Story: George Ernest Asare
A head-on collision involving two 207 Mercedes Benz buses at Sanso Junction, near Obuasi on the Obuasi-Tarkwa road, during a heavy downpour yesterday claimed 15 lives on the spot.
Those who perished on the spot included the driver of one of the vehicles involved in the crash.
Thirteen other passengers who sustained multiple injuries were rushed to the AGC Hospital and the Government Hospital in Obuasi for urgent medical care in vehicles commandeered by the police from Obuasi.
None of the 15 bodies had been identified as of press time yesterday.
Meanwhile, nine of the bodies have been deposited at the AGC Hospital mortuary, while three have been deposited at the Obuasi Government Hospital.
The remaining three bodies have been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital mortuary for lack of space at the two hospitals in Obuasi.
The Obuasi Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Emmanuel Amissah, who briefed the Daily Graphic on the incident, gave the registration number of the vehicle travelling from Kumasi to Tarkwa as AS 7674 W and the other travelling from Tarkwa to Kumasi as AS 1388 Y.
He said the driver travelling from Kumasi attempted to overtake another vehicle and in the process he collided head-on with the other bus which was heading towards Kumasi.
He said the impact of the accident was so great that many of the passengers were trapped in the mangled vehicles, causing 15 of them to die on the spot, with many others sustaining multiple injuries.
He said it took sympathisers a lot of time to retrieve the injured and the dead from the mangled vehicles.
Chief Supt Amissah said the driver of the vehicle which was heading towards Kumasi was among those who survived the accident, adding that he was responding to treatment at the AGC Hospital where he had been rushed to.APRIL 28, 2010)
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
TRAGEDY AT KNUST (1B, APRIL 26, 2010)
Kumasi witnessed two bizarre incidents last Saturday. In the first incident, one of the walkways at the Independence Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) collapsed on two female students, killing one and severely injuring the other.
In the second, two children were burnt to death at Kronom, a Kumasi suburb.
In the incident at the KNUST, the deceased, identified as Eva Lodina, a Level 100 Business student of Queens Hall, was said to have visited a friend at the Independence Hall and she was sitting on a chair under the walkway when it suddenly collapsed and trapped her.
The injured student, who was identified only as Gertrude, is also a Level 100 student offering Pharmacy.
Gertrude is said to be resident at the Africa Hall and, like Eva, she was waiting for a friend under the walkway when it collapsed.
The incident occurred around 2.30 p.m. when many of the students were in their rooms.
The story would have been different if students had converged on the walkway, as they do during early mornings and late in the evenings to discuss personal and academic issues.
It took the students several minutes before they were able to pull both the deceased and Gertrude from under the concrete beam.
Eva was pronounced dead on arrival at the KNUST Hospital where she was rushed to and her body has been deposited at the mortuary for autopsy.
Gertrude is said to have been transferred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for urgent medical care.
When the Daily Graphic visited the KNUST campus, the students were still bemoaning the fate that had befallen their fellow students.
The Vice-Chancellor of the KNUST, Professor Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, who spoke to the Daily Graphic, confirmed the incident and said the university authorities were investigating the circumstances that led to the sudden collapse of the walkway.
He, however, noted that since the university was established over 50 years ago, there had not been any major maintenance.
In the Kronom, the two children, a 10-year-old boy and his sister, five, were burnt to death when the single-room apartment in which they lived with their mother caught fire.
The deceased, who were identified as Prosper Oduro and Abena Pokuah, were sleeping alone in the room when it caught fire.
Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Ashanti Regional Fire Officer, Mr Philip Aheng Mensah, said the Fire Service had a distress call at its station at Suame Magazine and responded quickly.
He said when firemen reached the place, the room was still engulfed in flames.
He said the firemen succeeded in putting out the fire after some time and when they entered the room, the children had been burnt beyond recognition.
He said initial investigations revealed that the room had no electricity and the children might have used a candle as their source of light.
He said it was also established that even though the children lived with their mother, she was not in the room at the time it caught fire.
Mr Mensah said the deceased’s mother had still not returned from her outing as of the time the firemen managed to put out the fire and retrieved the bodies of the deceased from the blaze.
In the second, two children were burnt to death at Kronom, a Kumasi suburb.
In the incident at the KNUST, the deceased, identified as Eva Lodina, a Level 100 Business student of Queens Hall, was said to have visited a friend at the Independence Hall and she was sitting on a chair under the walkway when it suddenly collapsed and trapped her.
The injured student, who was identified only as Gertrude, is also a Level 100 student offering Pharmacy.
Gertrude is said to be resident at the Africa Hall and, like Eva, she was waiting for a friend under the walkway when it collapsed.
The incident occurred around 2.30 p.m. when many of the students were in their rooms.
The story would have been different if students had converged on the walkway, as they do during early mornings and late in the evenings to discuss personal and academic issues.
It took the students several minutes before they were able to pull both the deceased and Gertrude from under the concrete beam.
Eva was pronounced dead on arrival at the KNUST Hospital where she was rushed to and her body has been deposited at the mortuary for autopsy.
Gertrude is said to have been transferred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for urgent medical care.
When the Daily Graphic visited the KNUST campus, the students were still bemoaning the fate that had befallen their fellow students.
The Vice-Chancellor of the KNUST, Professor Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, who spoke to the Daily Graphic, confirmed the incident and said the university authorities were investigating the circumstances that led to the sudden collapse of the walkway.
He, however, noted that since the university was established over 50 years ago, there had not been any major maintenance.
In the Kronom, the two children, a 10-year-old boy and his sister, five, were burnt to death when the single-room apartment in which they lived with their mother caught fire.
The deceased, who were identified as Prosper Oduro and Abena Pokuah, were sleeping alone in the room when it caught fire.
Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Ashanti Regional Fire Officer, Mr Philip Aheng Mensah, said the Fire Service had a distress call at its station at Suame Magazine and responded quickly.
He said when firemen reached the place, the room was still engulfed in flames.
He said the firemen succeeded in putting out the fire after some time and when they entered the room, the children had been burnt beyond recognition.
He said initial investigations revealed that the room had no electricity and the children might have used a candle as their source of light.
He said it was also established that even though the children lived with their mother, she was not in the room at the time it caught fire.
Mr Mensah said the deceased’s mother had still not returned from her outing as of the time the firemen managed to put out the fire and retrieved the bodies of the deceased from the blaze.
Friday, April 23, 2010
2 NABBED FOR ILLEGAL ECG METER TRANSFER (PAGE 27, MIRROR, APRIIL 24, 2010)
From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.
Two men who have allegedly specialised in the illegal transfer of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) meters from one suburb in Kumasi to another and have been duping unsuspecting customers are in the grips of the law.
After fixing the meters, the suspects allegedly provide fake documents bearing an ECG stamp and instruct the clients to show them to any ECG official who comes to inspect their meters.
The suspects who described themselves as meter readers, were identified as Mohammed Tampori, 29, and Evans Kwabena Adjei, 26.
They were arrested on April 16, 2010 by a ECG taskforce and handed over to the police to assist investigations.
Tampori, who was the first to be arrested, was alleged to have collected GH¢1,100 from a customer at the Race Course area at Bantama before fixing the meter which was originally allocated to someone at the Moro Market at Krofrom.
ECG officials alleged other customers have fallen victim to the operations of Tampori and efforts are being made to locate the victims to assist in their investigations.
Moments after the arrest of Tampori, Kwabena Adjei was also arrested by another ECG Taskforce for allegedly collecting GH¢50 from a customer in order to fix a meter for him.
The two are currently in police custody, assisting in investigations and would be arraigned soon.
ASP James Osei Acheampong of the Kumasi Central District Criminal Investigations Department, who confirmed the arrest during an interview with The Mirror, said the police would intensify their investigations to enable them apprehend and prosecute other culprits in the metropolis.
Earlier, Mr Erasmus Kyere Baidoo of the Public Relations Unit of ECG had told The Mirror in an interview that the company was battling with illegal fixing of meters in recent times.
He said following the problem, the company formed task forces that were investigating illegal meter fixing and that had resulted in the arrest of the suspects.
He said the task force would continue their operations to enable them apprehend and prosecute all those involved in the illegal transfer of meters.
Two men who have allegedly specialised in the illegal transfer of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) meters from one suburb in Kumasi to another and have been duping unsuspecting customers are in the grips of the law.
After fixing the meters, the suspects allegedly provide fake documents bearing an ECG stamp and instruct the clients to show them to any ECG official who comes to inspect their meters.
The suspects who described themselves as meter readers, were identified as Mohammed Tampori, 29, and Evans Kwabena Adjei, 26.
They were arrested on April 16, 2010 by a ECG taskforce and handed over to the police to assist investigations.
Tampori, who was the first to be arrested, was alleged to have collected GH¢1,100 from a customer at the Race Course area at Bantama before fixing the meter which was originally allocated to someone at the Moro Market at Krofrom.
ECG officials alleged other customers have fallen victim to the operations of Tampori and efforts are being made to locate the victims to assist in their investigations.
Moments after the arrest of Tampori, Kwabena Adjei was also arrested by another ECG Taskforce for allegedly collecting GH¢50 from a customer in order to fix a meter for him.
The two are currently in police custody, assisting in investigations and would be arraigned soon.
ASP James Osei Acheampong of the Kumasi Central District Criminal Investigations Department, who confirmed the arrest during an interview with The Mirror, said the police would intensify their investigations to enable them apprehend and prosecute other culprits in the metropolis.
Earlier, Mr Erasmus Kyere Baidoo of the Public Relations Unit of ECG had told The Mirror in an interview that the company was battling with illegal fixing of meters in recent times.
He said following the problem, the company formed task forces that were investigating illegal meter fixing and that had resulted in the arrest of the suspects.
He said the task force would continue their operations to enable them apprehend and prosecute all those involved in the illegal transfer of meters.
HOW ARE YOU RESPONDING TO THE H1N1 PANDEMC?...views from Kumasi (PAGE 1, APRIL 24, 2010)
For some of us knowledge about the H1N1 disease was got from the media. The public is now aware that the pandemic is caused by virus spread by those already infected.
Through awareness creation, I also know that symptoms of the disease include cough, running nose, fatigue, and that in complex cases, pneumonia and death could occur.
It is therefore important for all stakeholders to join hands in managing the disease efficiently so that it does not create any social problems.
I think there is the need to use a multifaceted approach in managing the disease.
In the first place, the government, schools, churches, and non-goverrnmental organisations, among others, should plan and devise means of addressing this medical problem.
The government should also collaborate with the media in the effort to intensify education on the disease, especially its mode of infection, symptoms and mode of prevention.
I perceive that the ordinary Ghanaian does not appreciate the magnitude of the danger that the disease poses if it becomes widespread.
With intensive education, the public would appreciate the need to use preventive measures to combat the spread of the pandemic.
It is equally important for health personnel to be adequately trained for them to manage the disease well. This will ensure that they do not contract the disease.
Drugs, medical supplies, logistics and financial support should be provided regularly to the various hospitals so that they do not become overly pressurised if the disease should attack.
Churches must use a few minutes of their worship time to educate their congregation on the nature of the disease and the danger it poses to the public.
NGO’s should also play their part by going to the remote areas of the country to get the message across.
As individuals we should improve personal hygiene and cover our mouths and nose with handkerchiefs when coughing or sneezing in public.
It is equally important to wash our hands with soap after handshakes, especially at funerals and other public gatherings.
Those who have been diagnosed to have been infected with the disease should do well to keep their distance from the public to help reduce its spread.
I heard about the H1N1 pandemic from the foreign media when it began its spread from Mexico about a year ago.
At that time, health professionals gave assurance to the public that they could contain the disease if it got to Ghana.
In Ghana since the disease first surfaced in Accra, information received from the media and other health professionals was that, the virus was brought into the country by people who had travelled abroad and had returned home.
At the moment, the disease is said to have infected people in the Eastern, Central, and Brong Ahafo regions, and also in the Ashanti Region where a few cases have been reported.
The rapid spread of the disease is a bit scary, so there is the need for the government to collaborate with the Ghana Health Service to manage the disease in a more effective and efficient way to prevent further spread.
The disease is air borne and spread through a sneeze, cough or touch by infected persons or hard surfaces.
It is, therefore, a bit difficult to prevent healthy people from contracting it, especially, if they are not aware that the next person they may come into contact with is a carrier.
In Ghana self-medication is becoming a culture. This stems from the fact that people hardly visit the hospitals and clinics for health care when they fall sick but only attend hospital as a last resort.
The government should, therefore, treat the H1N1 pandemic as a priority by setting aside some contingency fund that could be used to manage the disease in an effective way, especially, at this stage when its spread has not reached epidemic proportions.
It is important that drugs and other health logistics are distributed to various health facilities to enhance efficient treatment of those who may be infected.
The Bosomtwe Rural Bank is assisting in the management of the disease through the support it provides to the District Health Directorate.
Education through radio, television and the print media should be intensified to sensitise Ghanaians to the disease.
As an airborne disease, the H1N1 pandemic spreads very fast, so it is important to initiate measures to manage it efficiently and effectively.
It seems many people are not aware of the disease due to inadequate education on it. It is important to roll out educational campaigns that the ordinary Ghanaian would understand.
With such education, people would become knowledgeable about the H1N1 pandemic and support measures in combating it in a holistic manner.
The various Assemblies in the country should be involved in fighting the disease. When all assembly members are involved, it is likely that they would be adequately resourced and motivated to communicate with people in their electoral area and give them adequate information on the disease.
By this, people will become aware of the symptoms of the disease, how it is spread so control measures are employed when one is infected.
Executives of Transport Unions should also embark on educational campaigns so they can also educate their members and passengers about the disease.
It is equally important to involve chiefs and opinion leaders as well as pastors in all educational drives to enable them influence people on the dangers that the pandemic poses to society.
Since radio stations play a significant role in public education, the government should use the medium more often to educate the public on the disease.
I have heard a lot about the H1N1 pandemic and know that so far about 513 people have been infected in the country.
I also know that the pandemic is caused by a virus that attacks the respiratory organs, causing victims to be feverish.
Cough, headache, body aches, sore throat, chills, fatigue, diarrhoea and vomiting are also associated with the pandemic, and according to medical experts, children, pregnant women and the aged are the most vulnerable.
So far, education on the H1N1 pandemic has not been intensive because in my hometown in the Bosomtwe District, many of my neighbours know little or nothing about the nature of the diseases and its mode of spread.
Since our culture makes us very interactive, it is important for the Regional and District Health Directorates to embark on intensive education through public fora and seminars to enable the public appreciate its socio-economic effects .
This is because in vehicles, passengers seldom cover their mouth when coughing, and when sneezing, they seldom cover their noses.
The same thing happens at funeral grounds and in churches, indicating that if education on the disease had been intense, people would have appreciated the need to cover their mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing.
It is good that the disease has not affected many people in the region as had happened in neighbouring regions.
That is why the government should support the Ghana Heath Service with medical supplies to enable them manage the disease in case it begins to spread widely.
The government should also consider the management of the disease as a top priority by making available money that would be used to manage the disease.
The H1N1 pandemic which is caused by virus affects the respiratory organs.
The symptoms of the H1N1 pandemic include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, diarrhoea and vomiting .
Complications of the disease include pneumonia and difficulty in breathing, and in extreme cases, death occurs in persons who have other medical problems or complications
In the Ashanti Region, we have so far trained and sensitised about 1210 health professionals in readiness to contain and manage the H1N1 influenza pandemic which has so far infected 513 people in the country.
The trained health professionals are located at various health facilities in the urban and district hospitals to enhance early diagnoses of people who may be infected with the H1N1 virus.
The Regional Directorate of Health Services has also distributed drugs and protective equipment to all regional and districts hospitals and formed teams who have mounted surveillance to be able to detect the disease.
The H1N1 pandemic is a respiratory disease caused by a virus. According to medical professionals, the disease regularly occurs in pigs, but can attack people who are close to the infected animals.
Symptoms include fever, cough, body ache, fatigue and diarrhoea, among others. The mode of spread is mainly through the air and can be got through other people’s sneeze and cough.
At the moment, many Ghanaians are ignorant about the nature of the disease, its mode of spread and what measures to take when one is infected.
I am saying this because despite the fact that some Ghanaians are reported to have been infected with the disease, there are still people who think that the disease is not real and alien to the country.
Education on the disease has not been intensive enough to sensitise people to the danger that the disease poses to Ghanaians should it become widespread.
The Ghana Health Service should, therefore, devise means of getting to ordinary Ghanaians not only in the urban centres, but also in the rural communities for them to appreciate the danger that the disease poses.
The campaign should be taken to the people in their communities and not on radio and television programmes alone. Posters on the nature of the disease should also be made available.
So far, the Ghana Health Service is doing its best to manage the disease, but their efforts should be supported by the government through medical supplies, financial resources and logistics to enhance efficient management of the disease.
School authorities should also monitor their students and report any incidence of the disease early enough to health professionals to avoid complications.
Through awareness creation, I also know that symptoms of the disease include cough, running nose, fatigue, and that in complex cases, pneumonia and death could occur.
It is therefore important for all stakeholders to join hands in managing the disease efficiently so that it does not create any social problems.
I think there is the need to use a multifaceted approach in managing the disease.
In the first place, the government, schools, churches, and non-goverrnmental organisations, among others, should plan and devise means of addressing this medical problem.
The government should also collaborate with the media in the effort to intensify education on the disease, especially its mode of infection, symptoms and mode of prevention.
I perceive that the ordinary Ghanaian does not appreciate the magnitude of the danger that the disease poses if it becomes widespread.
With intensive education, the public would appreciate the need to use preventive measures to combat the spread of the pandemic.
It is equally important for health personnel to be adequately trained for them to manage the disease well. This will ensure that they do not contract the disease.
Drugs, medical supplies, logistics and financial support should be provided regularly to the various hospitals so that they do not become overly pressurised if the disease should attack.
Churches must use a few minutes of their worship time to educate their congregation on the nature of the disease and the danger it poses to the public.
NGO’s should also play their part by going to the remote areas of the country to get the message across.
As individuals we should improve personal hygiene and cover our mouths and nose with handkerchiefs when coughing or sneezing in public.
It is equally important to wash our hands with soap after handshakes, especially at funerals and other public gatherings.
Those who have been diagnosed to have been infected with the disease should do well to keep their distance from the public to help reduce its spread.
I heard about the H1N1 pandemic from the foreign media when it began its spread from Mexico about a year ago.
At that time, health professionals gave assurance to the public that they could contain the disease if it got to Ghana.
In Ghana since the disease first surfaced in Accra, information received from the media and other health professionals was that, the virus was brought into the country by people who had travelled abroad and had returned home.
At the moment, the disease is said to have infected people in the Eastern, Central, and Brong Ahafo regions, and also in the Ashanti Region where a few cases have been reported.
The rapid spread of the disease is a bit scary, so there is the need for the government to collaborate with the Ghana Health Service to manage the disease in a more effective and efficient way to prevent further spread.
The disease is air borne and spread through a sneeze, cough or touch by infected persons or hard surfaces.
It is, therefore, a bit difficult to prevent healthy people from contracting it, especially, if they are not aware that the next person they may come into contact with is a carrier.
In Ghana self-medication is becoming a culture. This stems from the fact that people hardly visit the hospitals and clinics for health care when they fall sick but only attend hospital as a last resort.
The government should, therefore, treat the H1N1 pandemic as a priority by setting aside some contingency fund that could be used to manage the disease in an effective way, especially, at this stage when its spread has not reached epidemic proportions.
It is important that drugs and other health logistics are distributed to various health facilities to enhance efficient treatment of those who may be infected.
The Bosomtwe Rural Bank is assisting in the management of the disease through the support it provides to the District Health Directorate.
Education through radio, television and the print media should be intensified to sensitise Ghanaians to the disease.
As an airborne disease, the H1N1 pandemic spreads very fast, so it is important to initiate measures to manage it efficiently and effectively.
It seems many people are not aware of the disease due to inadequate education on it. It is important to roll out educational campaigns that the ordinary Ghanaian would understand.
With such education, people would become knowledgeable about the H1N1 pandemic and support measures in combating it in a holistic manner.
The various Assemblies in the country should be involved in fighting the disease. When all assembly members are involved, it is likely that they would be adequately resourced and motivated to communicate with people in their electoral area and give them adequate information on the disease.
By this, people will become aware of the symptoms of the disease, how it is spread so control measures are employed when one is infected.
Executives of Transport Unions should also embark on educational campaigns so they can also educate their members and passengers about the disease.
It is equally important to involve chiefs and opinion leaders as well as pastors in all educational drives to enable them influence people on the dangers that the pandemic poses to society.
Since radio stations play a significant role in public education, the government should use the medium more often to educate the public on the disease.
I have heard a lot about the H1N1 pandemic and know that so far about 513 people have been infected in the country.
I also know that the pandemic is caused by a virus that attacks the respiratory organs, causing victims to be feverish.
Cough, headache, body aches, sore throat, chills, fatigue, diarrhoea and vomiting are also associated with the pandemic, and according to medical experts, children, pregnant women and the aged are the most vulnerable.
So far, education on the H1N1 pandemic has not been intensive because in my hometown in the Bosomtwe District, many of my neighbours know little or nothing about the nature of the diseases and its mode of spread.
Since our culture makes us very interactive, it is important for the Regional and District Health Directorates to embark on intensive education through public fora and seminars to enable the public appreciate its socio-economic effects .
This is because in vehicles, passengers seldom cover their mouth when coughing, and when sneezing, they seldom cover their noses.
The same thing happens at funeral grounds and in churches, indicating that if education on the disease had been intense, people would have appreciated the need to cover their mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing.
It is good that the disease has not affected many people in the region as had happened in neighbouring regions.
That is why the government should support the Ghana Heath Service with medical supplies to enable them manage the disease in case it begins to spread widely.
The government should also consider the management of the disease as a top priority by making available money that would be used to manage the disease.
The H1N1 pandemic which is caused by virus affects the respiratory organs.
The symptoms of the H1N1 pandemic include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, diarrhoea and vomiting .
Complications of the disease include pneumonia and difficulty in breathing, and in extreme cases, death occurs in persons who have other medical problems or complications
In the Ashanti Region, we have so far trained and sensitised about 1210 health professionals in readiness to contain and manage the H1N1 influenza pandemic which has so far infected 513 people in the country.
The trained health professionals are located at various health facilities in the urban and district hospitals to enhance early diagnoses of people who may be infected with the H1N1 virus.
The Regional Directorate of Health Services has also distributed drugs and protective equipment to all regional and districts hospitals and formed teams who have mounted surveillance to be able to detect the disease.
The H1N1 pandemic is a respiratory disease caused by a virus. According to medical professionals, the disease regularly occurs in pigs, but can attack people who are close to the infected animals.
Symptoms include fever, cough, body ache, fatigue and diarrhoea, among others. The mode of spread is mainly through the air and can be got through other people’s sneeze and cough.
At the moment, many Ghanaians are ignorant about the nature of the disease, its mode of spread and what measures to take when one is infected.
I am saying this because despite the fact that some Ghanaians are reported to have been infected with the disease, there are still people who think that the disease is not real and alien to the country.
Education on the disease has not been intensive enough to sensitise people to the danger that the disease poses to Ghanaians should it become widespread.
The Ghana Health Service should, therefore, devise means of getting to ordinary Ghanaians not only in the urban centres, but also in the rural communities for them to appreciate the danger that the disease poses.
The campaign should be taken to the people in their communities and not on radio and television programmes alone. Posters on the nature of the disease should also be made available.
So far, the Ghana Health Service is doing its best to manage the disease, but their efforts should be supported by the government through medical supplies, financial resources and logistics to enhance efficient management of the disease.
School authorities should also monitor their students and report any incidence of the disease early enough to health professionals to avoid complications.
PASTOR 'SUCKS' FLUIDS FROM CORPSES (PAGE 34, APRIL 24, 2010)
From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.
A pastor who allegedly sneaked into the mortuary of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi with the intention of collecting fluid from dead bodies to enhance his spiritual powers collided head-on with the law when he was eventually arrested by authorities of the hospital.
Philip Kwadwo Offei, who is on police enquiry bail, was alleged to be spiritually bankrupt, making it difficult for him to attract and retain large numbers of people in need of spiritual protection.
His church — the Global Pentecostal Ministry, located at Asawasi, a Kumasi suburb — is also alleged to be losing its members on a daily basis, causing him sleepless nights.
It was his determination to address the problem that allegedly landed him at the KATH mortuary to collect fluid from the bodies there.
At the mortuary, the suspect was alleged to have lied to the attendants that his nephew was seriously ill and that to ensure the nephew’s speedy recovery, a pastor had directed him to collect the fluid as part of a spiritual healing.
The Security Co-ordinator of KATH, Lt P.J. Bosompem (retd), who spoke to The Mirror in an interview after the suspect’s arrest, said, “We felt it was unusual for somebody to sneak into the mortuary with the intention of collecting fluid from dead bodies. It was not proper. We suspected it was the work of a syndicate and so we arrested him and handed him over to the police. We are, however, undertaking our own investigations.”
Corporal Godwin Ahianyo of the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Office, who confirmed Offei’s arrest, said Offei had been granted bail with a surety pending further investigations into the case.
He said the police had already taken statements from both the complainants and the suspect to enhance their investigations.
Cpl Ahianyo said the docket on the case had also been sent to the Attorney-General’s Department for advice, adding that based on the report, the police would take the necessary action.
A pastor who allegedly sneaked into the mortuary of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi with the intention of collecting fluid from dead bodies to enhance his spiritual powers collided head-on with the law when he was eventually arrested by authorities of the hospital.
Philip Kwadwo Offei, who is on police enquiry bail, was alleged to be spiritually bankrupt, making it difficult for him to attract and retain large numbers of people in need of spiritual protection.
His church — the Global Pentecostal Ministry, located at Asawasi, a Kumasi suburb — is also alleged to be losing its members on a daily basis, causing him sleepless nights.
It was his determination to address the problem that allegedly landed him at the KATH mortuary to collect fluid from the bodies there.
At the mortuary, the suspect was alleged to have lied to the attendants that his nephew was seriously ill and that to ensure the nephew’s speedy recovery, a pastor had directed him to collect the fluid as part of a spiritual healing.
The Security Co-ordinator of KATH, Lt P.J. Bosompem (retd), who spoke to The Mirror in an interview after the suspect’s arrest, said, “We felt it was unusual for somebody to sneak into the mortuary with the intention of collecting fluid from dead bodies. It was not proper. We suspected it was the work of a syndicate and so we arrested him and handed him over to the police. We are, however, undertaking our own investigations.”
Corporal Godwin Ahianyo of the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Office, who confirmed Offei’s arrest, said Offei had been granted bail with a surety pending further investigations into the case.
He said the police had already taken statements from both the complainants and the suspect to enhance their investigations.
Cpl Ahianyo said the docket on the case had also been sent to the Attorney-General’s Department for advice, adding that based on the report, the police would take the necessary action.
ALLOW CHURCH MEMBERS TO WORK (PAGE 35, APRIL 24, 2010)
From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.
A Kumasi-based evangelist, Henry Omane- Donkor, has expressed concern about what he described as the commercialisation of the Church by people who profess to be men of God .
He said it was equally wrong for some church leaders to run prayer sessions around the clock, thus preventing their congregation from working to contribute to sustainable socio-economic development.
Bemoaning the negative attitude of some church leaders during the graduation ceremony of the School of Evangelism of the Great Commission Movement of Ghana in Kumasi, Evangelist Omane-Donkor said , “It is not only sad, but also shameful that the gift of God is being sold in church auditoriums and counselling rooms today. People are charged between GH¢50 and GH¢100 before they are allowed to see the ‘man of God’. Jesus said freely you have received, freely give”.
In all, 27 students, including seven females, graduated from the School of Evangelism.
On the around the clock prayer session by some Pastors, Evangelist Omane-Donkor, who is the Ashanti Regional Director of the Great Commission Movement of Ghana, said “Some pastors also run prayer services from Monday to Sunday, seven days a week, 30 days a month and 365 days a year.
Our God instructed His people to work for six days and set a day aside to worship Him, but these pastors are not allowing their members to work but they make great monetary demands from them”.
He also accused some church leaders of using “demonic powers to operate in the house of God”.
Explaining, he said, “Our God is the powerful Almighty God and does not need human orchestrations to prove His lordship. Such people are not helping the cause of Christ”.
He pointed out that by displaying the powers of darkness in the church , some leaders want to prove their worth as miracle workers so as to poach from other churches .
Expressing concern about such negative attitude, Evangelist Omane-Donkor said “the world of unbelievers is a big marketplace. It is, therefore, sad for these churches to design crafty ways to steal what others have spent years to nurture”.
He said media reports that some pastors were taking advantage of some women who sought counsel from them were equally disturbing and undermining the work of God.
He pointed out that the morale decadence permeating in the Church was affecting the promotion of discipline in public life.
On the challenges facing Christians, Evangelist Omane-Donkor noted, “many churches do not have enough trained workers who are responsible for carrying the good news of our Saviour to the lost world”.
He said it was, therefore, important for the Church to take the training of leaders seriously in order to strengthen evangelism in the country.
A Kumasi-based evangelist, Henry Omane- Donkor, has expressed concern about what he described as the commercialisation of the Church by people who profess to be men of God .
He said it was equally wrong for some church leaders to run prayer sessions around the clock, thus preventing their congregation from working to contribute to sustainable socio-economic development.
Bemoaning the negative attitude of some church leaders during the graduation ceremony of the School of Evangelism of the Great Commission Movement of Ghana in Kumasi, Evangelist Omane-Donkor said , “It is not only sad, but also shameful that the gift of God is being sold in church auditoriums and counselling rooms today. People are charged between GH¢50 and GH¢100 before they are allowed to see the ‘man of God’. Jesus said freely you have received, freely give”.
In all, 27 students, including seven females, graduated from the School of Evangelism.
On the around the clock prayer session by some Pastors, Evangelist Omane-Donkor, who is the Ashanti Regional Director of the Great Commission Movement of Ghana, said “Some pastors also run prayer services from Monday to Sunday, seven days a week, 30 days a month and 365 days a year.
Our God instructed His people to work for six days and set a day aside to worship Him, but these pastors are not allowing their members to work but they make great monetary demands from them”.
He also accused some church leaders of using “demonic powers to operate in the house of God”.
Explaining, he said, “Our God is the powerful Almighty God and does not need human orchestrations to prove His lordship. Such people are not helping the cause of Christ”.
He pointed out that by displaying the powers of darkness in the church , some leaders want to prove their worth as miracle workers so as to poach from other churches .
Expressing concern about such negative attitude, Evangelist Omane-Donkor said “the world of unbelievers is a big marketplace. It is, therefore, sad for these churches to design crafty ways to steal what others have spent years to nurture”.
He said media reports that some pastors were taking advantage of some women who sought counsel from them were equally disturbing and undermining the work of God.
He pointed out that the morale decadence permeating in the Church was affecting the promotion of discipline in public life.
On the challenges facing Christians, Evangelist Omane-Donkor noted, “many churches do not have enough trained workers who are responsible for carrying the good news of our Saviour to the lost world”.
He said it was, therefore, important for the Church to take the training of leaders seriously in order to strengthen evangelism in the country.
GES SHOULD REWARD COMMITED HEADMASTERS (PAGE 11, APRIL 23, 2010)
THE President of Friends of Rivers and Water Bodies, an environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Kumasi, Nana Kwabena Dwomoh Sarpong, has called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to collaborate with the government to reward committed and hardworking headmasters at the national teachers awards day.
He said rewarding hardworking heads of second cycle institutions would motivate their peers to initiate moves that would improve and sustain high academic standards and moral discipline in the country.
Addressing students and staff of Barekese Senior High School (SHS) during their maiden speech and prize-giving day, Nana Sarpong expressed concern about the failure of the state to recognise heads of second cycle institutions whose initiatives had transformed deprived schools into well-endowed ones.
“It is time the state identified and rewarded heads of institutions who have contributed immensely to high academic standards in their respective schools and also improve discipline among students,” he stated.
“Such awards would not only motivate their peers to emulate the awardees but would also bring productive competitions in second cycle schools,” he said.
Nana Sarpong commended the Headmaster of Barekese SHS, Nana Taa Asiakwa Agyemang III, for his sense of initiative and commitment to the effective development of the school since he assumed office five years ago.
He pointed out that within the five-year period, the headmaster had collaborated with stakeholders to develop the needed infrastructure to enhance enrolment of students.
He said adequate infrastructure in the school was also impacting positively on teaching and learning, thereby enhancing high academic standards.
In his address, the Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mr Joseph Kwabena Onyinah, said the GES was committed to supporting the creation of well-balanced students with the requisite knowledge, skills and values.
Mr Onyinah advised students to stay away from drugs, alcoholism, promiscuity, occultism, cyber fraud and other criminal activities to enable them to concentrate on their academic programmes.
He said rewarding hardworking heads of second cycle institutions would motivate their peers to initiate moves that would improve and sustain high academic standards and moral discipline in the country.
Addressing students and staff of Barekese Senior High School (SHS) during their maiden speech and prize-giving day, Nana Sarpong expressed concern about the failure of the state to recognise heads of second cycle institutions whose initiatives had transformed deprived schools into well-endowed ones.
“It is time the state identified and rewarded heads of institutions who have contributed immensely to high academic standards in their respective schools and also improve discipline among students,” he stated.
“Such awards would not only motivate their peers to emulate the awardees but would also bring productive competitions in second cycle schools,” he said.
Nana Sarpong commended the Headmaster of Barekese SHS, Nana Taa Asiakwa Agyemang III, for his sense of initiative and commitment to the effective development of the school since he assumed office five years ago.
He pointed out that within the five-year period, the headmaster had collaborated with stakeholders to develop the needed infrastructure to enhance enrolment of students.
He said adequate infrastructure in the school was also impacting positively on teaching and learning, thereby enhancing high academic standards.
In his address, the Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mr Joseph Kwabena Onyinah, said the GES was committed to supporting the creation of well-balanced students with the requisite knowledge, skills and values.
Mr Onyinah advised students to stay away from drugs, alcoholism, promiscuity, occultism, cyber fraud and other criminal activities to enable them to concentrate on their academic programmes.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
BE PROFESSONALS TO AVOID POLARISATION OF NATION (PAGE 14, APRIL 20, 2010)
The Executive Director of Media Foundation for West Africa, Professor Kwame Karikari, has called on the media to exhibit a sense of professionalism in their reportage to enable them redeem the country from degenerating into a polarised state.
He pointed out that the media should not only be factual and truthful in their reportage, but should also be accurate and unbiased to enable them expose selfish politicians, religious leaders and chiefs who are gradually promoting sectarian and divisional tendencies in the country.
Professor Karikari gave the advice at a media development forum organised in Kumasi last Saturday.
The forum, which brought together representatives of the media from the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions, was part of the Ghana Media Standard improvement project aimed at sensitising media practitioners and management to exhibit a sense of professionalism in their reportage.
About 60 practitioners attended the forum, which was on the theme; ‘ The media, peace-making and reconciliation in the community”.
Bemoaning the divisionist tendency in the country and the problems it is creating, Professor Karikari pointed out that over the years, “some of our politicians who should have ensured that the country is united, peaceful and civilised, appear to seek power for the sake of it.’’
He urged Parliament not to stoke the fire but also develop ideas for promoting sustainable national development, while the judiciary must help to promote peace, and not only to resolve conflict .
Professor Karikari said the onus, therefore, laid with the media to play their professional responsibility in a way that would not only entrench the rule of law and democracy in the country but would also create harmonious and peaceful co-existence among the populace.
“We should be able to create sanity and promote the rights of the ordinary Ghanaian to enhance decent and better standards of living. We should be able to defend the Constitution and nurture the democratic dispensation for the rule of law to prevail in the system, “ he advised.
Professor Karikari noted that with the level of polarisation in the country, “ the media has the moral responsibility to rescue the nation from the doldrums of factionalism”
He stressed that without the media, the country would not have been at this level of her socio-economic development.
“The Political class has betrayed the trust that the country reposed in them, chiefs are also betraying the trust, and religious leaders cannot be trusted either, so the media should pull us on track to ensure a harmonious and peaceful co-existence,” he further stressed.
He said the media could pull the country on track by mobilising the populace to undertake programmes and policies that would efficiently and effectively address their socio-economic needs.
“ You can feed them with information about their cultural values and needs, economic development, health, education and commerce for them to take informed decisions and plan to achieve such set targets,” he advised.
He said with factual, credible and unbiased reportage, the people would not only be better informed, well educated and enlightened, but would also play their respective roles to enhance accelerated socio-economic development.
He pointed out that by educating the populace, those who feed on their ignorance through misinformation on politics and religion, among other issues, could not play on their ignorance again.
“ People are cheated all the time on issues related to politics and religion, and as journalists, we should be able to enlighten and take sides on issues that promote the welfare of the ordinary person, ” he stated.
The Director of West Africa Human Rights and Democracy, Mrs Janet Adama Mohammed, urged the media to be peace builders by creating a platform that would promote dialogue.
She said the media should also challenge people perceived to be fanning conflict and expose their misdeeds to the public.
“ You should not only challenge people who have the tendency of fanning conflicts, but should also challenge them to accept the due process and believe in it,” she advised.
“ We are the media, so we should build bridges and avoid sensational issues likely to create violence in communities,” she Stressed.
Mrs Mohammed said it was only when the ordinary person believed that his or her rights had been trampled upon that he or she would act to attract attention.
“People would shoot to create attention if they perceive that they are being neglected or being pushed to the ground without any justification,” she explained.
He pointed out that the media should not only be factual and truthful in their reportage, but should also be accurate and unbiased to enable them expose selfish politicians, religious leaders and chiefs who are gradually promoting sectarian and divisional tendencies in the country.
Professor Karikari gave the advice at a media development forum organised in Kumasi last Saturday.
The forum, which brought together representatives of the media from the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions, was part of the Ghana Media Standard improvement project aimed at sensitising media practitioners and management to exhibit a sense of professionalism in their reportage.
About 60 practitioners attended the forum, which was on the theme; ‘ The media, peace-making and reconciliation in the community”.
Bemoaning the divisionist tendency in the country and the problems it is creating, Professor Karikari pointed out that over the years, “some of our politicians who should have ensured that the country is united, peaceful and civilised, appear to seek power for the sake of it.’’
He urged Parliament not to stoke the fire but also develop ideas for promoting sustainable national development, while the judiciary must help to promote peace, and not only to resolve conflict .
Professor Karikari said the onus, therefore, laid with the media to play their professional responsibility in a way that would not only entrench the rule of law and democracy in the country but would also create harmonious and peaceful co-existence among the populace.
“We should be able to create sanity and promote the rights of the ordinary Ghanaian to enhance decent and better standards of living. We should be able to defend the Constitution and nurture the democratic dispensation for the rule of law to prevail in the system, “ he advised.
Professor Karikari noted that with the level of polarisation in the country, “ the media has the moral responsibility to rescue the nation from the doldrums of factionalism”
He stressed that without the media, the country would not have been at this level of her socio-economic development.
“The Political class has betrayed the trust that the country reposed in them, chiefs are also betraying the trust, and religious leaders cannot be trusted either, so the media should pull us on track to ensure a harmonious and peaceful co-existence,” he further stressed.
He said the media could pull the country on track by mobilising the populace to undertake programmes and policies that would efficiently and effectively address their socio-economic needs.
“ You can feed them with information about their cultural values and needs, economic development, health, education and commerce for them to take informed decisions and plan to achieve such set targets,” he advised.
He said with factual, credible and unbiased reportage, the people would not only be better informed, well educated and enlightened, but would also play their respective roles to enhance accelerated socio-economic development.
He pointed out that by educating the populace, those who feed on their ignorance through misinformation on politics and religion, among other issues, could not play on their ignorance again.
“ People are cheated all the time on issues related to politics and religion, and as journalists, we should be able to enlighten and take sides on issues that promote the welfare of the ordinary person, ” he stated.
The Director of West Africa Human Rights and Democracy, Mrs Janet Adama Mohammed, urged the media to be peace builders by creating a platform that would promote dialogue.
She said the media should also challenge people perceived to be fanning conflict and expose their misdeeds to the public.
“ You should not only challenge people who have the tendency of fanning conflicts, but should also challenge them to accept the due process and believe in it,” she advised.
“ We are the media, so we should build bridges and avoid sensational issues likely to create violence in communities,” she Stressed.
Mrs Mohammed said it was only when the ordinary person believed that his or her rights had been trampled upon that he or she would act to attract attention.
“People would shoot to create attention if they perceive that they are being neglected or being pushed to the ground without any justification,” she explained.
SDA CHURCH ORDAINS 11 PASTORS (PAGE 22, APRIL 20, 2010)
THE Central Ghana Conference (CGC) and the South Central Ghana Conference (SCGC) of the Seventh Day Adventist Church have ordained 11 pastors to enhance effective ministry in the church.
While the CGC ordained seven pastors, the SCGC ordained four pastors.
The programme, which attracted many members of the church, was on the theme: “Ordination to the Gospel Ministry”.
Three of the ordained pastors obtained Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religion while eight of them obtained Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theology from Ghana’s Premier Private University – Valley View University (VVU) at Oyibi.
The ordination was part of the church’s activities performed to spiritually usher the pastors into the hands of the Almighty God for their special and sacred roles as ministers of God.
In his address, the Communications Director of the CGC, Pastor Peter Obeng Manu said pastors had won many souls for the church to the glory of God.
He, therefore, urged the ordained pastors to be committed to their call to win many more souls for the kingdom of God.
The Ministerial Secretary of the Ghana Union Conference (GUC), Pastor Dr F.Y. Adu-Gyamfi, who delivered the sermon, told the new pastors to study the Bible as regularly as possible to enrich their spiritual call.
He captioned his sermon “Not by might” and based it on Zechariah 4:6.
Pastor Adu-Gyamfi explained that it was only with the regular studying of the Bible that they would acquire the requisite tools needed to work effectively and efficiently as Ministers of God.
He said as special people called into the ministry of God, it was important for them also to make Jesus Christ their only model of hope, for them to realise their objectives.
Pastor Adu-Gyamfi said it was equally important for them to pray continuously to enhance their spiritual, physical, emotional, social and economical growth.
He said as pastors, they would encounter many challenges, but with courage and perseverance, they would be able to overcome all challenges to glorify God.
“Today that you are being ordained into the gospel ministry, a responsibility has been entrusted upon your shoulders. A force or power is behind you, and that power is the Holy Spirit,” he stated.
For his part, the President of the GUC, Pastor Dr Samuel Adama Larmie, who took the ordained pastors through the charge of the SDA church, urged them “to teach intelligently and doctrinally.”
While the CGC ordained seven pastors, the SCGC ordained four pastors.
The programme, which attracted many members of the church, was on the theme: “Ordination to the Gospel Ministry”.
Three of the ordained pastors obtained Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religion while eight of them obtained Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theology from Ghana’s Premier Private University – Valley View University (VVU) at Oyibi.
The ordination was part of the church’s activities performed to spiritually usher the pastors into the hands of the Almighty God for their special and sacred roles as ministers of God.
In his address, the Communications Director of the CGC, Pastor Peter Obeng Manu said pastors had won many souls for the church to the glory of God.
He, therefore, urged the ordained pastors to be committed to their call to win many more souls for the kingdom of God.
The Ministerial Secretary of the Ghana Union Conference (GUC), Pastor Dr F.Y. Adu-Gyamfi, who delivered the sermon, told the new pastors to study the Bible as regularly as possible to enrich their spiritual call.
He captioned his sermon “Not by might” and based it on Zechariah 4:6.
Pastor Adu-Gyamfi explained that it was only with the regular studying of the Bible that they would acquire the requisite tools needed to work effectively and efficiently as Ministers of God.
He said as special people called into the ministry of God, it was important for them also to make Jesus Christ their only model of hope, for them to realise their objectives.
Pastor Adu-Gyamfi said it was equally important for them to pray continuously to enhance their spiritual, physical, emotional, social and economical growth.
He said as pastors, they would encounter many challenges, but with courage and perseverance, they would be able to overcome all challenges to glorify God.
“Today that you are being ordained into the gospel ministry, a responsibility has been entrusted upon your shoulders. A force or power is behind you, and that power is the Holy Spirit,” he stated.
For his part, the President of the GUC, Pastor Dr Samuel Adama Larmie, who took the ordained pastors through the charge of the SDA church, urged them “to teach intelligently and doctrinally.”
Monday, April 19, 2010
NVTI MUST REDIRECT ITS OPERATIONS...To offer skills to convicts, exconvicts (PAGE 11, APRIL 19, 2010)
THE Management of the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) has been advised to redirect its operations towards building the capacity of both convicts and ex-convicts in Ghana in an effective and efficient way.
This would not only offer employable skills to convicts and make them resourceful, but also reduce the stigma that results from the situation and facilitate their integration into society.
He said with adequate support to convicts and ex-convicts in terms of sustainable skills training on various vocations, they would be more resourceful and preoccupied to support sustainable socio-economic development instead of indulging in crimes.
The General Secretary of the Public Services Workers Union (PSWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Ghana, Mr A.T. D. Okine, gave the advise during the maiden delegates conference of the NVTI Divisions in Kumasi.
The conference, which was on the theme: “Improving the quality and relevance of vocational training; – the role of the union,” was attended by about 70 delegates across the country.
Expressing concern about lack of initiatives to support ex-convicts over the years in terms of capacity building, Mr Okine gave an assurance that “the National Union, in collaboration with the NVTI Division Union, will support all policies aimed at providing training to people without any skills”.
He expressed concern about the carnage on the highways throughout the country, leading to the loss of valuable lives and property, and urged the NVTI to provide skills training to drivers to curb the carnage.
In his address, the Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Antwi Bosiako Sekyere, said at this stage of her development efforts, Ghana needed a critical mass of high-level skilled manpower “to [be staffed in] our public and private sector organisations”.
In his welcoming address, the divisional chairman, Mr John Sampah, said the PSWU “are in high expectation of the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS)”.
This would not only offer employable skills to convicts and make them resourceful, but also reduce the stigma that results from the situation and facilitate their integration into society.
He said with adequate support to convicts and ex-convicts in terms of sustainable skills training on various vocations, they would be more resourceful and preoccupied to support sustainable socio-economic development instead of indulging in crimes.
The General Secretary of the Public Services Workers Union (PSWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Ghana, Mr A.T. D. Okine, gave the advise during the maiden delegates conference of the NVTI Divisions in Kumasi.
The conference, which was on the theme: “Improving the quality and relevance of vocational training; – the role of the union,” was attended by about 70 delegates across the country.
Expressing concern about lack of initiatives to support ex-convicts over the years in terms of capacity building, Mr Okine gave an assurance that “the National Union, in collaboration with the NVTI Division Union, will support all policies aimed at providing training to people without any skills”.
He expressed concern about the carnage on the highways throughout the country, leading to the loss of valuable lives and property, and urged the NVTI to provide skills training to drivers to curb the carnage.
In his address, the Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Antwi Bosiako Sekyere, said at this stage of her development efforts, Ghana needed a critical mass of high-level skilled manpower “to [be staffed in] our public and private sector organisations”.
In his welcoming address, the divisional chairman, Mr John Sampah, said the PSWU “are in high expectation of the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS)”.
THREE HELD OVER ALLEGED ROBERY (1B, APRIL 19, 2010)
Despite the ban on the importation and sale of turkey tails because of their health hazards, there is still brisk business of the meat product in the open market.
Personnel of some security services allegedly provide security cover for the product to be conveyed in containers by agents to the market and sale points, particularly Nsawam near Accra where the business is booming.
Since February this year about 4,095 cartons of turkey tail have been seized and destroyed but the importation of the meat product goes on unabated.
The Food and Drugs Board (FDB) believes that some influential people are behind the illegal trade and are thwarting its efforts to check the trade.
A visit by the Daily Graphic to Nsawam revealed that the trade in the turkey tail was still visible and the patronage was still high despite the hike in prices of the product.
A turkey tail hawker at the Nsawam Lorry Park, Mrs Martha Adwoa Akyewaa, told the Daily Graphic that they used to pay GH¢20 for a carton of turkey tails, but with the ban the same carton was now sold for GH¢42.
She said despite the hike in prices, people still patronised the banned products, especially on weekends when people travel for picnics, weddings and naming ceremonies.
Miss Akosua Manuah, a trader who had been in the turkey tail trade for 10 years, said they used to travel to Accra to take their allocations but because of the ban and police harassment, they had stopped. Rather, she said, they relied on agents who brought the meat in containers to Nsawam.
She alleged that the police usually accompanied the containers to Nsawam where they collected between GH¢500 and GH¢600 from the agents in the illegal turkey tail business.
Miss Comfort Mawusi said even though many people including her had heard about the educational programmes on radio that turkey tails were full of fat and not good for consumption, because they was relatively cheaper than beef, goat and chicken people tended to patronise them.
The Food and Drugs Board has adopted a multi-prong approach to deal with the menace and nip the trade in the bud.
In an interview in Accra on illegal trade in turkey tail, Dr M. Mohammed-Alfa, the Head of Animal Products and Biosafety Department of the FDB, said the new strategy had been necessitated by the proliferation of the banned products on the market in recent times despite efforts to completely stop the importation of turkey tails into the country.
He said the multi-prong approach involved frequent search of major storage facilities to mop up the products still being kept in storage facilities to prevent them from being distributed to the various markets.
He said the public had been co-operating in that respect by providing tip-offs about the loading sites.
He said a network of importers of animal products was being established to ensure that the FDB worked closely with the importers to stop the trade.
Dr Mohammed-Alfa said the network of importers could also act as informants by reporting members and kingpins of the illegal turkey tail business to the FDB.
He said just last Thursday, a consignment of 300 cartons was seized on the premises of Alferdos Cold Stores at Kaneshie and that the war on turkey tails was being fought on all fronts.
He said as part of the multi-prong approach the FDB would visit Nsawam to hold series of meetings with the Akuapem South Assembly to educate members of the Assembly on the need to educate the people on the health hazards for them to move from the trade to other alternative means of making a livelihood.
Dr Mohammed-Alfa said similar meetings and educational tours had been planned for other parts of the country such at Dome and Aflao.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry in 1999 issued a communiqué to all importers to the effect that poultry and poultry products with total fat content exceeding 15 per cent were banned and not to be imported into the country.
Consequently, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture also stopped issuing permits for the importation of turkey tails into Ghana.
The Food and Drugs Board (FDB), therefore, asked the public to give information on any person known to be involved in the illegal importation of turkey tails.
The FDB noted that fat from turkey tails, being of animal source, was likely to have a good proportion of saturated fats which were associated with high cholesterol level and as such were implicated in the occurrence of many diseases, including heart diseases.
On February 8, 2010 the FDB, in conjunction with National Security and CEPS, detained a container of frozen chicken at Kaneshie because it contained 1,970 cartons of turkey tails as part of its contents.
Again, on February 9, 2010, the three institutions impounded a container in which 2,095 cartons of turkey tails had been concealed among 692 cartons of chicken backs.
Personnel of some security services allegedly provide security cover for the product to be conveyed in containers by agents to the market and sale points, particularly Nsawam near Accra where the business is booming.
Since February this year about 4,095 cartons of turkey tail have been seized and destroyed but the importation of the meat product goes on unabated.
The Food and Drugs Board (FDB) believes that some influential people are behind the illegal trade and are thwarting its efforts to check the trade.
A visit by the Daily Graphic to Nsawam revealed that the trade in the turkey tail was still visible and the patronage was still high despite the hike in prices of the product.
A turkey tail hawker at the Nsawam Lorry Park, Mrs Martha Adwoa Akyewaa, told the Daily Graphic that they used to pay GH¢20 for a carton of turkey tails, but with the ban the same carton was now sold for GH¢42.
She said despite the hike in prices, people still patronised the banned products, especially on weekends when people travel for picnics, weddings and naming ceremonies.
Miss Akosua Manuah, a trader who had been in the turkey tail trade for 10 years, said they used to travel to Accra to take their allocations but because of the ban and police harassment, they had stopped. Rather, she said, they relied on agents who brought the meat in containers to Nsawam.
She alleged that the police usually accompanied the containers to Nsawam where they collected between GH¢500 and GH¢600 from the agents in the illegal turkey tail business.
Miss Comfort Mawusi said even though many people including her had heard about the educational programmes on radio that turkey tails were full of fat and not good for consumption, because they was relatively cheaper than beef, goat and chicken people tended to patronise them.
The Food and Drugs Board has adopted a multi-prong approach to deal with the menace and nip the trade in the bud.
In an interview in Accra on illegal trade in turkey tail, Dr M. Mohammed-Alfa, the Head of Animal Products and Biosafety Department of the FDB, said the new strategy had been necessitated by the proliferation of the banned products on the market in recent times despite efforts to completely stop the importation of turkey tails into the country.
He said the multi-prong approach involved frequent search of major storage facilities to mop up the products still being kept in storage facilities to prevent them from being distributed to the various markets.
He said the public had been co-operating in that respect by providing tip-offs about the loading sites.
He said a network of importers of animal products was being established to ensure that the FDB worked closely with the importers to stop the trade.
Dr Mohammed-Alfa said the network of importers could also act as informants by reporting members and kingpins of the illegal turkey tail business to the FDB.
He said just last Thursday, a consignment of 300 cartons was seized on the premises of Alferdos Cold Stores at Kaneshie and that the war on turkey tails was being fought on all fronts.
He said as part of the multi-prong approach the FDB would visit Nsawam to hold series of meetings with the Akuapem South Assembly to educate members of the Assembly on the need to educate the people on the health hazards for them to move from the trade to other alternative means of making a livelihood.
Dr Mohammed-Alfa said similar meetings and educational tours had been planned for other parts of the country such at Dome and Aflao.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry in 1999 issued a communiqué to all importers to the effect that poultry and poultry products with total fat content exceeding 15 per cent were banned and not to be imported into the country.
Consequently, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture also stopped issuing permits for the importation of turkey tails into Ghana.
The Food and Drugs Board (FDB), therefore, asked the public to give information on any person known to be involved in the illegal importation of turkey tails.
The FDB noted that fat from turkey tails, being of animal source, was likely to have a good proportion of saturated fats which were associated with high cholesterol level and as such were implicated in the occurrence of many diseases, including heart diseases.
On February 8, 2010 the FDB, in conjunction with National Security and CEPS, detained a container of frozen chicken at Kaneshie because it contained 1,970 cartons of turkey tails as part of its contents.
Again, on February 9, 2010, the three institutions impounded a container in which 2,095 cartons of turkey tails had been concealed among 692 cartons of chicken backs.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
CATHOLIC SOCIETY CELEBRATES 15TH ANNIVERSARY (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, PAGE 5, APRIL 19, 2010)
By George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
Members of St Theresa’s of the Child Jesus Society at the St Peters Catholic Church, Asuoyeboah, celebrated the 15th anniversary of its establishment on resurrection day amidst fanfare, dinning and winning.
Moments after the members had offered thanks to God during church services, they converged on the garden of a private house at Asuoyeboah, where they dined and wined as part of the celebration.
Those with the flair for dancing to the tunes of traditional, highlife and gospel music also took to the floor and danced to entertain the invited guests.
The oldies outsmarted the youth with their dancing skills as they positively responded to the tunes of the various highlife tunes that were played throughout the programme, proving that in terms of flair in dancing, the youth have more to learn from their elders.
Members of St Theresa’s of the Child Jesus Society at the St Peters Catholic Church, Asuoyeboah, celebrated the 15th anniversary of its establishment on resurrection day amidst fanfare, dinning and winning.
Moments after the members had offered thanks to God during church services, they converged on the garden of a private house at Asuoyeboah, where they dined and wined as part of the celebration.
Those with the flair for dancing to the tunes of traditional, highlife and gospel music also took to the floor and danced to entertain the invited guests.
The oldies outsmarted the youth with their dancing skills as they positively responded to the tunes of the various highlife tunes that were played throughout the programme, proving that in terms of flair in dancing, the youth have more to learn from their elders.
BERNDT LUTHR FOUNDATION SUPPORTS NEEDY (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, PAGE 15, APRIL 19, 2010)
By George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
Berndt Luther Foundation, an NGO that supports the needy to enjoy a meaningful life, broadened the smiles of senior citizens at Ash-Town, a Kumasi surburb, last Sunday when they distributed various food items estimated at GH¢3000 to them.
About 100 senior citizens, who were above 70 years, benefited from the gesture at a short ceremony that saw the beneficiaries defying the scorching sun to be part of the programme.
Beaming with smiles as they received quantities of rice, sugar, milk, tinned mackerel and Milo products, the senior citizens commended the NGO for their kind support.
Those who were weak, due to ill health and age and could therefore, not personally attend the programme received their items at home.
A 90-year-old old widow, Madam Clara Oteng, received the items on behalf of the senior citizens, and in an interview with the Graphic Nsempa, expressed her profound gratitude to Kwabena Badu who presented the items on behalf of Brandt Luther Foundation.
“They have really made our day, and we are very grateful for the gesture because it would reduce our expenditure on food for some time.” she noted.
She stressed that, the gesture should be extended to other senior citizens in the Kumasi Metropolis and other parts of the country, “because in our old age, we need the support of the youth to enable us enjoy our retirement.”
Addressing the senior citizens prior to the distribution of the products, Mr Badu said the foundation had been supporting the needy, including those at the Kumasi Children Home.
He assured them that they would continue to assist the needy in diverse ways to enable them enjoy a more meaningful life.
Mr Badu pointed out that the contributions of senior citizens in the country in terms of socio-economic development had been immense, and therefore, called on institutions, organisations, and individuals to also support senior citizens at this time of their lives.
Berndt Luther Foundation, an NGO that supports the needy to enjoy a meaningful life, broadened the smiles of senior citizens at Ash-Town, a Kumasi surburb, last Sunday when they distributed various food items estimated at GH¢3000 to them.
About 100 senior citizens, who were above 70 years, benefited from the gesture at a short ceremony that saw the beneficiaries defying the scorching sun to be part of the programme.
Beaming with smiles as they received quantities of rice, sugar, milk, tinned mackerel and Milo products, the senior citizens commended the NGO for their kind support.
Those who were weak, due to ill health and age and could therefore, not personally attend the programme received their items at home.
A 90-year-old old widow, Madam Clara Oteng, received the items on behalf of the senior citizens, and in an interview with the Graphic Nsempa, expressed her profound gratitude to Kwabena Badu who presented the items on behalf of Brandt Luther Foundation.
“They have really made our day, and we are very grateful for the gesture because it would reduce our expenditure on food for some time.” she noted.
She stressed that, the gesture should be extended to other senior citizens in the Kumasi Metropolis and other parts of the country, “because in our old age, we need the support of the youth to enable us enjoy our retirement.”
Addressing the senior citizens prior to the distribution of the products, Mr Badu said the foundation had been supporting the needy, including those at the Kumasi Children Home.
He assured them that they would continue to assist the needy in diverse ways to enable them enjoy a more meaningful life.
Mr Badu pointed out that the contributions of senior citizens in the country in terms of socio-economic development had been immense, and therefore, called on institutions, organisations, and individuals to also support senior citizens at this time of their lives.
OTUMFUO DONATES URINE ANALYSER TO KNUST (GRAPHIC NSEMPA , PAGE 15, PRIL 19, 2010)
By George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
As part of measures to enhance efficiency in quality health care delivery at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) hospital, the Chancellor of the University, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has donated a urine analyser machine to the management of the hospital.
With the donation of the equipment, the time of diagnosing kidney related problems, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and diabetes among others, would be greatly reduced to enhance quality health care.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who is also the Asantehene, made the presentation at the first annual communication of the Provincial Grand Lodge North meeting held at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Kumasi last Saturday.
The analyser machine was donated to Otumfuo Osei Tutu by Nana Osae Nyampong, the Grand Master of the Lodge.
In view of delays experienced by patients through manual laboratory tests to analyse urine, kidney problems and cardiovascular diseases among others, at the KNUST hospital, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II donated the machine to the hospital to arrest that situation.
In his address, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said quality health care delivery was now a major issue in the country, “so there is the need for all stakeholders to collaborate to make it effective and efficient”.
This, he said, would enable the country have a productive working force, ready to support accelerated socio-economic development.
Commending Nana Osae Nyampong for his humanitarian gesture, he said the donation was their widow’s mite to support health care at the KNUST hospital.
He therefore, charged the medical personnel at the hospital to be committed to their professional responsibilities to enhance quality health care delivery to win the confidence of patients who sought medical care.
The Pro Vice Chancellor of the KNUST, Professor William Otoo Ellis, who received the machine on behalf of the hospital, was full of praise for Otumfuo for selecting the hospital as the recipient of the machine.
He pointed out that “the hospital is next to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, (KATH) in the Ashanti Region, in terms of health care delivery, but we lack basic equipment that would enhance quality heath care”
He explained that apart from the over 25,000-student population that the KNUST hospital caters for, it also addresses the health care of about 19 suburbs in the Kumasi metropolis, thus bringing undue pressure on the hospital.
Professor Ellis said it was therefore important for stakeholders to support the KNUST hospital with medical equipment and supplies on regular basis, to enable them cater for the numerous patients who trooped there daily to seek medical care.
As part of measures to enhance efficiency in quality health care delivery at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) hospital, the Chancellor of the University, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has donated a urine analyser machine to the management of the hospital.
With the donation of the equipment, the time of diagnosing kidney related problems, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and diabetes among others, would be greatly reduced to enhance quality health care.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who is also the Asantehene, made the presentation at the first annual communication of the Provincial Grand Lodge North meeting held at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Kumasi last Saturday.
The analyser machine was donated to Otumfuo Osei Tutu by Nana Osae Nyampong, the Grand Master of the Lodge.
In view of delays experienced by patients through manual laboratory tests to analyse urine, kidney problems and cardiovascular diseases among others, at the KNUST hospital, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II donated the machine to the hospital to arrest that situation.
In his address, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said quality health care delivery was now a major issue in the country, “so there is the need for all stakeholders to collaborate to make it effective and efficient”.
This, he said, would enable the country have a productive working force, ready to support accelerated socio-economic development.
Commending Nana Osae Nyampong for his humanitarian gesture, he said the donation was their widow’s mite to support health care at the KNUST hospital.
He therefore, charged the medical personnel at the hospital to be committed to their professional responsibilities to enhance quality health care delivery to win the confidence of patients who sought medical care.
The Pro Vice Chancellor of the KNUST, Professor William Otoo Ellis, who received the machine on behalf of the hospital, was full of praise for Otumfuo for selecting the hospital as the recipient of the machine.
He pointed out that “the hospital is next to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, (KATH) in the Ashanti Region, in terms of health care delivery, but we lack basic equipment that would enhance quality heath care”
He explained that apart from the over 25,000-student population that the KNUST hospital caters for, it also addresses the health care of about 19 suburbs in the Kumasi metropolis, thus bringing undue pressure on the hospital.
Professor Ellis said it was therefore important for stakeholders to support the KNUST hospital with medical equipment and supplies on regular basis, to enable them cater for the numerous patients who trooped there daily to seek medical care.
KATH STRIVES TO ACHIVE VISION (PAGE 20, APRIL 19, 2010)
The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi has a vision of being acknowledged as one medical centre of excellence with international repute in the West African sub-region.
The KATH hopes to achieve this by drawing all available resources, both human and material, from within and abroad to offer quality healthcare to patients.
Over the past years, authorities of the hospital have not relented in their efforts to reduce the trauma of patients suffering from various cardiovascular diseases through the provision of free surgical operations.
Those with tumours developed at various parts of their bodies, especially, their heads, face and neck, stigmatising them and making it impossible for them to undertake productive activities are benefiting from the KATH initiative.
The programme started about four years ago when heart specialists from the Children Hospital, Boston, Harvard University in the United States of America, arrived at the KATH and performed free open heart surgery for 11 children suffering from acute heart problems.
The following year, the specialists, who were determined to establish a paediatric centre in Kumasi came to the KATH for a similar open-heart surgery which benefited 18 children suffering from various heart problems.
In 2009, the initiative saw the heart specialists performing free open-heart surgery for 14 children , and early this year, the heart specialists from Harvard University extended their gesture to 15 children.
All the beneficiary children, who had abandoned their education prior to the surgery due to ill-health, have now resumed their academic work, and are more determined to develop their potential to enable them to support sustainable national development in future.
A 13-year-old girl who was recuperating at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital when journalists visited the unit, was full of smiles.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic she said before the surgery, she always felt very tired anytime she attempted walking, and pointed out that with the successful operation, she was looking forward to attending school.
“I attend school at Kings and Queen International in Kumasi and I hope to start school very soon” Eunice Ezerke told the Daily Graphic.
During the visit, the medical officers were busily operating on a 17-year-old girl who was also suffering from acute heart disease.
Apart from the heart specialists from Harvard University, Cardiostart International, also from the United States of America (USA) , is also collaborating with the KATH authorities to perform free open- heart surgery for adults suffering from heart diseases.
A team of 25 Cardio specialists from Cardiostart International successfully performed open-heart surgery for 11 patients suffering from acute cardiovascular diseases at the newly established Accident and Emergency Centre theatre at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi..
The team, made up of medical officers and an anaesthetist, among others, performed the operation in collaboration with their counterparts at the KATH as part of the programme to build the capacity of local medical officers.
The team also donated medical equipment and supplies estimated at $430,000.00 to the KATH to enhance quality health care at the hospital.
Late last year, a team of maxillofacial surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses from Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Camp (RPSC) in Rotenburg, Germany, performed surgery to remove tumours and corrected facial deformities for 54 patients in Kumasi and Tamale.
Thirty-two of the surgical operations, which lasted for a week, were performed at the Tamale Regional Hospital to prevent people suffering from such defects travelling to Kumasi to be operated upon.
Twenty–two of the operations were however performed at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi .
The removal of the tumours and correction of the facial deformities brought relief to the patients who had been stigmatised over the years by residents in their respective communities.
The surgeries, which were performed free of charge, was through the initiative of a German- based Ghanaian anaesthetist specialist, Dr Jacob Fofie Siaw, who was part of the team.
Other members of the team were Dr Christian Schippers, a maxillofacial surgeon, who was the leader of the team, Dr Alexander Rudolf, a maxillofacial surgeon, Dr Michael Paland, an anaesthetist, Dr Casten Schrieber, also an anaesthetist, Ms Baebel Ulbricht, a nurse, Ms Yohanna Schippers, a student, and Ms Andrea Martin, a nurse anaesthetist.
Commenting on their gesture during an interview with the Daily Graphic, Dr Fofie Siaw said the team had been visiting developing countries to perform special services for children and adults who had facial defects and head tumours .
He granted the interview when they were at the last stage of their surgical operation performed on a 34-year-old woman with a huge head tumour at the KATH.
He said the need to visit Ghana as part of their effort to correct facial defects became necessary “because it will not only encourage others with similar skills to visit home regularly to provide such services to the less privileged, but will also enable the beneficiary patients lead a more fulfilled life.”
Explaining the conditions of the patients prior to the surgical operations, Dr Fofie Siaw noted “Many of the beneficiaries had a lot of swellings in their faces, with others having problems at their jaws since childhood, making it impossible for them to open their mouth properly.
“One of them had not been able to open her jaw for the past 25 years because both the upper and lower bones at her jaws were completely fused together, but now, she can do everything after the surgery” he said.
He said each of the patients would have paid between GH¢400.00 and GH¢1,500.00, depending on the their conditions, explaining that some of the tumours were so big that it took them over six hours to operate on them.
He said apart from the free surgical operation, they also provided the patients with drugs and offered some medical supplies to the KATH and Tamale hospitals.
He said the RPSC was also collarborating with the KATH authorities to build the capacity of their doctors to enable them to perform similar services for patients in future.
He expressed concern about the attitude of patients in refusing to seek early medical care when they observed changes in their bodies, stressing ,“ early medical treatment could reduce their predicament because even if their problems could not be addressed immediately, there could be some documentation about their records, so that in future , they would be given emergency treatment as we are doing now”.
He said they were not able to provide surgical operations for all patients “ but we will by all means return next year and priority would be given to those who are on our waiting list as soon as we return”.
The KATH hopes to achieve this by drawing all available resources, both human and material, from within and abroad to offer quality healthcare to patients.
Over the past years, authorities of the hospital have not relented in their efforts to reduce the trauma of patients suffering from various cardiovascular diseases through the provision of free surgical operations.
Those with tumours developed at various parts of their bodies, especially, their heads, face and neck, stigmatising them and making it impossible for them to undertake productive activities are benefiting from the KATH initiative.
The programme started about four years ago when heart specialists from the Children Hospital, Boston, Harvard University in the United States of America, arrived at the KATH and performed free open heart surgery for 11 children suffering from acute heart problems.
The following year, the specialists, who were determined to establish a paediatric centre in Kumasi came to the KATH for a similar open-heart surgery which benefited 18 children suffering from various heart problems.
In 2009, the initiative saw the heart specialists performing free open-heart surgery for 14 children , and early this year, the heart specialists from Harvard University extended their gesture to 15 children.
All the beneficiary children, who had abandoned their education prior to the surgery due to ill-health, have now resumed their academic work, and are more determined to develop their potential to enable them to support sustainable national development in future.
A 13-year-old girl who was recuperating at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital when journalists visited the unit, was full of smiles.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic she said before the surgery, she always felt very tired anytime she attempted walking, and pointed out that with the successful operation, she was looking forward to attending school.
“I attend school at Kings and Queen International in Kumasi and I hope to start school very soon” Eunice Ezerke told the Daily Graphic.
During the visit, the medical officers were busily operating on a 17-year-old girl who was also suffering from acute heart disease.
Apart from the heart specialists from Harvard University, Cardiostart International, also from the United States of America (USA) , is also collaborating with the KATH authorities to perform free open- heart surgery for adults suffering from heart diseases.
A team of 25 Cardio specialists from Cardiostart International successfully performed open-heart surgery for 11 patients suffering from acute cardiovascular diseases at the newly established Accident and Emergency Centre theatre at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi..
The team, made up of medical officers and an anaesthetist, among others, performed the operation in collaboration with their counterparts at the KATH as part of the programme to build the capacity of local medical officers.
The team also donated medical equipment and supplies estimated at $430,000.00 to the KATH to enhance quality health care at the hospital.
Late last year, a team of maxillofacial surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses from Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Camp (RPSC) in Rotenburg, Germany, performed surgery to remove tumours and corrected facial deformities for 54 patients in Kumasi and Tamale.
Thirty-two of the surgical operations, which lasted for a week, were performed at the Tamale Regional Hospital to prevent people suffering from such defects travelling to Kumasi to be operated upon.
Twenty–two of the operations were however performed at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi .
The removal of the tumours and correction of the facial deformities brought relief to the patients who had been stigmatised over the years by residents in their respective communities.
The surgeries, which were performed free of charge, was through the initiative of a German- based Ghanaian anaesthetist specialist, Dr Jacob Fofie Siaw, who was part of the team.
Other members of the team were Dr Christian Schippers, a maxillofacial surgeon, who was the leader of the team, Dr Alexander Rudolf, a maxillofacial surgeon, Dr Michael Paland, an anaesthetist, Dr Casten Schrieber, also an anaesthetist, Ms Baebel Ulbricht, a nurse, Ms Yohanna Schippers, a student, and Ms Andrea Martin, a nurse anaesthetist.
Commenting on their gesture during an interview with the Daily Graphic, Dr Fofie Siaw said the team had been visiting developing countries to perform special services for children and adults who had facial defects and head tumours .
He granted the interview when they were at the last stage of their surgical operation performed on a 34-year-old woman with a huge head tumour at the KATH.
He said the need to visit Ghana as part of their effort to correct facial defects became necessary “because it will not only encourage others with similar skills to visit home regularly to provide such services to the less privileged, but will also enable the beneficiary patients lead a more fulfilled life.”
Explaining the conditions of the patients prior to the surgical operations, Dr Fofie Siaw noted “Many of the beneficiaries had a lot of swellings in their faces, with others having problems at their jaws since childhood, making it impossible for them to open their mouth properly.
“One of them had not been able to open her jaw for the past 25 years because both the upper and lower bones at her jaws were completely fused together, but now, she can do everything after the surgery” he said.
He said each of the patients would have paid between GH¢400.00 and GH¢1,500.00, depending on the their conditions, explaining that some of the tumours were so big that it took them over six hours to operate on them.
He said apart from the free surgical operation, they also provided the patients with drugs and offered some medical supplies to the KATH and Tamale hospitals.
He said the RPSC was also collarborating with the KATH authorities to build the capacity of their doctors to enable them to perform similar services for patients in future.
He expressed concern about the attitude of patients in refusing to seek early medical care when they observed changes in their bodies, stressing ,“ early medical treatment could reduce their predicament because even if their problems could not be addressed immediately, there could be some documentation about their records, so that in future , they would be given emergency treatment as we are doing now”.
He said they were not able to provide surgical operations for all patients “ but we will by all means return next year and priority would be given to those who are on our waiting list as soon as we return”.
Friday, April 16, 2010
CHURCH ROBBERS JAILED 20 YEARS (MIRROR, PAGE 19, APRIL 17, 2010)
From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
The insatiable appetite of two young men to reap where they had not sown has suddenly changed their dwelling places, as they are to spend the next 20 years in jail.
Atta Bonsu, a 23-year-old petty trader, and Moses Awuah, a 25-year- old carpenter, invaded the premises of Strong Tower Global Church at Santasi Roundabout in Kumasi and made away with musical instruments including an organ, a compressor, trumpet, guitar and two large speakers estimated at GH¢30,000. Luck evaded them at the last minute as they were arrested and all the items retrieved.
They pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to rob and robbing when they appeared before the court, presided over by Justice R.C. Azumah.
However, after the trial, the court found them guilty of the offences and convicted each of them to 20 years in jail.
Giving the facts, a State Attorney, Mrs Victoria Odame–Darkwa, said at dawn on January 4, 2010, the convicts broke into the church and stole the musical instruments but were unable to cart all the items away so they hid some close to the shop of a witness in the case.
The State Attorney said when they returned for the booty, they saw a group of people gathered in the vicinity where the items were hidden and to scare the group away, they fired some warning shots, compelling the people to run for their lives.
That, Mrs Odame-Darkwa said, made it possible for them to retrieve the hidden ‘goods’.
She said a few hours later, the duo returned to the same spot with the intention of buying local gin but the shop owner, who had seen them firing the gun earlier, wanted to know why they fired warning shots to scare the people before carting items that belonged to them away.
Mrs Odame-Darkwa said they pleaded with the shop owner to be quiet about the incident and offered him a handsome reward but the witness informed them that he could not give them the assurance because many people were privy to the incident.
She said not satisfied with what happened at the drinking shop, the convicts again approached other witnesses and pleaded with them to be silent on the issue, but information had already got to the police. They were, therefore, arrested and the items retrieved from them.
The insatiable appetite of two young men to reap where they had not sown has suddenly changed their dwelling places, as they are to spend the next 20 years in jail.
Atta Bonsu, a 23-year-old petty trader, and Moses Awuah, a 25-year- old carpenter, invaded the premises of Strong Tower Global Church at Santasi Roundabout in Kumasi and made away with musical instruments including an organ, a compressor, trumpet, guitar and two large speakers estimated at GH¢30,000. Luck evaded them at the last minute as they were arrested and all the items retrieved.
They pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to rob and robbing when they appeared before the court, presided over by Justice R.C. Azumah.
However, after the trial, the court found them guilty of the offences and convicted each of them to 20 years in jail.
Giving the facts, a State Attorney, Mrs Victoria Odame–Darkwa, said at dawn on January 4, 2010, the convicts broke into the church and stole the musical instruments but were unable to cart all the items away so they hid some close to the shop of a witness in the case.
The State Attorney said when they returned for the booty, they saw a group of people gathered in the vicinity where the items were hidden and to scare the group away, they fired some warning shots, compelling the people to run for their lives.
That, Mrs Odame-Darkwa said, made it possible for them to retrieve the hidden ‘goods’.
She said a few hours later, the duo returned to the same spot with the intention of buying local gin but the shop owner, who had seen them firing the gun earlier, wanted to know why they fired warning shots to scare the people before carting items that belonged to them away.
Mrs Odame-Darkwa said they pleaded with the shop owner to be quiet about the incident and offered him a handsome reward but the witness informed them that he could not give them the assurance because many people were privy to the incident.
She said not satisfied with what happened at the drinking shop, the convicts again approached other witnesses and pleaded with them to be silent on the issue, but information had already got to the police. They were, therefore, arrested and the items retrieved from them.
GOVT URGED TO REWARD SCHOOL HEADS (MIRROR, PAGE 13, APRIL 17, 2010)
From George Ernest Asare, Barekese.
THE President of Friends of Rivers and Water Bodies, an environmental NGO in Kumasi, Nana Kwabena Dwomoh Sarpong, has called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to collaborate with the government to reward committed and hard working headmasters at the national teachers’ award day.
He said rewarding hardworking heads of second cycle institutions would motivate their peers to initiate moves that would improve and sustain high academic standards and moral discipline in the country.
Addressing students and staff of the Barekese Senior High School (SHS) during their maiden speech and prize giving day, Nana Sarpong expressed concern about the failure of the state to recognise heads of second cycle institutions whose initiatives have helped transformed deprived schools into well-endowed ones.
Nana Sarpong commended the Headmaster of Barekese SHS, Nana Taa Asiakwa Agyemang III, for his sense of initiatives and commitment to the effective development of the school since he assumed office five years ago.
He pointed out that within the five-year period, the headmaster had collaborated with stakeholders to develop the needed infrastructure to enhance enrolment of students.
He said adequate infrastructure in the school was also impacting positively on teaching and learning, thereby enhancing high academic standards.
He said it was important to note that as other institutions go around soliciting for help, the administration of Barekese Senior High School had concentrated on their resources and used them judiciously to come to this level.
Nana Sarpong suggested to the Ministry of Education to expand its award category to include the best administrator or the best headmaster, as some of them were doing very well.
In his report, Nana Taa Asiakwa Agyemang III said from just a classroom block to accommodate 81 students five years ago, “the Barekese SHS can now boast five classroom blocks, four dormitories, a multi-purpose building for assembly hall, a master’s bungalow accommodating eight teachers, a science laboratory and a sports field”.
He said the student population also stood at 2,098 with permanent teaching staff of 87.
He said in spite of the large student population “discipline is synonymous with our school and the standard of discipline is high”.
He commended Consar Ghana Limited, a Building Contractor, Nwabiagya Rural Bank, and the Atwima Nwabiagya District Assembly for their immense contribution that had led to the expansion of educational infrastructure in the school.
He, however, appealed to the government to support the school with enough staff accommodation “to help the teachers discharge their duties excellently”.
Mr Joseph Kwabena Onyinah, Ashanti Regional Director of Education, said the GES was committed to supporting the creation of well balanced students with the requisite knowledge, relevant skills and values .
Mr Onyinah advised students to stay away from drugs, alcoholism, promiscuity, occultism, cyber fraud and other criminal activities to enable them concentrate on their academic programmes.
THE President of Friends of Rivers and Water Bodies, an environmental NGO in Kumasi, Nana Kwabena Dwomoh Sarpong, has called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to collaborate with the government to reward committed and hard working headmasters at the national teachers’ award day.
He said rewarding hardworking heads of second cycle institutions would motivate their peers to initiate moves that would improve and sustain high academic standards and moral discipline in the country.
Addressing students and staff of the Barekese Senior High School (SHS) during their maiden speech and prize giving day, Nana Sarpong expressed concern about the failure of the state to recognise heads of second cycle institutions whose initiatives have helped transformed deprived schools into well-endowed ones.
Nana Sarpong commended the Headmaster of Barekese SHS, Nana Taa Asiakwa Agyemang III, for his sense of initiatives and commitment to the effective development of the school since he assumed office five years ago.
He pointed out that within the five-year period, the headmaster had collaborated with stakeholders to develop the needed infrastructure to enhance enrolment of students.
He said adequate infrastructure in the school was also impacting positively on teaching and learning, thereby enhancing high academic standards.
He said it was important to note that as other institutions go around soliciting for help, the administration of Barekese Senior High School had concentrated on their resources and used them judiciously to come to this level.
Nana Sarpong suggested to the Ministry of Education to expand its award category to include the best administrator or the best headmaster, as some of them were doing very well.
In his report, Nana Taa Asiakwa Agyemang III said from just a classroom block to accommodate 81 students five years ago, “the Barekese SHS can now boast five classroom blocks, four dormitories, a multi-purpose building for assembly hall, a master’s bungalow accommodating eight teachers, a science laboratory and a sports field”.
He said the student population also stood at 2,098 with permanent teaching staff of 87.
He said in spite of the large student population “discipline is synonymous with our school and the standard of discipline is high”.
He commended Consar Ghana Limited, a Building Contractor, Nwabiagya Rural Bank, and the Atwima Nwabiagya District Assembly for their immense contribution that had led to the expansion of educational infrastructure in the school.
He, however, appealed to the government to support the school with enough staff accommodation “to help the teachers discharge their duties excellently”.
Mr Joseph Kwabena Onyinah, Ashanti Regional Director of Education, said the GES was committed to supporting the creation of well balanced students with the requisite knowledge, relevant skills and values .
Mr Onyinah advised students to stay away from drugs, alcoholism, promiscuity, occultism, cyber fraud and other criminal activities to enable them concentrate on their academic programmes.
NGO GIVES TO AGED (MIRROR, PAGE 21, PRIL 17, 2010)
From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
Berndt Luther Foundation, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) that supports the needy to enjoy meaningful life, broadened the smiles of senior citizens at Ash-Town in Kumasi on Easter Monday when they distributed to them various food items estimated at GH¢3000.
About 100 senior citizens who were above 70 years benefited from the gesture at a short ceremony that saw the beneficiaries defying the scorching sun to be part of the programme.
Beaming with smiles as they received quantities of rice, sugar, milk, Geisha mackerel and Milo products, the senior citizens commended the NGO for their support.
Those who were weak, due to ill-health and old- age and could therefore not personally attend the programme, received theirs at home.
A 90-year-old widow, Madam Clara Oteng, received the items on behalf of the senior citizens, and in an interview with The Mirror, she expressed gratitude to Mr Kwabena Badu, who presented the items on behalf of Brandt Luther Foundation.
She urged that the gesture should be extended to other senior citizens in the Kumasi Metropolis and other parts of the country “because in our old age, we need the support of the youth to enable us enjoy our retirement.”
Addressing the senior citizens prior to the distribution of the products, Mr Badu said the foundation has been supporting the needy, including those at the Kumasi Children’s Home.
Berndt Luther Foundation, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) that supports the needy to enjoy meaningful life, broadened the smiles of senior citizens at Ash-Town in Kumasi on Easter Monday when they distributed to them various food items estimated at GH¢3000.
About 100 senior citizens who were above 70 years benefited from the gesture at a short ceremony that saw the beneficiaries defying the scorching sun to be part of the programme.
Beaming with smiles as they received quantities of rice, sugar, milk, Geisha mackerel and Milo products, the senior citizens commended the NGO for their support.
Those who were weak, due to ill-health and old- age and could therefore not personally attend the programme, received theirs at home.
A 90-year-old widow, Madam Clara Oteng, received the items on behalf of the senior citizens, and in an interview with The Mirror, she expressed gratitude to Mr Kwabena Badu, who presented the items on behalf of Brandt Luther Foundation.
She urged that the gesture should be extended to other senior citizens in the Kumasi Metropolis and other parts of the country “because in our old age, we need the support of the youth to enable us enjoy our retirement.”
Addressing the senior citizens prior to the distribution of the products, Mr Badu said the foundation has been supporting the needy, including those at the Kumasi Children’s Home.
KUMASI WOOD CLUSTER INITIATIVE GETS SHOWROOM (MIRROR, PAGE 16, 2010)
From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.
The Kumasi Wood Cluster Initiative has inaugurated a showroom at Adum to enhance the marketing of wood products and revenue generation for members.
Mrs Maria Vitores, Director of SPEED Ghana, an NGO, who inaugurated the showroom which had on display household, office, hotel and outdoor furniture, gave an assurance that the NGO would continue to provide the needed support to enable the artisans to add value to the wood products and make them more competitive.
Mr K. Agyemang, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Furniture and Wood Products Association of Ghana (FAWAG), commended SPEED Ghana for its tremendous support in building the capacity of members of the association.
He explained that it was the support of the NGO that had opened avenues for the Wood Cluster Initiative and strengthened their viability.
Mr Agyemang pointed out that the Wood Cluster Initiative “evolved naturally due to the fact that Kumasi is a strong timber base in Ghana, hosting many sawmills.
He added that “many carpenters and other tertiary processors of wood have taken advantage of the proximity of the sawmills to set up wood processing businesses, and this has made the name Kumasi to become synonymous with furniture and other wood products in Ghana”.
He appealed to the government to “address the raw materials need of the cluster and design special industrial schemes specifically tailored for the tertiary wood industry to fully empower the sector to play its leading role in the economic development of the nation”.
The Kumasi Wood Cluster Initiative has inaugurated a showroom at Adum to enhance the marketing of wood products and revenue generation for members.
Mrs Maria Vitores, Director of SPEED Ghana, an NGO, who inaugurated the showroom which had on display household, office, hotel and outdoor furniture, gave an assurance that the NGO would continue to provide the needed support to enable the artisans to add value to the wood products and make them more competitive.
Mr K. Agyemang, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Furniture and Wood Products Association of Ghana (FAWAG), commended SPEED Ghana for its tremendous support in building the capacity of members of the association.
He explained that it was the support of the NGO that had opened avenues for the Wood Cluster Initiative and strengthened their viability.
Mr Agyemang pointed out that the Wood Cluster Initiative “evolved naturally due to the fact that Kumasi is a strong timber base in Ghana, hosting many sawmills.
He added that “many carpenters and other tertiary processors of wood have taken advantage of the proximity of the sawmills to set up wood processing businesses, and this has made the name Kumasi to become synonymous with furniture and other wood products in Ghana”.
He appealed to the government to “address the raw materials need of the cluster and design special industrial schemes specifically tailored for the tertiary wood industry to fully empower the sector to play its leading role in the economic development of the nation”.
VICTIM HELD 10 HOURS IN TAXI (MIRROR, LEAD STORY, APRIL 17, 2010)
From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.
After posing as Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) operatives, two middle-aged men and their accomplices in Kumasi allegedly succeeded in kidnapping a young man and demanded a ransom of GH¢5,000, threatening that the victim would not be released until the ransom was paid.
It was not until the family had raised GH¢1,200 as part payment that the supposed BNI operatives released their victim, who had by then spent 10 hours in a taxi they had used for their operation.
Mohammed Aminu, 41 , a petty trader, and Alhaji Musah Muhammad, 41, a businessman, were arrested and have been remanded in prison custody, pending further investigations .
Moments after Aminu had been arrested, and information about his arrest got to Musah, he quickly went to the family of his captives and returned the ransom he earlier collected, but police arrested him afterwards.
Two of their accomplices who have been identified as Joe and ‘Sunsum’ are at large, and police are looking for them to assist in their investigations.
The suspects pleaded not guilty to charges of impersonation, conspiracy to kidnap and kidnapping, during their first appearance before a Kumasi High Court presided over by Justice R.C. Azumah.
Briefing the court, a State Attorney, Mr Emmanuel Lawrence Otoo-Boison, said around 4 a.m on December 29, 2009, Aminu introduced himself to Lance Corporal Fuseini Konlan of Asawase Police Station as a BNI operative and requested the policeman to assist him arrest a complainant.
The State Attorney explained that the suspect succeeded in convincing the policeman that the complainant was wanted for his involvement in the Bawku crisis but he had escaped to Kumasi.
He said by then, the suspect was in the company of two others who were identified only as Joe and ‘Sunsum’.
He said based on the information the policeman received, he accompanied the suspect and his accomplices to Dechemso in Kumasi, where they succeeded in arresting the complainant, a cola nut dealer at Asawase, a Kumasi suburb, around 5 a.m.
According to Mr Otoo-Boison, after the complainant was arrested, he was handcuffed and informed that he was being taken to the BNI office at Ahodwo Roundabout .
He said the policeman, however, alighted at the Suame Roundabout to enable him carry on with his official duty, but as soon as he alighted, the suspect and his accomplices kept the complainant captive in the taxi.
He said moments afterwards, Aminu engaged the services of Musah to negotiate with the family of the complainant for a ransom of Gh¢5,000.00 before the complainant would be released.
He said after a marathon negotiation, the family agreed to pay GH¢1,200 as part-payment and the complainant, was released around 3 p.m, after the suspect and his accomplices had received the part-payment.
The State Attorney said the complainant lodged a report with the BNI Office in Kumasi and based on the report, Aminu, who masterminded the operation, was arrested.
He said as soon as Musah heard about the arrest of Aminu, he quickly arranged with the family of the complainant and returned the money he collected from them, but the police later arrested him.
He said police are also hunting for the other accomplices – Joe and ‘Sunsum’ - to assist in their investigations.
After posing as Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) operatives, two middle-aged men and their accomplices in Kumasi allegedly succeeded in kidnapping a young man and demanded a ransom of GH¢5,000, threatening that the victim would not be released until the ransom was paid.
It was not until the family had raised GH¢1,200 as part payment that the supposed BNI operatives released their victim, who had by then spent 10 hours in a taxi they had used for their operation.
Mohammed Aminu, 41 , a petty trader, and Alhaji Musah Muhammad, 41, a businessman, were arrested and have been remanded in prison custody, pending further investigations .
Moments after Aminu had been arrested, and information about his arrest got to Musah, he quickly went to the family of his captives and returned the ransom he earlier collected, but police arrested him afterwards.
Two of their accomplices who have been identified as Joe and ‘Sunsum’ are at large, and police are looking for them to assist in their investigations.
The suspects pleaded not guilty to charges of impersonation, conspiracy to kidnap and kidnapping, during their first appearance before a Kumasi High Court presided over by Justice R.C. Azumah.
Briefing the court, a State Attorney, Mr Emmanuel Lawrence Otoo-Boison, said around 4 a.m on December 29, 2009, Aminu introduced himself to Lance Corporal Fuseini Konlan of Asawase Police Station as a BNI operative and requested the policeman to assist him arrest a complainant.
The State Attorney explained that the suspect succeeded in convincing the policeman that the complainant was wanted for his involvement in the Bawku crisis but he had escaped to Kumasi.
He said by then, the suspect was in the company of two others who were identified only as Joe and ‘Sunsum’.
He said based on the information the policeman received, he accompanied the suspect and his accomplices to Dechemso in Kumasi, where they succeeded in arresting the complainant, a cola nut dealer at Asawase, a Kumasi suburb, around 5 a.m.
According to Mr Otoo-Boison, after the complainant was arrested, he was handcuffed and informed that he was being taken to the BNI office at Ahodwo Roundabout .
He said the policeman, however, alighted at the Suame Roundabout to enable him carry on with his official duty, but as soon as he alighted, the suspect and his accomplices kept the complainant captive in the taxi.
He said moments afterwards, Aminu engaged the services of Musah to negotiate with the family of the complainant for a ransom of Gh¢5,000.00 before the complainant would be released.
He said after a marathon negotiation, the family agreed to pay GH¢1,200 as part-payment and the complainant, was released around 3 p.m, after the suspect and his accomplices had received the part-payment.
The State Attorney said the complainant lodged a report with the BNI Office in Kumasi and based on the report, Aminu, who masterminded the operation, was arrested.
He said as soon as Musah heard about the arrest of Aminu, he quickly arranged with the family of the complainant and returned the money he collected from them, but the police later arrested him.
He said police are also hunting for the other accomplices – Joe and ‘Sunsum’ - to assist in their investigations.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
KATH STRIVES TO ACHIEVE VISION (PAGE 30, APRIL 14, 2010)
The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi has a vision of being acknowledged as one medical centre of excellence with international repute in the West African sub-region.
The KATH hopes to achieve this by drawing all available resources, both human and material, from within and abroad to offer quality healthcare to patients.
Over the past years, authorities of the hospital have not relented in their efforts to reduce the trauma of patients suffering from various cardiovascular diseases through the provision of free surgical operations.
Those with tumours developed at various parts of their bodies, especially, their heads, face and neck, stigmatising them and making it impossible for them to undertake productive activities are benefiting from the KATH initiative.
The programme started about four years ago when heart specialists from the Children Hospital, Boston, Harvard University in the United States of America, arrived at the KATH and performed free open heart surgery for 11 children suffering from acute heart problems.
The following year, the specialists, who were determined to establish a paediatric centre in Kumasi came to the KATH for a similar open-heart surgery which benefited 18 children suffering from various heart problems.
In 2009, the initiative saw the heart specialists performing free open-heart surgery for 14 children , and early this year, the heart specialists from Harvard University extended their gesture to 15 children.
All the beneficiary children, who had abandoned their education prior to the surgery due to ill-health, have now resumed their academic work, and are more determined to develop their potential to enable them to support sustainable national development in future.
A 13-year-old girl who was recuperating at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital when journalists visited the unit, was full of smiles.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic she said before the surgery, she always felt very tired anytime she attempted walking, and pointed out that with the successful operation, she was looking forward to attending school.
“I attend school at Kings and Queen International in Kumasi and I hope to start school very soon” Eunice Ezerke told the Daily Graphic.
During the visit, the medical officers were busily operating on a 17-year-old girl who was also suffering from acute heart disease.
Apart from the heart specialists from Harvard University, Cardiostart International, also from the United States of America (USA) , is also collaborating with the KATH authorities to perform free open- heart surgery for adults suffering from heart diseases.
A team of 25 Cardio specialists from Cardiostart International successfully performed open-heart surgery for 11 patients suffering from acute cardiovascular diseases at the newly established Accident and Emergency Centre theatre at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi..
The team, made up of medical officers and an anaesthetist, among others, performed the operation in collaboration with their counterparts at the KATH as part of the programme to build the capacity of local medical officers.
The team also donated medical equipment and supplies estimated at $430,000.00 to the KATH to enhance quality health care at the hospital.
Late last year, a team of maxillofacial surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses from Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Camp (RPSC) in Rotenburg, Germany, performed surgery to remove tumours and corrected facial deformities for 54 patients in Kumasi and Tamale.
Thirty-two of the surgical operations, which lasted for a week, were performed at the Tamale Regional Hospital to prevent people suffering from such defects travelling to Kumasi to be operated upon.
Twenty–two of the operations were however performed at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi .
The removal of the tumours and correction of the facial deformities brought relief to the patients who had been stigmatised over the years by residents in their respective communities.
The surgeries, which were performed free of charge, was through the initiative of a German- based Ghanaian anaesthetist specialist, Dr Jacob Fofie Siaw, who was part of the team.
Other members of the team were Dr Christian Schippers, a maxillofacial surgeon, who was the leader of the team, Dr Alexander Rudolf, a maxillofacial surgeon, Dr Michael Paland, an anaesthetist, Dr Casten Schrieber, also an anaesthetist, Ms Baebel Ulbricht, a nurse, Ms Yohanna Schippers, a student, and Ms Andrea Martin, a nurse anaesthetist.
Commenting on their gesture during an interview with the Daily Graphic, Dr Fofie Siaw said the team had been visiting developing countries to perform special services for children and adults who had facial defects and head tumours .
He granted the interview when they were at the last stage of their surgical operation performed on a 34-year-old woman with a huge head tumour at the KATH.
He said the need to visit Ghana as part of their effort to correct facial defects became necessary “because it will not only encourage others with similar skills to visit home regularly to provide such services to the less privileged, but will also enable the beneficiary patients lead a more fulfilled life.”
Explaining the conditions of the patients prior to the surgical operations, Dr Fofie Siaw noted “Many of the beneficiaries had a lot of swellings in their faces, with others having problems at their jaws since childhood, making it impossible for them to open their mouth properly.
“One of them had not been able to open her jaw for the past 25 years because both the upper and lower bones at her jaws were completely fused together, but now, she can do everything after the surgery” he said.
He said each of the patients would have paid between GH¢400.00 and GH¢1,500.00, depending on the their conditions, explaining that some of the tumours were so big that it took them over six hours to operate on them.
He said apart from the free surgical operation, they also provided the patients with drugs and offered some medical supplies to the KATH and Tamale hospitals.
He said the RPSC was also collarborating with the KATH authorities to build the capacity of their doctors to enable them to perform similar services for patients in future.
He expressed concern about the attitude of patients in refusing to seek early medical care when they observed changes in their bodies, stressing ,“ early medical treatment could reduce their predicament because even if their problems could not be addressed immediately, there could be some documentation about their records, so that in future , they would be given emergency treatment as we are doing now”.
He said they were not able to provide surgical operations for all patients “ but we will by all means return next year and priority would be given to those who are on our waiting list as soon as we return”.
The KATH hopes to achieve this by drawing all available resources, both human and material, from within and abroad to offer quality healthcare to patients.
Over the past years, authorities of the hospital have not relented in their efforts to reduce the trauma of patients suffering from various cardiovascular diseases through the provision of free surgical operations.
Those with tumours developed at various parts of their bodies, especially, their heads, face and neck, stigmatising them and making it impossible for them to undertake productive activities are benefiting from the KATH initiative.
The programme started about four years ago when heart specialists from the Children Hospital, Boston, Harvard University in the United States of America, arrived at the KATH and performed free open heart surgery for 11 children suffering from acute heart problems.
The following year, the specialists, who were determined to establish a paediatric centre in Kumasi came to the KATH for a similar open-heart surgery which benefited 18 children suffering from various heart problems.
In 2009, the initiative saw the heart specialists performing free open-heart surgery for 14 children , and early this year, the heart specialists from Harvard University extended their gesture to 15 children.
All the beneficiary children, who had abandoned their education prior to the surgery due to ill-health, have now resumed their academic work, and are more determined to develop their potential to enable them to support sustainable national development in future.
A 13-year-old girl who was recuperating at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital when journalists visited the unit, was full of smiles.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic she said before the surgery, she always felt very tired anytime she attempted walking, and pointed out that with the successful operation, she was looking forward to attending school.
“I attend school at Kings and Queen International in Kumasi and I hope to start school very soon” Eunice Ezerke told the Daily Graphic.
During the visit, the medical officers were busily operating on a 17-year-old girl who was also suffering from acute heart disease.
Apart from the heart specialists from Harvard University, Cardiostart International, also from the United States of America (USA) , is also collaborating with the KATH authorities to perform free open- heart surgery for adults suffering from heart diseases.
A team of 25 Cardio specialists from Cardiostart International successfully performed open-heart surgery for 11 patients suffering from acute cardiovascular diseases at the newly established Accident and Emergency Centre theatre at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi..
The team, made up of medical officers and an anaesthetist, among others, performed the operation in collaboration with their counterparts at the KATH as part of the programme to build the capacity of local medical officers.
The team also donated medical equipment and supplies estimated at $430,000.00 to the KATH to enhance quality health care at the hospital.
Late last year, a team of maxillofacial surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses from Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Camp (RPSC) in Rotenburg, Germany, performed surgery to remove tumours and corrected facial deformities for 54 patients in Kumasi and Tamale.
Thirty-two of the surgical operations, which lasted for a week, were performed at the Tamale Regional Hospital to prevent people suffering from such defects travelling to Kumasi to be operated upon.
Twenty–two of the operations were however performed at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi .
The removal of the tumours and correction of the facial deformities brought relief to the patients who had been stigmatised over the years by residents in their respective communities.
The surgeries, which were performed free of charge, was through the initiative of a German- based Ghanaian anaesthetist specialist, Dr Jacob Fofie Siaw, who was part of the team.
Other members of the team were Dr Christian Schippers, a maxillofacial surgeon, who was the leader of the team, Dr Alexander Rudolf, a maxillofacial surgeon, Dr Michael Paland, an anaesthetist, Dr Casten Schrieber, also an anaesthetist, Ms Baebel Ulbricht, a nurse, Ms Yohanna Schippers, a student, and Ms Andrea Martin, a nurse anaesthetist.
Commenting on their gesture during an interview with the Daily Graphic, Dr Fofie Siaw said the team had been visiting developing countries to perform special services for children and adults who had facial defects and head tumours .
He granted the interview when they were at the last stage of their surgical operation performed on a 34-year-old woman with a huge head tumour at the KATH.
He said the need to visit Ghana as part of their effort to correct facial defects became necessary “because it will not only encourage others with similar skills to visit home regularly to provide such services to the less privileged, but will also enable the beneficiary patients lead a more fulfilled life.”
Explaining the conditions of the patients prior to the surgical operations, Dr Fofie Siaw noted “Many of the beneficiaries had a lot of swellings in their faces, with others having problems at their jaws since childhood, making it impossible for them to open their mouth properly.
“One of them had not been able to open her jaw for the past 25 years because both the upper and lower bones at her jaws were completely fused together, but now, she can do everything after the surgery” he said.
He said each of the patients would have paid between GH¢400.00 and GH¢1,500.00, depending on the their conditions, explaining that some of the tumours were so big that it took them over six hours to operate on them.
He said apart from the free surgical operation, they also provided the patients with drugs and offered some medical supplies to the KATH and Tamale hospitals.
He said the RPSC was also collarborating with the KATH authorities to build the capacity of their doctors to enable them to perform similar services for patients in future.
He expressed concern about the attitude of patients in refusing to seek early medical care when they observed changes in their bodies, stressing ,“ early medical treatment could reduce their predicament because even if their problems could not be addressed immediately, there could be some documentation about their records, so that in future , they would be given emergency treatment as we are doing now”.
He said they were not able to provide surgical operations for all patients “ but we will by all means return next year and priority would be given to those who are on our waiting list as soon as we return”.
AKOLOGO CAUTIONS MEDIA AGAINST SENSATIONALISM (PAGE 16, APRIL 14, 2010)
The Minister of Information, Mr John Tia Akologo, has expressed concern about what he describes as “the pollution of the airwaves and sensational headlines in newspapers.”
He said the operations of the media were not only causing public disaffection but was also reducing the confidence that the public had in the media.
“ The pollution of the airwaves and sensational headlines in the newspapers is gradually causing the public to lose confidence in the media and it is time some corrective measures were taken to redeem your image.”
Mr Akologo made the remarks when he visited the offices of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) in Kumasi.
He explained that headlines and contents were sometimes full of sentiments that created division among the public.
The minister indicated that the media was polarising the nation and it was time all stakesholders stood up and fought the danger.
“The media landscape should change for the better, especially, on issues concerning entry into the profession,” he said, adding, “This will ensure that products who come out acquire the requisite skills and professional acumen to deliver quality service to the reading and listening public,” he noted.
Mr Akologo spoke against the mushrooming of institutions supposed to be training people who professed to be journalists, stressing that “this is dangerous to the profession of which I am part”.
He pointed out that plans were far advanced for his ministry to roll out a comprehensive national capacity building programme for media practitioners in the country.
The programme, the minister said, would cover journalists and other technical staff in the media organisations, as well as government officials who dealt with information management.
He said the ministry would undertake the exercise in conjunction with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the National Media Commission (NMC) while the beneficiaries would be selected on merit.
Mr Akologo commended GCGL for its innovative policies and urged the company to adhere to the tenets of journalism to enhance national unity and accelerated socio-economic development. “But there is also the need to publish information that educates the public to eschew any form of divisive tendencies and cultivate the spirit of national unity, social cohesion and moral values for them to support sustainable national development,” he said.
A Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, urged the management of the GCGL to adopt moves that would make it possible for the company’s products to reach Tamale, Bolgatanga and Wa on time.
Earlier, the Zonal Manager of GCGL, Mr Oscar Tigayie, had appealed to the Ministry of Information to subsidise the Junior Graphic to enable as many students as possible to get access to the paper.
He pointed out that the management of GCGL had already subsidised the cost of the paper, but it seemed the price was still above many pupils.
The Ashanti Regional Editor of GCGL, Mr Kwame Asare Boadu, briefed the ministers on the new product Graphic Nsempa - which he said targeted readers mostly in the Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo regions.
He said the paper, which had two pages in Twi, was being produced on pilot basis and would be replicated in other regions when it became successful.
He said the operations of the media were not only causing public disaffection but was also reducing the confidence that the public had in the media.
“ The pollution of the airwaves and sensational headlines in the newspapers is gradually causing the public to lose confidence in the media and it is time some corrective measures were taken to redeem your image.”
Mr Akologo made the remarks when he visited the offices of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) in Kumasi.
He explained that headlines and contents were sometimes full of sentiments that created division among the public.
The minister indicated that the media was polarising the nation and it was time all stakesholders stood up and fought the danger.
“The media landscape should change for the better, especially, on issues concerning entry into the profession,” he said, adding, “This will ensure that products who come out acquire the requisite skills and professional acumen to deliver quality service to the reading and listening public,” he noted.
Mr Akologo spoke against the mushrooming of institutions supposed to be training people who professed to be journalists, stressing that “this is dangerous to the profession of which I am part”.
He pointed out that plans were far advanced for his ministry to roll out a comprehensive national capacity building programme for media practitioners in the country.
The programme, the minister said, would cover journalists and other technical staff in the media organisations, as well as government officials who dealt with information management.
He said the ministry would undertake the exercise in conjunction with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the National Media Commission (NMC) while the beneficiaries would be selected on merit.
Mr Akologo commended GCGL for its innovative policies and urged the company to adhere to the tenets of journalism to enhance national unity and accelerated socio-economic development. “But there is also the need to publish information that educates the public to eschew any form of divisive tendencies and cultivate the spirit of national unity, social cohesion and moral values for them to support sustainable national development,” he said.
A Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, urged the management of the GCGL to adopt moves that would make it possible for the company’s products to reach Tamale, Bolgatanga and Wa on time.
Earlier, the Zonal Manager of GCGL, Mr Oscar Tigayie, had appealed to the Ministry of Information to subsidise the Junior Graphic to enable as many students as possible to get access to the paper.
He pointed out that the management of GCGL had already subsidised the cost of the paper, but it seemed the price was still above many pupils.
The Ashanti Regional Editor of GCGL, Mr Kwame Asare Boadu, briefed the ministers on the new product Graphic Nsempa - which he said targeted readers mostly in the Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo regions.
He said the paper, which had two pages in Twi, was being produced on pilot basis and would be replicated in other regions when it became successful.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
ASHANTI REGION TRAINS HEALTH WORKERS TO MANAGE H1N1 FLU (BACK PAGE, APRIL 13, 2010)
THE Ashanti Regional Directorate of Health Service has trained about 1,210 health professionals in readiness for containing and managing any outbreak of the H1N1 influenza in the region.
The trained health professionals are located at various health facilities in the urban and district hospitals to enhance early diagnosis of people who may be infected with the H1N1 virus.
The Regional Directorate of Health Service has also distributed drugs and protective equipment to all regional and district hospitals, as well as formed teams to mount surveillance for detection of the disease at its early stages to enhance efficient management.
The influenza, which has currently spread to six of the regions of the country, excluding Brong Ahafo, Upper East, Upper West and the Volta regions, has so far infected 513 people.
In the Ashanti Region, only four cases have so far been diagnosed. Two victims of the H1N1 disease who were diagnosed in August last year have already been treated, but two others who were diagnosed early this month have been quarantined at their various homes while they receive treatment.
Briefing journalists in Kumasi, the Deputy Director of Health in charge of Public Health in the region, Dr Joseph Oduro, said a regional technical co-ordinating committee had already been formed to co-ordinate the activities to enhance effective and efficient management of people who might be infected with the disease.
The media interaction sought to solicit media support to educate the public about the H1N1 influenza, which is caused by a virus and affects the respiratory organs.
It also sought media support to educate the public on the measures that should be adopted to prevent its spread.
On what the Regional Health Directorate was doing to contain the disease in case of major outbreak in the region, Dr Oduro said, “We have outlined an epidemic preparedness plans at the regional and district levels and also intensified public education through community durbars, mass media, posters on the H1N1 disease and sensitised district directors of education, students and school children to the disease”.
He pointed out that the symptoms of the H1N1 influenza included fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue and sometimes diarrhoea and vomiting.
“Complication of the disease include pneumonia and difficulty in breathing, and in extreme cases, death occur in persons who have other medical problems or complications,” he noted.
He urged the public to use soap to wash their hands regularly and when necessary rub their hands with alcohol to reduce the spread of the disease.
“Keep a distance of at least one step from the infected person to avoid coming into contact with the influenza droplets, and if there is a contact with a sick person or with potentially infected surface, or objects, those involved must not touch their eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands,” he noted.
He said it was equally important for sick persons who were not on admission to stay at home to limit contact with others.
“They should also cover their mouth with tissue or handkerchief when sneezing or coughing to reduce the spread of the diseases,” he advised.
The trained health professionals are located at various health facilities in the urban and district hospitals to enhance early diagnosis of people who may be infected with the H1N1 virus.
The Regional Directorate of Health Service has also distributed drugs and protective equipment to all regional and district hospitals, as well as formed teams to mount surveillance for detection of the disease at its early stages to enhance efficient management.
The influenza, which has currently spread to six of the regions of the country, excluding Brong Ahafo, Upper East, Upper West and the Volta regions, has so far infected 513 people.
In the Ashanti Region, only four cases have so far been diagnosed. Two victims of the H1N1 disease who were diagnosed in August last year have already been treated, but two others who were diagnosed early this month have been quarantined at their various homes while they receive treatment.
Briefing journalists in Kumasi, the Deputy Director of Health in charge of Public Health in the region, Dr Joseph Oduro, said a regional technical co-ordinating committee had already been formed to co-ordinate the activities to enhance effective and efficient management of people who might be infected with the disease.
The media interaction sought to solicit media support to educate the public about the H1N1 influenza, which is caused by a virus and affects the respiratory organs.
It also sought media support to educate the public on the measures that should be adopted to prevent its spread.
On what the Regional Health Directorate was doing to contain the disease in case of major outbreak in the region, Dr Oduro said, “We have outlined an epidemic preparedness plans at the regional and district levels and also intensified public education through community durbars, mass media, posters on the H1N1 disease and sensitised district directors of education, students and school children to the disease”.
He pointed out that the symptoms of the H1N1 influenza included fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue and sometimes diarrhoea and vomiting.
“Complication of the disease include pneumonia and difficulty in breathing, and in extreme cases, death occur in persons who have other medical problems or complications,” he noted.
He urged the public to use soap to wash their hands regularly and when necessary rub their hands with alcohol to reduce the spread of the disease.
“Keep a distance of at least one step from the infected person to avoid coming into contact with the influenza droplets, and if there is a contact with a sick person or with potentially infected surface, or objects, those involved must not touch their eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands,” he noted.
He said it was equally important for sick persons who were not on admission to stay at home to limit contact with others.
“They should also cover their mouth with tissue or handkerchief when sneezing or coughing to reduce the spread of the diseases,” he advised.
Monday, April 5, 2010
KUMASI MTTU ARRESTS 223 DRIVERS (PAGE 29, APRIL 5, 2010)
AAs many as 223 drivers were arrested and prosecuted by the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) in Kumasi between January and March this year.
Out of the number, 203 were found guilty and convicted for flouting various road traffic regulations .
The convicted drivers were sentenced to pay a total of GH¢36,000.00 after pleading guilty to charges preferred against them when they appeared before court.
During the same period, 22 out of 23 pedestrians who were knocked down by vehicles in the Kumasi Metropolis lost their lives .
Those who died included an eight -month- old baby girl who was knocked down, together with her mother on February 25, 2010, when the mother was crossing the road around Bantama in Kumasi.
The mother survived the accident, but the baby girl died on the spot when her head hit the ground.
The dead also included a 70 -year -old man who was killed on the spot on March 19, 2010 .
The Ashanti Regional MTTU Police Commander Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Abraham Bansah who briefed Daily Graphic about the incidents said drivers who killed pedestrians through knockdowns risked being convicted to serve seven years prison term when found guilty of reckless driving offences .
Explaining, he said, following the amendment of the road traffic act on reckless driving, any driver found guilty of killing a pedestrian through knockdown would spend seven years in jail without an option of a fine.
He said all dockets on drivers who killed pedestrians in the Kumasi Metropolis between January and March this year, had been forwarded to the Attorney- General’s Department for advice “ and as soon as we receive the dockets, we will start prosecuting them”.
ASP Bansah explained that it was when the MTTU realised that the spate of knockdowns were increasing in the Kumasi Metropolis that they intensified patrols and checks leading to the arrest of the 223 drivers who flouted various road traffic regulations.
He said during prosecution, drivers who were found guilty for flouting various road traffic regulations were convicted to pay fines that ranged between GH¢200 and GH¢300 depending on the gravity of their offences.
He said some of the offences were double parking, driving beyond the stipulated 30- kilometre per hour within residential areas in the Kumasi Metropolis, drunk driving, wrong over taking, driving on the shoulders of the road, driving through red lights at zebra crossings, using expired driving licences and road worthy certificates and failing to maintain vehicles, leading to accidents among others.
He said three out of the 223 drivers who flouted road traffic regulations were acquitted and discharged but 21 of the cases were still pending before the law courts, while two others were under investigations.
“ We are not relenting in our efforts to arrest and prosecute recalcitrant drivers as a way of bringing sanity onto the road to reduce the spate of knockdowns in the Kumasi Metropolis” he warned.
Mr Bansah advised drivers to undertake regular maintenance , especially on their brakes to enhance the safety of road users, including pedestrians .
He said it was equally important for drivers to respect the 30- kilometre per hour within residential areas and also avoid wrong overtaking in residential areas.
“Drivers who drive along the shoulders of the road, as well as those who drive through red lights would not be spared when arrested because they create insecurity on the road” he warned.
Out of the number, 203 were found guilty and convicted for flouting various road traffic regulations .
The convicted drivers were sentenced to pay a total of GH¢36,000.00 after pleading guilty to charges preferred against them when they appeared before court.
During the same period, 22 out of 23 pedestrians who were knocked down by vehicles in the Kumasi Metropolis lost their lives .
Those who died included an eight -month- old baby girl who was knocked down, together with her mother on February 25, 2010, when the mother was crossing the road around Bantama in Kumasi.
The mother survived the accident, but the baby girl died on the spot when her head hit the ground.
The dead also included a 70 -year -old man who was killed on the spot on March 19, 2010 .
The Ashanti Regional MTTU Police Commander Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Abraham Bansah who briefed Daily Graphic about the incidents said drivers who killed pedestrians through knockdowns risked being convicted to serve seven years prison term when found guilty of reckless driving offences .
Explaining, he said, following the amendment of the road traffic act on reckless driving, any driver found guilty of killing a pedestrian through knockdown would spend seven years in jail without an option of a fine.
He said all dockets on drivers who killed pedestrians in the Kumasi Metropolis between January and March this year, had been forwarded to the Attorney- General’s Department for advice “ and as soon as we receive the dockets, we will start prosecuting them”.
ASP Bansah explained that it was when the MTTU realised that the spate of knockdowns were increasing in the Kumasi Metropolis that they intensified patrols and checks leading to the arrest of the 223 drivers who flouted various road traffic regulations.
He said during prosecution, drivers who were found guilty for flouting various road traffic regulations were convicted to pay fines that ranged between GH¢200 and GH¢300 depending on the gravity of their offences.
He said some of the offences were double parking, driving beyond the stipulated 30- kilometre per hour within residential areas in the Kumasi Metropolis, drunk driving, wrong over taking, driving on the shoulders of the road, driving through red lights at zebra crossings, using expired driving licences and road worthy certificates and failing to maintain vehicles, leading to accidents among others.
He said three out of the 223 drivers who flouted road traffic regulations were acquitted and discharged but 21 of the cases were still pending before the law courts, while two others were under investigations.
“ We are not relenting in our efforts to arrest and prosecute recalcitrant drivers as a way of bringing sanity onto the road to reduce the spate of knockdowns in the Kumasi Metropolis” he warned.
Mr Bansah advised drivers to undertake regular maintenance , especially on their brakes to enhance the safety of road users, including pedestrians .
He said it was equally important for drivers to respect the 30- kilometre per hour within residential areas and also avoid wrong overtaking in residential areas.
“Drivers who drive along the shoulders of the road, as well as those who drive through red lights would not be spared when arrested because they create insecurity on the road” he warned.
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