Accra psychiatric hospital to be relocated
Accra
(Greater Accra) 04 June 2003 - The Minister of Mines, Cecilia Bannerman,
yesterday cautioned that the government will not hesitate to prosecute quarry
operators for infringement on the laws and regulations of the country.
She
said the Mines Department will intensify inspection of quarries, particularly
those in the Greater Accra Region, and those found to be operating without
valid license and contrary to good mining practices with regard to the health
and safety of workers and environmental protection will face the law.
Bannerman
said this in a speech read by her deputy, Dr Haroun Madjeed, at the
inauguration of the Commercial Quarry Operators Association (COQOA) in Accra
yesterday.
The
association, made up of 16 companies, including Construction Pioneers, Taysec,
Eagle Star, Eastern Quarry, Modern Ghana Builders seeks to promote the
development of commercial quarries and the availability of high quality
aggregates to conform to international standards.
Bannerman
expressed concern about the use of child labour in quarry operations. She said
the children are considered easily available, cheap and profit-enhancing by the
operators and regretted that child labour is procured with the consent and
support of their parents.
The
minister said apart from breaking the law, most of the operators also fail to
provide protective clothing for the workers and expose them to great danger at
the workplace. She urged the association to take immediate steps to stop such
negative practices and to ensure that labour laws are adhered to.
The
minister urged members of the association to honour their tax obligations, to
pay compensation to those whose lands and other economic activities are
affected by their operations and to make modest contributions towards social
and other activities of the host communities.
The
Chairman of the COQOA, Dr Ebenezer Mireku, said about 200 quarries have
registered with the Mines Department but not more than 25 of them are operating
due to difficulties.
He
said not less than $1.5 million is needed to set up a viable quarry company and
called on the government to include quarry companies in initiating and
implementing development projects.
Dr
Mireku said encroachment on concessions by estate developers, payment of
unauthorised dues to local authorities and unreasonable demands from landowners
hinder the development of the industry.
The
Executive-Director of the Chamber of Mines, Joyce Wereko-Brobby, called for
collaboration between the association and the chamber so as to reclaim and
develop abandoned quarry sites into viable economic activities. – Graphic
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 04 June 2003 - The People’s National Convention (PNC) and the
EGLE Party have formed an alliance in their bid to attract other Nkrumaist
elements and progressive forces to contest and win the next general elections.
The
move was jointly announced by two leading members, Dr Edward Mahama, leader of
the PNC and Danny Ofori-Atta, Chairman of Council of Elders of EGLE party at a
news conference at the headquarters of the PNC in Accra yesterday.
Explaining
the reason behind the alliance, Ofori-Atta, said the decision was arrived at
after careful appraisal of the past, present political scenes of the country
which consist of UP and CPP traditions and progressive alliance.
"By
this decision we are opening the door for other splinter groups of our tradition
and all progressive forces to come on board thereby paving the way for the
formation of the grand coalition", he stressed.
He
said with the NPP, which is of the UP tradition in power, “the rest of us
outside government are of Nkrumaist tradition and the progressive alliance”
needs to form a group of selfless individuals to provide efficient management
of the resources for the benefit of the people.
Ofori-Atta
said various committees have been formed and tasked to draw up strategic
policies and programmes for the alliance. He said it is very disheartening that
in the abundance of human and natural resources, leaders of the country have to
trot globally virtually begging for aid and loans to finance the country’s
budget, while the people wallow in abject poverty.
Ofori-Atta
acknowledged that the NPP government is doing its best to find lasting
solutions to the myriad of problems bedevilling the nation, but with the people
still crying for relief, “we must act now by coming together to foster the new
Ghanaian image of self confidence and reliance.”
Dr
Mahama on his part said what the alliance needs to survive its aims and
objectives as well as bring relief to the suffering masses is to fight and win
the next polls. He announced that the PNC is still in consultations with CPP
and hopes that the problems within the CPP will be amicably solved so that it
can also join the alliance. – Graphic
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 04 June 2003 - The Accra Psychiatric Hospital is expected to be
relocated to ensure safety for staff and patients. The Director-General of the
Ghana Health Service (GHS), Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, who announced this at
a mental health forum in Accra said where the hospital is currently located
poses danger to lives of patients and staff.
He,
however, did not mention the exact location where the hospital will be
relocated but said the place will be safer for the patients, nurses and
families of patients.
He
said the GHS has put pragmatic measures to improve mental health care,
nutrition and eyecare delivery in the country.
Prof.
Akosa intimated that there is the need to create more awareness in mental
health to prevent human rights abuses at some religious and traditional healing
centres.
In
a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Health, Dr Kwaku Afriyie, said the
government is pursuing policies to make mental health care services one of the
best in the sub-region.
Delivering
a paper on the current mental health situation in the country, the Chief
Psychiatrist, Dr J. B. Asare reported three major psychiatric hospitals in the
country shot up from 77,688 in 2001 to 82,819 in 2002, representing an increase
of 6.6 per cent.
They
are the Accra Psychiatric and Pantang Hospitals in the Greater Accra and the
Ankaful Psyschiatric Hospital in the Central Region.
He
said a total of 6,316 of the patients were admitted last year of which 3,928
were males while 2,388 were females. He said out of a total of 4,972 patients
who were discharged, 2,916 were males while 2,011 were females.
Dr
Asare said the top 10 cases admitted last year included schizophrenic illness,
1,599, substance abuse, 1,101, depressive illness, 736, hypomania, 629 and
acute organic psychoses, 496.
He
further explained that patients with alcohol dependency syndrome, epilepsy,
dementia among others were also admitted at the same period.
He
said the hospitals are currently facing constraints like low manpower,
overcrowding at wards, lack of interest in the profession and high attrition
staff rate.
Dr
Asare expressed the hope that communities will avoid stigmatising mental
patients who have been discharged and said, “we hope mental health in Ghana
will receive the support that it deserves just like what other developing
countries are enjoying.” – Graphic
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