Category: Medicine

The Ghanaian Society of Cardiology (GSC) has called on the government to, as a matter of urgency, initiate pragmatic policies to promote the development of sporting and recreational facilities in communities across the country.

This, according to the Society, would help increase access to these facilities and help many people to undertake regular exercises to reduce the increasing spate of cardiovascular diseases, especially among the youth in the country.

Dr Alfred Doku, President of GSC, who made the call, said it was important for the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to enforce bylaws which allowed for spaces to be created for recreational and sporting activities, especially in the newly developed and peri-urban communities.

Speaking at the 5th annual general and scientific meeting of the GSC in Kumasi, Dr Doku said it was important to manage the rapid rural-urban migration and its subsequent congestions in the cities to help protect the health of the people.

He said though urbanisation might have some positive effects, the current uncontrolled physical development had brought a lot of challenges as far as cardiovascular health was concerned.

According to him, as a result of urbanisation, people had to spend a lot of time in vehicular traffic before accessing health facilities and said this could prove fatal during emergencies.

Besides that, a lot of people do not have access to sporting facilities and fun parks in their communities to enable them to exercise or to have fun and release stress.

Dr Doku noted that it was very important to bring these facilities closer to the people to ease access and encourage regular exercises and health checks among the people

This year’s meeting was held under the theme ‘Gender and Cardiovascular Health’

Dr Doku pointed out that, although cardiovascular disease affected both men and women, ‘men tend to die more from cardiovascular diseases especially in Africa; because the health seeking behaviour of men is greatly low.’

He said 70 per cent of out patients’ attendance in most health care facilities were women or children and about 20 to 30 per cent were men.

‘Men are likely to detect cardiovascular disease quite late primarily because they are not diagnosed with hypertension early and they tend to have stroke and heart diseases, which, usually is an advanced state.

Even when it comes to the management, women are more compliant as they are more likely to take their medication than women,’ he said.

Notwithstanding their better health seeking behaviour, he said it was more difficult in diagnosing cardiovascular diseases in women due to the nonspecific presentation.

‘When a woman has cardiovascular disease or heart attack, the presentation is a bit different.

Women tend to present nonspecific chest pain, difficulty in breathing.

So, the diagnosis becomes a bit difficult in women but in men, it is usually a bit easier,’ he stated.

Globally, he said, over 19 million people die from cardiovascular diseases which was the third cause of death in the world and in Africa, cardiovascular disease was the main cause of death.

‘When you come to Ghana, the first and second causes of death, that is stroke and heart diseases are the leading causes,’ Dr Doku revealed.

He said early detection could save lives and urged all to lead healthy lifestyles, regularly go for medical check-ups to know their status before it was too late.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG) has called on the Government to take immediate steps to nullify the Presidential Office Act 1993, (Act 463) to trim the number of appointments a president could make.

According to the Association, the Act, in its current form, gave the President the unlimited power to appoint all categories of Presidential Staffers without recourse to the financial situation of the country.

Dr Isaac Bampoe Addo, the Executive Secretary, CLOGSAG, made the call at a news conference in Accra, on Tuesday.

Article 195 (1) of the Constitution stipulates that: ‘Subject to the provisions of the Constitution, the power to appoint persons to hold or act in an office in the public services shall vest in the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the governing council if the service concerned given in consultation with the Public Services Commission.’

Dr Addo said, over the years, CLOGSAG had ‘observed and noted with dismay’ the abuse of Executive power in the appointment of numerous presidential staffers and special assistants to perform jobs of public servants.

That, he said, had tainted the credibility of the Public Services and belittled its relevance.

‘This situation has contributed to an alarming development of takeover of Public Services jobs by political apparatchiks and cohorts. These clandestine acts by the political elite, if not checked will erode the significance and support base of our governance architecture and systems.

Dr Addo said the Presidential Office Act was ‘unwarranted’ and only served as a conduit to employ ‘party apparatchiks’ and ‘goro boys’ who only undermined the work of Public Servants.

He indicated that the Act duplicated the work of the appointing authorities of the Civil Service and the Local Government Councils, describing it as a ‘bad law being used by the Executive to its advantage.’

Dr Addo said Article 190 of the 1992 Constitution, outlined the Public Services of Ghana, prescribing how it should be organised and staffed, adding that the Civil Services Act 1993, (PNDCL 327), also stipulated that the objective of the Civil Service was to help the government to formulate and implement policies for national development.

He, therefore, called on the Public Services Commission to take steps to pursue a Constitutional Instrument to regulate public services, including the Office of the President.

Dr Addo explained that the country would benefit greatly if the Act was immediately nullified.

‘Currently, Ghana is bedeviled with certain economic woes that can be attributed to these practices. These issues and challenges to a considerable extent are self-inflicted and can easily be forestalled if due process and recognition of the constitution are adhered to,’ he said.

He warned that the Association would embark on numerous industrial actions including demonstrations if the Act were not nullified in the shortest possible time.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Commission on Human Rights and Administration Justice (CHRAJ) has joined the International Community to commemorate the 2023 International Women’s Day slated for March 8th on the global theme: ‘DigitAll: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality’.

Mr. Joseph Whittal, CHRAJ Commissioner in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Tema explained that the goal of this year’s celebration was to expedite the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, particularly Goal five, which sought to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Mr. Whittal called for sustained efforts and committed leadership in establishing an all-inclusive environment for the development of women and girls all over the world.

‘It is regrettable that women continue to face challenges of gender inequality which prevents them from achieving their full potential,’ he said.

The gendered dimensions of inequality in the society cut across all spheres; economic development; education; access to healthcare; income; vulnerability to violence and even political representation.

He stated that a publication by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) revealed that women in public sector employment earned GHS165.00 on average, which is less than their male counterparts, representing a gender pay gap of 6 percent.

He said, ‘these inequalities are fuelled by some cultural and social practices, high levels of illiteracy and general lack of awareness’.

The GSS publication recorded that, 17 percent of the Ghanaian population aged 12 years and older do not own any functional Information Communication and Technology (ICT) device making the proportion among females 19.3 percent higher than males of 14.1 percent.

He noted that the internet today is not working equally for men and women, from gaps in quality of connectivity and digital skills to threats that disproportionately impact the safety and rights of women and girls preventing them from benefiting from digital opportunities technology present.

‘Women and girls often experience online abuse centred around harassment, hate speech, cyber stalking, and non-consensual distribution of photos’, he noted.

Mr. Whittal stated that although there was cybersecurity legislation that protected children online, the measures appeared inadequate to protect women’s rights online.

He, therefore, urged the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization, Cyber Security Authority, National Communications Authority, and the Data Protection Agency to intensify public education and awareness on responsible use of the internet and technology and implement innovative policies meant to utilize the internet to reduce gender inequality.

He said, ‘the relevant agencies should mount surveillance to arrest and prosecute perpetrators of online bullying of women to serve as a deterrent to others’.

The Commission, again called on the government and its relevant agencies as a matter of priority, to design and implement innovative policies to improve access to technology by Ghanaian women and girls in the short through the medium to the long term as we observe the celebration.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin on Tuesday admitted a statement by Mr Ernest Henry Norgbey, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashaiman on the military storming his constituency.

The Speaker made the disclosure on the floor of the House when Mr Norgbey brought up the issue.

Mr Bagbin noted that he had received some information on the matter, which had compelled him to hold on for two days.

This, he said, would also enable the MP to give a more comprehensive statement on the development and then to also receive some information from the ground; adding that ‘and that is why we will not give you the opportunity to make your statement today.

‘Thanks for drawing our attention because your Constituency will have to know what steps have been taken in that direction’.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mrs Elizabeth Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey, the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly has urged young entrepreneurs to come up with new ideas to be able to access support from the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP).

She said government recognised the importance of entrepreneurship hence the launch of the Programme, which had received a seven-million-dollar grant to assist entrepreneurs to go into self-businesses to build themselves up, and to help grow the economy.

‘So, my dear brothers and sisters don’t sit on the fence. Let us be partakers in the nation building. The money is sitting there go for it and use it to do things that will enhance the growth of our economy and the nation,’ she stated.

Mrs Sackey gave the advice at the VODEC Africa Entrepreneurship and Career Fair Summit 2023 held at the Accra City Hall on the theme: ‘Harnessing and Exploiting the 21st Century Economic Opportunities in Entrepreneurship and Career Development.’

She said the government had also initiated a programme that focused on businesses that operate in agriculture, technology and innovation, light manufacturing and processing waste and green businesses as well as technical and vocational set ups.

The Chief Executive entreated the youth to network with their forebearers to tap their experiences.

Rev Dr Lawrence Tetteh, a Pastor and a renowned International Evangelist who was the chairman for the occasion asked upcoming entrepreneurs to avoid cutting corners, saying; ‘Some of you today I want you to learn and network. If you want to be a good entrepreneur don’t cut corners.

‘Learn how to craw, walk, run before attempting to fly. There are many privileges and opportunities in career and entrepreneurship, but we miss them because we don’t learn.’

Rev Dr Tetteh advised them to cease the opportunity at every given stage of life and work through them and stop the copycat and also avoid the get-rich quick habit.

Mr Daniel Asomani, the Chief Executive of VODEC Africa said the organisation has become a beacon of hope for many youths in Ghana.

‘Even with the government policies of one district one factory and other flagship programmes to provide jobs for the Ghanaian youth, it has become urgent for us to broaden our scope of operation,’ he stated.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Minority Caucus has urged the Government to treat the shortage of childhood vaccines in the country as a national emergency.

Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Ranking Member, Parliament Health Committee and NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Juaboso, addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps on Tuesday in Accra said the shortage of vaccines for the six childhood killer diseases could best be described as a disaster, which was highly unacceptable.

‘Let me state that every child in this country per the 1992 Constitution has the right to good Heathcare,’ he stated

He said in some areas, it was even a crime for Government Officials in-charge of health to sit aloof to allow the shortage of vaccines in the country.

He said it was unacceptable for Government Officials in-charge of health to look on while vulnerable children were getting infected with diseases that could easily be prevented or avoided.

Mr Akandoh said there were two main ways of financing vaccines for children in Ghana, adding that of the 13 vaccines, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) was co-financing about 10 of them while the Government of Ghana was to finance the other three.

He said even with that, the Government of Ghana was still defaulting.

He said GAVI believed that the children could not be punished because of the mistakes of politicians and even though Ghana was owing, GAVI was still supplying those 10 vaccines.

‘Now we as a country, we are supposed to 100 per cent procure about three of them (the vaccines), which include the vaccines against tetanus, poliomyelitis and measles and with these three we are defaulting.

‘One very important thing we must all take note of is that GAVI, which is co-financing about 10 of these vaccines is considering withdrawing completely.

‘So, if we cannot finance only three, can we finance 13 of them? GAVI is considering withdrawing from co-financing because we claim we are at a middle-income status. So, if we cannot finance only three, and it gets to a point where GAVI withdraws, we will be in deep troubles.’

He said Parliament passed the National Health Insurance allocation formula every year, and that there was an allocation in the National Health Insurance formula for the purchase of vaccines.

Mr Akandoh said when the formula was submitted to this House for 2022, an allocation of about GHS72 million was made to procure vaccines.

He said the Health Committee of Parliament invited the Minister responsible for Health and some other agencies, including the National Health Insurance Authority, and that at the said meeting, the Authority made it categorically clear that GHS72 million had been released.

‘It beats my imagination that after the release of the GHS72 million, there are shortage of vaccines in this country,’ he said.

‘We started recording measles in this country around October, 2022, for about four clear months ago. This is an emergency situation, this is a clear failure of Government.’

He blamed the Health Minister and the Government for looking on over the past four months while the country still did not have vaccines in its system.

Adding that this was unpardonable, because in the planning for vaccines procurements and its deployment, and that they were supposed to plan.

Mr Akandoh mentioned that the House looked at the allocation for vaccines for 2024 in 2023, and that they looked at the vaccine’s allocations for 2023 in 2022, saying ‘so why have we run short of these vaccines’.

He said the shortage of vaccines in the country was highly unacceptable, especially so when these vaccines were not over-the-counter medications, where people could walk in and buy these vaccines.

He said the vaccines were sensitive and highly protected by organisations and states; ‘So, if you don’t have the vaccines, all the children in this country are at a very high risk’.

He noted that due to the instability in Ghana’s northern neighbor, Burkina Faso, there had been influx of refugees from that country into northern Ghana, and that children such as refugees who were not fully vaccinated against the six childhood killer diseases were likely to carry such diseases into Ghana

He said the issue of vaccines for the six childhood killer diseases was a sensitive matter and therefore a national emergency.

‘What we are expecting at the end of the day is that the Minister announces that they have taken deliveries of the vaccines and for that matter tomorrow they are starting the distributions of these vaccines,’ Mr Akandoh stated

Source: Ghana News Agency

Scores of military officers have undertaken reconnaissance manoeuvring at Ashaiman with ground men, an armoured tank, and two helicopters to arrest persons involved in the cold blood murder of a soldier on Sunday, March 5.

The ‘search and arrest mission’ which started in the early hours of Tuesday led to the entanglement with a section of the residents at Ashaiman enclave, especially at Newtown, Official Town, Valco Flat, and some parts of the Middle East all in the Ashaiman Municipality.

According to Madam Ramar Alhassan, an eyewitness, the whole area was under a temporal self-imposed curfew as no one was seen walking about aside the soldiers, stressing ‘normal daily life has been interrupted abruptly’.

Madam Alhassan who is a resident of Newtown explained that two nights ago some young men in the area beat a soldier, who was also a soldier to the pulp.

She said the beating was not associated with theft as the soldier was found dead with his mobile phone, tablet, and some undisclosed amount of money with him.

‘The soldiers have been around since Monday, March 6, and they saw evidence of the soldier’s blood in a compound of a house. So they have taken all the residents of that house away. We don’t know where they might have taken them to,’ she added.

Mr. Ganiu Rufai, also an eyewitness who allegedly suffered a handspring from the engagement with the soldiers, narrated that he run into the soldiers’ riding a motorbike while wearing camouflage military shorts, they stopped him, questioned him, and manhandled him.

Mr. Prosper Agbe, a resident of the area said, the soldiers have taken over the whole place, ‘now we are afraid

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ghana’s national flag, designed by Mrs Theodosia. S Okoh, a Ghanaian, was flaunted in patriotic fashion to celebrate the country’s 66th Independence Day celebration in Ho, Volta Regional capital.

The flag of Ghana consists of the colours red, gold, and green in horizontal stripes with a five-pointed black star in the centre of the gold stripe, which was displayed as an important national symbol of unity.

The red represents the blood of those who died in the country’s struggle for independence while the Gold represents the mineral wealth of the country.

The Green symbolises the country’s rich forests. The Black Star stands for the lodestar of African Freedom.

The Ho township was awash with Ghana colours as many shops and streetlights had flag hangings, and some residents made good returns on the sale of Paraphernalia, mostly Ghana flags of all sizes.

At the anniversary grounds, Ghana’s flag was displayed spectacularly as a show of patriotism and to identify with the country’s values, beliefs, and history.

Students, security personnel and the public alike indeed showed a sense of patriotism by proudly displaying their flags at the parade.

Esenam, who joined an all-female contingent of the Ola Senior High School with their flags fitted around their uniforms, said ‘We are proud to be Ghanaians and to partake in the parade’.

Some foreigners who had joined Ghanaians from various parts of the country at the Volta Regional Youth Resource Centre, located Adaklu-Tsrefe near Ho, where the parade was being held, also showed their solidarity with the country by waving Ghana flags.

Komla Afenu, a resident who joined the celebration with a flag in hand said, ‘when I see the Ghana flag, I feel a powerful emotion and sense of patriotism for Ghana. Ghana is all we have. It is such a delight to see all of us with flags’.

The Ghana Airforce was at its best as a helicopter flew over the parade grounds displaying the Ghanaian flag.

The participation of security dogs from the K9-Unit of the Ghana Police Service made the seamless parade much more delightful.

The theme for the celebration; ‘Our Unity, Our Strength, Our Purpose’, sought to drum home the need for Ghanaians to rally together and work to overcome the challenges confronting the country.

The day marked exactly 66 years since Ghana attained independence from British colonial rule.

On parade at the Volta Regional Youth Resource Centre, located at Adaklu-Tsrefe, near Ho, were 64 officers and 1,042 men from various security agencies.

A contingent from seven senior high schools (SHS) and basic schools in the Ho municipality and Adaklu District, and representatives of voluntary organisations also formed part of the parade.

Over 5,000 people, including the Diplomatic Corp, Ministers of State, Municipal and District Chief Executives, students, and Ghanaians from parts of the country took part in the anniversary celebration graced by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The President of Guinea Bissau, Mr Umaro Sissoco Embalo, also the Chairman of the Economic Community West African States (ECOWA) was the special guest at the parade.

The parade was characterised by cultural performances from students and displays by the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Airforce.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his anniversary address asked Ghanaians to remain united and work together with the common purpose of removing barriers to ensure national development.

He noted that it was with a united front that the country’s forebears fought to break colonial rule 66 years ago.

‘Our forebears were united in the independence struggle. It did not matter where they came from; the religion they belonged to did not matter; their standing in society did not matter; they were united for independence, and they got it.

‘As President, my devotion to the Ghana project is unwavering. The enemy we face is not ourselves; it is removing the barriers to the country’s development,’ he said.

‘We cannot allow those who seek to divide us to succeed,’ President Akufo-Addo said in a reassuring address which received resounding applause.

The President further noted that the Fourth Republic had witnessed the longest era of peaceful democracy in the country, and it must, therefore, be held in high esteem by all Ghanaians.

That, he said, called for greater unity among the citizenry to address the current economic challenges and move on in progress.

Source: Ghana News Agency