Day: March 29, 2023

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PATH Ghana donates neonatal equipment to Tema General Hospital

As part of its efforts to provide advanced care for ill newborns, PATH, a global non-governmental group in partnership with Kybele Incorporated, has donated some medical equipment to the Tema General Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

These included temperature sensors, cardiac monitoring leads, pulse oximeters, air-oxygen blenders, baby radiant warmers, refrigerators for storing breast milk, incubators, and temperature probes.

Other items include stethoscopes, laryngoscopes, ophthalmoscopes, continuous positive airway pressure (C-PAP) machines, bilirunometers, baby cots, resuscitation carts, and ambu-bags, among others.

After presenting the supplies to the hospital, Professor Cyril Engmann, the Senior Director for Programmes and Institutional Official at PATH, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview at Tema that the presentation was the second stage of the “Making Every Baby Count Initiative.” (MEBCI).

Prof. Engmann noted that the Ghana Health Service (GHS) is providing support for the project, which is funded by the Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) of the United Kingdom.

He explained that the second phase was intended to provide the necessary equipment for advanced care for sick newborns in four high-volume regional hospitals, namely Bono Regional Hospital (Sunyani), Eastern Regional Hospital (Koforidua), Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge), and Tema General Hospital.

He continued, “The implementation of the MEBCI was born out of the conviction of stakeholders to improve lives of new born babies and reduce infant mortalities attributed to subpar apparatus, subpar advanced care, and subpar supportive supervision of ill neonatal.”

Having tools, training, expertise, and people focusing on the small and sick newborns can greatly reduce the number of fatalities documented, he said.

“Out of every 1,000 babies born alive in Ghana, 25 of them die within the first week, and this is too much,” he said.

Prof. Engmaan stated that the equipment they presented met international standards and was certified for excellence in service delivery.

He noted that in order to guarantee the equipment’s functionality, his company would provide training for the hospital’s engineers to assist in keeping it in working order so that the intended beneficiaries could receive the maximum benefit.

Dr. Edward Antwi, the Ghana Health Service’s Programme Manager for Newborn and Child Health, said the supplies were a huge help in the GHS’s efforts to keep newborns healthy, especially for those who required specialist care.

Right now, he said, “we need to make sure that these pieces of equipment are maintained well so that they last longer and give many years of useful service”.

Receiving the supplies on behalf of Dr. Patrick Kumah, GHS Director-General; Dr. Kofi Issah, Director for Family Health Division of GHS, noted that the health delivery mandate was a shared responsibility and called for the proper use of the equipment as an accountability mechanism to the donors.

Additionally, he encouraged other partners to support the GHS’s efforts by giving more to underfunded medical facilities, assuring donors that the services would provide the best possible care for patients.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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Erratic medicine supply to UER a concern – GHS Director

Dr Emmanuel Kofi Dzotsi, the Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), says inadequate and erratic supplies of medicines and non-medicines to the Regional Medical Store is a major challenge to service delivery in the Region.

He said tracer medicines availability in the Regional Medical Store reduced from 74.6 per cent in 2021 to 39.7 per cent in 2022, “This has made most of the health facilities in the Region lack essential medicines which are affecting health delivery.”

Dr Dzotsi emphasized that the inadequate and erratic supply of those critical medicines and non-medicines negatively affected health service delivery in the Region.

The Director was speaking on the theme; “The role of quality data in improving service delivery outcomes,” at the 2022 annual performance review meeting of the GHS in Bolgatanga, the Regional capital.

Dr Dzotsi said some childhood immunization services suffered a decline, “Penta three coverage was not good with a record of 87.4 per cent in 2022 compared to 92.1 per cent in 2021 with a performance target of 95.0 per cent.”

He said Measles-Rubella- two coverage was 74.7 per cent as against a target of 90 per cent, noting that “This was due to the shortage of routine vaccines in the second half of 2022, the Bawku conflict, documentation challenges and inadequate motorbikes for outreach services.”

He said Antiretroviral Therapy and viral load testing score rate of 57.8 per cent and 52.0 per cent in 2022 had fallen from scores of 105.5 per cent and 53.0 per cent in 2021.

According to Dr Dzotsi, the fall in percentages was due to enhanced data-cleaning exercises in the electronic tracker and a change in the numerator without a corresponding change in the denominator.

He said the GHS in the Region was determined to achieve better results, with quality data, and reinforced the commitment of all health managers, personnel, and collaborators to identify innovative approaches to attain set performance targets for increased access to quality essential health care.

Following Dr Dzotsi’s concern about the inadequate and erratic supply of medicines and non-medicines, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited random public health facilities in Bolgatanga to assess the situation.

At some of the facilities, patients were made to buy Intravenous (IV) medicines including metronidazole, ciprofloxacin, Normal Saline (NS), Dextrose Normal Saline (DNS), morphine, pethidine, paracetamol syrup and iron III syrup, among others.

For non-medicines, even though some facilities had few infusion sets, patients were compelled to buy urine bags, gauze, cotton wool and plasters for wound dressing.

The GNA gathered that the situation allowed private pharmacies and Over-The-Counter medicine sellers to take advantage of the situation to make more profits.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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VP Harris Stresses Democracy During Africa Visit

On the eve of her meeting with Africa’s only female head of state, Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday that having more women in power is a key ingredient for a healthy democracy.

Her meeting comes as the White House hosts its second-ever Summit for Democracy in Washington.

Harris said that in a vibrant democracy, women winning positions of power should be a common occurrence, not a rare and newsworthy one, as her ascension was.

As she prepared to meet Thursday with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, she spoke Wednesday with female entrepreneurs and leaders in Ghana’s capital, and announced more than $1 billion in private-sector-led funding to advance women’s economic participation in Africa.

Afterward, in response to a question from VOA, Harris said women’s leadership is fundamental to a healthy democracy, and that it’s a topic she often raises in high-level meetings.

“In every bilateral conversation I have with almost any world leader, that is a topic that we raise because we do believe it is in the best interest of prosperity and security for the globe,” she said.

And, she says, it’s not about pushing women into power — in a healthy democracy, more citizens will feel empowered, and more women will gravitate toward higher office.

“When it comes specifically to this continent and the correlation between that and women’s empowerment, there’s no question when you have transparency in systems, when you have accountability in systems, when you create a system where rule of law is important, equal rights are defended and protected, you will see greater empowerment of all people including women — especially if they have been behind or you see extreme disparities,” she said. “So, there’s a correlation there, and we’re going to continue to work on it knowing that they’re interconnected.”

That’s one of the aims of the largely virtual summit in Washington, which is co-hosted by Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea and Zambia.

In Zambia, the Carter Center, founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, will host a summit-related program this week. David Carroll is director of the democracy program there, and told VOA that inclusivity is key.

“Healthy democracies are ones that are inclusive,” he told VOA on Zoom. “They are ones that have transparency, that respect core fundamental freedoms and rights. And hopefully, they’re also showing that they’re able to deliver for their people in ways that really meet the needs of their populations.”

Carroll added, “Another central element of the problem is democracies need to be respectful of core rights. They need to be inclusive as possible. They need to ensure that broad respect, but they also need to deliver for their populations.”

That is an uphill battle, especially amid what President Joe Biden has described as a global tug-of-war between democracies and autocracies in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And data recently released by civil society group CIVICUS shows that 43 of the 120 nations invited to the summit “severely and routinely” restrict civic rights. According to their data, six countries have seen backsliding this year, including Ghana, the United Kingdom and Greece.

“In too many countries that have been invited to the Summit for Democracy, governments are stifling civil society and going to extreme lengths to silence their critics,” said Marianna Belalba Barreto, civic space research lead at CIVICUS.

“Without freedom of speech and the right to peacefully protest, democracy cannot function effectively, as people lose their most important tools to hold governments accountable and promote change.”

Date:29-Mar-23

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Ghanaian Community Moves to Aid Burkina Faso Asylum-Seekers

More than a thousand people fleeing militant attacks in Burkina Faso have sought refuge in Ghana in recent months and are waiting for their status to be determined. To help, villagers in northern Ghana are donating land to a refugee camp. Senanu Tord reports from Sapelliga. Camera: Senanu Tord.

Source: Voice of America

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Emirates honoured as most valuable airline brand in Ghana

Emirates Airlines has been recognized as “Global Quality Airline Brand of The Year” and “Overall Best Quality Service Brand of The Year” at the 2023 Global Business Quality Awards, held on 24 March 2023, at the Labadi Beach Hotel.

The airline was awarded for its global standard of quality for decades and the most valuable airline brand in Ghana.

This recognition is a demonstration of Emirates’ unwavering commitment to delivering the highest standard of service and quality to its customers in Ghana.

The Global Business Quality Awards is an initiative of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ghana (EFG), to recognize esteemed global brands and quality leaders operating in Ghana.

Currently, in its seventh edition, the award program is considered a prestigious recognition for businesses, organizations, and personalities in Ghana.

Source: Ghana Web

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A total of 72 young people graduate under Newmont Africa’s CWTP

A total of 72 young people, comprising males and females have graduated under Newmont Africa’s Construction Worker Training? Programme (CWT) held at Terchire, Tano North Municipality of the Ahafo Region.

? The three months artisanal training programme organised by Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) under Newmont Africa trained the beneficiaries in welding, fabrication, scaffolding, steel bending, carpentry, masonry, equipment, and crane operations.

? The beneficiaries were drawn from the 10 host communities comprising Kenyasi Number One, Kenyasi Number Two, Ntotroso, Gyedu and Wamahinso hosting the NGGL Ahafo South Mine in the Asutifi North District and Susuanso, Yamfo, Afrisipakrom, Terchire and Adrobaa in the Tano North Municipality hosting the company’s Ahafo North Project.

? Additionally, 96 artisans would also be trained in batches?of 24 each with 48 starting their training in carpentry and masonry by the end of March 2023 whereas preparations?were underway for the equipment and crane operation trainees to commence theirs later this year to bring the total number?to 168 trainees.

? Addressing a gathering at a joint maiden matriculation and graduation ceremony, Mr Andries Havenga, Newmont Africa, Ahafo North Project Director said the training Programme targeted local artisans from the host communities to enhance their capacity to meet the required standard?and approved certifications for delivering work at Newmont.

? He said it would also create future opportunities for them within the extractive industry, saying when construction work begins at the Ahafo North Project, the Company would be sourcing for skills?from the trained community people?because they had been well-trained and equipped to offer support.

? Mr Joseph Danso, Senior Manager, Sustainability and External Relations, NGGL Ahafo North Project said over the Company over the years had established training programmes targeted at the youth to develop the human resource capacities of the host communities.

? He mentioned some programmes such as Apprenticeship, Learnership, Graduate Training, Female Top-Up, Artisanal Small-Scale Mining (ASSM) Alternative Livelihood Training and now the Construction Worker Training programme.

? Mr Danso said the Apprenticeship Training programme?had trained 159 people, 134 employed with Newmont and 10 employed with contractors?since?its establishment in 2015.

He added the Graduate Training since its inception in 2018 had trained 35 people?with 21 graduated while the ‘Subika’ Underground Learnership had enrolled 20 people with 10 graduating and nine employed since 2018.

? Mr Danso indicated, the Female Top-Up initiative since it commenced to build the capacity of women?to increase competitive?advantage in employment opportunities had enrolled 30 females, 29 graduated?and five employed.

? He continued the ASSM Alternative Livelihood Programme which?began in 2022?had enrolled 24 people who were trained in welding and fabrication, saying all had graduated and eight were?employed with other institutions.

? Mr George Boakye, the Ahafo Regional?Minister advised the youth in the region to use dialogue in addressing their grievances, saying that fostered peaceful co-existence rather than demonstrations which created confusion and impeded progress.

? Mr Emmanuel Amankwah, a representative of the graduands urged the youth in the beneficiary communities to desist from taking illegal drugs, saying abstention from the habit of consuming illegal drugs would make them healthy to pass Newmont health test if there was the opportunity to be employed by the Company.?

Source: Ghana News Agency

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Model of running Aayalolo buses not working-Transport Minister

The current model of running the Aayalolo Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses in the national capital is not working as projected by the World Bank, Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, the Minister of Transport, has said.

“Over the years, we have tried to streamline its operations but it has not yielded the needed dividend,” the Minister added.

In view of that, he said, his Ministry was working closely with the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Decentralisation and other key stakeholders to develop a new model to revive the operations of the transport company.

“We have come to the conclusion that Aayalolo is not working. What happens on the streets of London is not the same in the streets of Accra,” Mr Asiamah lamented.

The Transport Minister said this in Accra at the Minister’s press briefing organised by the Ministry of Information to update the public on the various infrastructure projects and policies being implemented by the Ministry.

The Aayalolo Bus Rapid Transit System was introduced in 2016 to operate in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area to improve public transport for the masses at subsidised rate.

The Aayalolo buses were supposed to have dedicated lines or routes to allow them to move faster through traffic along the routes.

However, Mr Asiamah, in responding to questions from journalists about the operations of Aayalolo buses, admitted that the model for running the buses was not working.

The minister cited the high cost of operations, maintenance (spare parts) and traffic congestion in the national capital, Accra, as some of the setbacks militating against its efficient operation.

Mr Asiamah stated that his Ministry was also working on a legal regime to revert the oversight responsibility of the Aayalolo buses from the Local Government Ministry to the Transport Ministry.

The Aayalolo buses operate from Accra to Amasaman, Adenta to Accra, and Kasoa to Accra.

Commenting on the operations of the Metro Mass Transit(MMT), Mr Asiamah said it inherited over 600 over-aged buses, which made the cost of operations herculean and expensive.

Therefore, he said, a number of over-aged buses had been placed on auction.

Mr Asiamah stated that some 45 buses were delivered to the management of MMT to revamp its operations while 55 additional buses were expected in June 2023.

Touching on some infrastructure projects being implemented by the Ministry, the minister said 12 coastal and fishing landing sites were under construction for safe launching and landing of artisanal fishing canoes.

Some of the beneficiary coastal communities include Mumford, Moree, Dixcove, Axim, Otuam, Osu, Teshie and Keta to promote hygienic environment and provide direct and indirect jobs for people in the fishing communities.

On recent accident on the Volta Lake, he said, it had instituted the necessary regulatory framework but required that the Ghana Maritime Authority and the Navy ensure surveillance and safety on the lake.

He, has, therefore, asked the aforementioned institutions to provide 24-hour patrols on the lake.

On road safety statistics, he said 14,960 crashes, 15,690 injuries and 2,373 fatalities were recorded in 2022.

He thus supported the plan to ban mini buses from going beyond 40-kilometre radius to help minimise carnage on the road.

On infrastructure projects, he said, 30 percent of the first phase of the Boankra Integrated Logistics was completed to bring import and export services closer to the door-steps of shippers in the middle and northern belt of the country.

The Keta Port Development Project was ongoing with six investors shortlisted to present the Request for Proposal.

The multi-purpose container terminal at the Takoradi Port had been completed and commissioned by the President in 2022.

The feasibility study for the construction of an airport in-between the Central and Western regions was being finalised, he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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GhanaWeb4Good: Little Nhyira Agyasi needs $9000 for a hole-in-heart surgery

Michelle Nhyira Agyasi is suffering from an acute hole-in-heart condition, called Pink Tetralogy of Fallot.

She is required to undergo corrective surgery at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital at a cost of $9000.

This is a life-saving surgery that would that will relieve little Nhyira of her pain and distress as well as ameliorate her parents financial burden.

Nhyira has been living with this condition since birth and often falls sick and in distress. This has resulted in frequent hospital admissions and a strained financial situation for her family.

It Is for this reason that her family requests assistance to raise funds towards the surgery.

To support, find the details below:

Deborah Yaba Cudjoe (Mother)

GCB Market Circle Branch, Takoradi – 4031010097833

MTN MOMO – 0246615658

The initiative is aimed at bringing help to those in need in remote areas of Ghana.

It captures news stories and videos produced by journalists and correspondents highlighting the plights of the needy Ghanaians.

Through this, persons with various challenges who ordinarily will not get coverage and the help they need, will get the platform to reach the appropriate quarters.

Source: Ghana Web