368 cases of whooping cough reported in 1995, has dropped to 496 by 1999.
"Within that same period, only five cases
of diphtheria were reported in 1995, and no single case of the disease has
shown up over the last three years", he added.
This, he said, "may be an indication that
some of the diseases may be nearing the elimination stages if the trend
continues and vaccination is sustained".
More../
Lecturers resume work
In another front-page story, the Daily Graphic
reports that academic work resumed at the university of Ghana, Legon, yesterday
after a one-week strike action embarked upon by the University Teachers
Association of Ghana (UTAG) to press home their demand for better conditions of
service.
The report said when the Ghana News Agency (GNA)
visited the university, lecture halls were almost filled to capacity while some
lecturers were busy marking student's scripts.
Dr Daniel Obeng-Ofori, President of the Legon
branch of UTAG said the strike action has achieved its purpose of bringing to
the notice of the government and other stakeholders their problems.
He said the technical committee comprising UTAG,
Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals (CVCP) and the National Council on
Tertiary Education (NCTE) has finished its report and will soon present it to
Cabinet for consideration.
"The resumption of lectures confirms the
concern members of UTAG have for the backlog of students waiting to enter the
universities and the association's resolve not to do anything to disrupt the
academic calendar", he added.
The story, which was also carried by the
Ghanaian Times, says lecturers at the University of Development Studies (UDS)
in the northern region also resumed work yesterday.
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41 Aburi girls out of hospital
A front page report in the Ghanaian Times says
41 out of the 82 students and four tutor of the Aburi Girls Secondary School
who were admitted at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra following last Saturday's
accident at Gomoa-Okyereko, near Winneba, have so far been discharged.
Miss Juliet Oppong Agyeiwaa, 16, a form one
student, and Mr Kwasi Koranteng, the driver of the bus on which the students
were travelling, died on the spot.
According to the report, when the Ghanaian Times
visited the hospital yesterday, Brigadier Daniel A. Twum, Commanding Officer in
charge of the hospital, said 40 of the students, now under observation, were
responding to treatment and denied
rumours that some of the students have been amputated.
Later in the day, the report says, the Minister
of Education, Mr Ekwow Spio Garbrah, visited the hospital and interacted with
the victims after he had presented food items worth over two million cedis to
them.
.
More../
Mamponghene to pay 0.3million cedis cost
The Ghanaian Times carries an update in which it
reports that a Kumasi High Court yesterday awarded 300,000 cedis cost against
the president of the Mampong Traditional Council, Nana Osei Bonsu, for
"wasting the time of the court".
The report says Nana Osei Bonsu failed to appear
in court on the adjourned date (May 15) to answer contempt charges and
apologies by his counsel, Mr Adu Gyamfi, for his absence were turned down by
the court presided over by Justice G.M. Quaye.
Mr Gyamfi is plea for the adjournment of the
case to enable his client to "properly brief him" was accepted and
June 1 was fixed for the next hearing.
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"I am shocked at allegation"
The Independent says in a front-page story that
Mr John Agyekum Kufuor, flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has
categorically denied ever making any tribal remarks against the Vice President
John Atta Mills on his recent campaign tour of the Central Region.
The report says the NPP presidential candidate
for the December elections, in an interview with the independent at his Airport
residential home yesterday, said such claims that assign tribal motives to his
pronouncements in the region must be a "ploy by dangerous elements in
society whose activities can lead to chaos".
According to the story, J.A. Kufuor, in a mood
that can be described as thoughtful, wondered why he should make a statement
that would antagonise a whole tribe, in an area in which he is seeking votes.
"There are so many Fantis in the country whose votes our party can benefit
from so why antagonise them", he queried.
The story quotes Mr Kufuor as stating that
"the allegations being levelled against him must be the latest plan
hatched by a desperate ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government to
sway the minds of the people of Ghana and specifically those of the Central
Region into voting it back into power.
It is recalled that the NPP flagbearer has been
accused by a number of influential members of the NDC for describing the Vice
President as a Fanti comedian who must not go to the Castle since the place is
not meant for jokers.
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"Blood will flow"
The Guide carries on its front page that Mr
Kwamena Bartels, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the MP
for North Ablekuma has tasked the police to ensure that Ghanaians do not live
in fear and intimidation in the run up to the election and beyond.
According to Bartels, he foresees the country
heading for bloodshed especially as the crucial elections approach and that if
the police do not behave neutrally and check the situation "blood would
eventually flow in the country".
"We know how crucial these elections are
going to be and the National Democratic Congress' (NDC) strategy to use
intimidation and violence to put fear into people, but we are not going to
allow that", he was quoted as saying.
"The potential of violence is manifestly
there since the NDC knows that it is going to lose the elections", he
added.
Mr Bartels, who the story says, was reacting to
a reported violence unleashed on NPP members by NDC machomen at Odumasi in the
Asante Akim North Constituency, warned that "heads would be broken" if
the NDC does not stop its intimidation and violence on opposition members.
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Code of conduct for political parties... NDC
forces amendment
A report carried on the front page of the Ghanaian
Democrat says the National democratic Congress (NDC) delegation to the signing
ceremony of the "Code of Conduct for political parties" organised by
the Electoral Commission (EC) in collaboration with the Friedrich Ebert
Stiftung, Ghana, last Thursday rejected some of the clauses describing them as unrealistic and lacking vision.
The delegation, which the report says, was made
up of Mr Kwaku Baah, a National Vice Chairman, Dr Tony Aidoo, deputy minister
of Defence and Mr Quaynor Mettle, National propaganda Secretary, stood their
grounds demanding that clause 13, be either amended or deleted otherwise the
NDC would not be a signatory to the whole document.
According to the report the clause, which
originally read: "No political party must use government vehicles for an
electioneering campaign or any other party business. Political parties and
their agents must separate party business from government business", was
after several debates, changed to read: "No political party must use state
vehicle or other public resources for electioneering campaign or any other
party business".
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Re-define national interest - Akufo-Addo
The Crusading Guide says the minority spokesman
for legal and constitutional matters, Nana Akufo-Addo has advocated that the
national interest of Ghana should be the structural transformation of its
economy from a raw materials-dependent one to one where value is added to
products for export,
Advocating this in parliament, Nana Akufo-Addo
said the historic challenge of the present generation is to move the economy
away from the current state where 80 percent of our foreign receipts are
derived from raw materials exports.
Contributing to a motion for the adoption of the
report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs on Ghana-US Trade and Investment
relations, Nana Akufo-Addo called for a relations based on equality, mutual
respect and economic benefits, not only for American multi-nationals and
conglomerates, but also for Ghanaian enterprises and businesses.
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It's still Obed
The Ghanaian Voice carries a front-page story in
which it says it has been informed that the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
will release the name of the pair up to Professor Atta Mills in June when the
party's campaign for the 2000 presidential and parliamentary elections starts.
The paper says it's sources gathered that party
strategists decided on tying the campaign's commencement to the announcement of
the running mate in June, contrary to the May 19 date originally planned.
According to the Voice, 'old fox', Dr Obed
Asamoah who is steeply dyed in the NDC is still the favourite choice, adding
that he pulls all the strings in the party and represents the wishes and
aspirations of the Cadre forces who, see in him their saviour.
"Obed knows all the corners in the party
and can read the signs when others are even asleep. He stands to defend the
past, the present and the future. He will make the party tick. His experience
will make up for the gaps in the Mills presidency", Voice said about the
probable choice.
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