Government accepts criticisms in good faith
Investment
in health to go up - Osafo-Maafo
Ghana
can't forgive snatching of her health workers
Court
rules on Abodakpi's case on Thursday
Ministry
institutes public enquiry into death
Libya
presents car gift to Ghana
Middlesbrough (United Kingdom) 20 November 2002 - His Excellency Isaac Osei, Ghana's High Commissioner to the UK, has said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government would continue to accept criticisms in good faith and would not shun any well-meaning advice, no matter the source.
He said that the development of the country required the support of all Ghanaians irrespective of their political stance and added that the Government’s belief in democratic values would continue to remain topmost on its agenda to lay the foundation for good governance for the country.
H.E. Osei, giving remarks at a forum held for the Ghanaian community in Middlesbrough as part of the Mission's outreach programme, pointed out however, that the government would not take populist decisions that were detrimental to the long-term interest of Ghana and the orderly development of the economy. He said, amidst applause, that the government would be resolute in all matters affecting the security of the State not only to ensure political stability but also to enhance individual freedoms and private business activities.
Osei used the occasion to brief the overseas-based Ghanaians on a number of measures which had so far been taken to boost the image of the country within international financial circles. He said with prudent management, the stage had been set for the orderly growth of the country. "Today the economic decline has been halted; macro-economic stability has been restored, with the resultant lowering of inflation and interest rates.” He touched on the President’s initiatives on production of cassava, starch, and textiles and outlined plans to reconstruct some of the major highways to meet international standards.
Answering questions raised on the foreign trips so far undertaken by President John Kufuor, the Ghanaian envoy recounted the benefits which had accrued to the nation as a result of the visits such as, the cancellation of some of Ghana's debts, increases in grants to the country for socio-economic development, adding that, the trips had been positive and beneficial because Ghana is now being seen as a viable destination for private direct investment and a stable and reliable partner in international trade.
Other issues raised at the forum centred on the need for the government to continue to protect Ghana's democracy, speedy issuance of certificates to those who have applied for Dual Citizenship status and concern about armed robbery being committed by fellow brothers from the ECOWAS Community. A copy of a diskette produced by the Ghana Investment Centre on investment opportunities and publicity materials were later presented to the executives of the association.
Dr S.A.Y. Debrah, President of the Association of Ghanaians in Middlesbrough, thanked the High Commissioner and staff for the visit and promised to whip up interest in Ghanaians in the Teeside about the developments at home. He said medical professionals within the association would be prepared to render voluntary service to various communities in Ghana during their vacation and asked the Ministry of Health to work out the modalities for such a scheme.
While in Middlesbrough, H.E. Osei paid a courtesy call on the Mayor of Middlesbrough, Councillor Ray Mallon and the Speaker, Councillor Ken Hall where their discussion centred on a wide range of issues. The High Commissioner used the occasion to brief his hosts on the forthcoming Ghana Commonwealth Investment Conference and other measures being taken by the Government to bring sanity into the economy.
Councillor Ray Mallon thanked the High Commissioner for the visit and pledged to do everything within his power to assist the Ghanaian community association. The two sides exchanged gifts, with the Ghanaian party presenting publicity materials on Ghana, Kente stoles to the Mayor and the Speaker.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra)
20 November 2002 - Government on Tuesday said investment in the health sector
would be scaled up to ensure that Ghanaians enjoyed good health and maximise
their potential for development.
Yaw Osafo-Maafo,
Minister of Finance told the GNA that, "Government will go to great
lengths to ensure that the relevant programmes and activities in the health
sector are captured in the 2003 budget." The Minister was explaining a
point after addressing the launch of the Ghana Macroeconomics and Health
Initiative in Accra during which he said health expenditure as a share of total
expenditures increased from 4.8 per cent in 2001 to 5.0 per cent this year.
The initiative is
Ghana's response to the World Health Organisation's Report of the Commission on
Macroeconomics and Health, which aims at scaling investment for the health
sector. It aims to push health finance from the current 13 dollars per person a
year to between 30 to 40 dollars per person a year to cover essential
interventions.
Osafo-Maafo said,
"Primary health care also increased from 3.4 percent in 2001 to 3.9
percent this year; adding that community water and sanitation increased by 7.3
percent between 2001 and 2002. "Besides, the district assemblies increased
their allocation to rural water by 128 percent between 2001 and 2002 while
rural water allocation increased by 56 percent."
He said
notwithstanding a large number of communities even in urban areas, the rural
areas still lacked potable water that would increase their health potentials.
In this direction, the finance minister said allocations are expected to rise
significantly in the next budget, even if fiscal adjustments become necessary.
He cautioned health
managers at regional and district levels to ensure internal rationalisation of
the allocation of health expenditures properly manage health budgets and
prioritise spending. Osafo-Maafo said "if all these are done, we should
see improvements in the little resources we have. We should avoid the myth that
spending money necessarily guarantees good public healthcare system."
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Ghana
can't forgive snatching of her health workers
Accra (Greater Accra)
20 November 2002 - Ghana says it cannot forgive development partners who
continue to snatch her health professionals who were trained at a high cost to
the taxpayer. Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Finance who said this conceded
Ghana's inability to compete with salaries paid to these professionals outside,
and that "development partners should rather be helping us sustain their
stay in the country where they are more needed."
He was speaking at the
launch of the Ghana Macroeconomics and Health Initiative in Accra on Tuesday
being Ghana's response to the World Health Organisation's Report of the
Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, which aimed at scaling investment for
the health sector. It is also aimed at pushing health finance from the current
$13.00 per person a year to
between $30.00 to
$40.00 per person a year to cover essential interventions.
This is the second
time in recent months that government and the Ministry of Health officials have
voiced concern over the rapid outflow of Ghanaian health professionals seeking
greener pastures abroad. Osafo-Maafo said the developed countries spent huge
sums of money to advertise and lure health professionals out of the country
leaving most health institutions wholly starved. He said:" the world
should not sit down unconcerned while least developed countries in developing
economies continue to suffer the perils of globalisation.
Some doctors who spoke
to the Ghana News Agency Business Desk sympathised with the government's
programme to retain Ghanaian doctors, but said, "It is not comprehensive
and adequate to meet our needs." They said "in a free market, there
is very little government can do. Quick action to reverse the trend is
needed".
The Ghana Medical
Association at its recent annual general meeting said five nurses leave the
Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital each week for the UK. The Korle Bu Teaching
Hospital is not anything different and, on the average, only two nurses cater
for 20 people.
Ghana News Agency's
investigations showed that the situation has become so acute that Upper East
Region, for instance, has one doctor to 66,000 patients. Accra has one doctor
to 12,000 patients ratio while the whole Upper West has only three doctors. The
Ministry of Health recently said between 200 and 2,000 doctors and nurses will
leave Ghana this year.
Ghana produces 130
doctors a year, but has only 1,500 doctors at post today. About 1,000 Ghanaian
doctors are reported to be in the New York and New Jersey area while over 400
are in the UK. Salaries for doctors in the US ranged between $200 to $250 while
that for nurses range between $50 and $200 a day.
Twelve Cuban doctors,
who were in the country assisting Ghanaian doctors and also manning health
posts in the rural areas, returned home recently leaving gaps in the already precarious
health delivery system.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Court
rules on Abodakpi's case on Thursday
Accra (Greater Accra)
20 November 2002 - The Court of Appeal would on Thursday 20 November rule on a
case in which defence counsel for Daniel Kwasi Abodakpi, former Minister for
Trade and Industry, is praying for an order of stay of proceeding on an Accra
Fast Track Court's ruling that he should be tried summarily.
Justice Omari Sasu,
presiding, Mr Justice Samuel K. Asiamah and Ms Justice Rose C. Owusu, Appeal
Court Judges who heard the case said the court would consider submission made
by both prosecution and defence and adjourned until Thursday.
Kwabla Senanu, counsel
for Abodakpi, had earlier asked the Fast Track Court to try his client as well
as Mr Victor Selormey, former deputy finance minister by indictment, since they
might not have fair trial when tried summarily.
The Fast Track Court
presided over Justice Stephen T. Farkye, an Appeal Court Judge, who is sitting
as an additional High Court Judge dismissed the application and ruled that the
court was not empowered to try the offenders by indictment.
Abodakpi and Selormey
are being tried on seven counts of conspiracy to commit crime, defrauding by
false pretences and wilfully causing a total loss of ¢2.73b to the State. They
have denied all the charges and are currently on self-recognisance bail in the
sum of three billion cedis each.
Senanu told the Court
of Appeal that the offences under which his client has been charged are
complicated. Counsel stated that since the trial would involve calling several
witnesses, it would take a long time to complete. His client also faces a
maximum sentence of 25 years especially on charges of defrauding under false
pretences.
"Since an appeal
does not operate as stay of proceedings, I pray for proceedings to be stayed
forthwith in order not to render my victory on appeal nugatory and to prevent
quashing of proceedings already embarked upon, only for the court to repeat the
process leading to unnecessary waste of human and material resources."
Replying, Anthony
Gyambiby, Principal State Attorney, who spoke for the prosecution, led by Osafo
Sampong, Director of Public Prosecution, noted that over the years the
Attorney-General had been empowered by constitution to try matters summarily or
on indictment saying cases had been tried summarily over the years.
"Defence has not been able show how the Attorney General had been malicious
in the case."
Gyambiby said defence
is only trying to be speculative on the witnesses to be called, adding,
"if the defence is claiming that many witnesses are going to be called
then they know those witnesses who would be called." He noted that
Selormey was not part of the appeal saying this implies that the other accused
wants the trial to go on.
Mr Gyambiby stated
that defence had not been able to state any special reasons why stay of
proceedings should be granted adding it was only causing undue delay in the
trial. He therefore urged the court to dismiss the application because it was
unmeritorious and should not be entertained. "If stay of proceeding is
granted it would be a blank cheque for the lower courts," Gyambiby added.
The case for the
prosecution is that between May and December 2000, the accused persons
allegedly transferred $4,000 into the local bank account of Dr. Fred
Owusu-Boadu, a consultant, through ECOBANK (Ghana) Limited. He said the money,
whose transfers were authorized by Selormey, were to be used as fees for
feasibility studies towards the establishment of the science and technology
project.
Gyambiby told the
court that the project contract was supposed to be witnessed by legal Officers
at the Ministry of Trade and Industry or the Attorney-General's Department, but
this was not done.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Ministry
institutes public enquiry into death
Accra (Greater Accra) 20
November 2002 - The Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday that it has decided
to institute a public enquiry into the death of Mrs Gladys Ampadu at the Ridge
Hospital on 8 June 2002. A statement signed by the Chief Director, S. Owusu
Agyei said it follows an allegation by Mr Kwei Pratt, Managing Editor of the
"Insight", that the woman died at the operating table as a result of
power failure.
The five-member
Committee to be chaired by Nii Osa Mills, Vice President of the Ghana Bar
Association (GBA), has two weeks to submit its recommendations for appropriate
action. The statement said the Committee's terms of reference would be to
investigate the circumstance surrounding the death of Mrs Ampadu and any other
matters, particularly circumstances surrounding the loss of a theatre document.
Other members of the
committee are Prof. C.B.N. Tagoe of the University of Ghana Medical School, Mr
Afriyie Badu, a media consultant and member of the GJA Ethics Committee, Mrs
Victoria Abbeyquaye, a retired Deputy Registrar, Nurses and Midwives Council
and Mr P.M.N. Awuni, Deputy Superintendent of Police who is Administrator of
the Police Hospital.
Circumstances
surrounding the death of Mrs Ampadu have triggered a war of words between the
Minister of Health and Pratt.
The authorities at the
Ridge Hospital have denied that the woman died at the theatre and the
Electricity Company has also said there was no power outage on the day of the
alleged operation.
Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey,
Minister for Information and Presidential Affairs, on Thursday repeated that
Pratt lied about the cause of death of Mrs Ampadu. "It is a matter of
extreme regret that Pratt should traumatise the family of the late Gladys
Ampadu in such an irresponsible and cavalier manner," he said in a
statement in Accra. It is a matter of even greater regret that when the truth
was told to him, instead of him going back to check his story he rather
continues to defend and more widely broadcast the lie," he added.
The Minister attached
the official report from the Ghana Health Service on the death and a statement
from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) that there was no power outage that
affected the hospital on 7 or 8 June. The statement said the stand-by generator
of the Ridge Hospital is in a poor state that requires a new one but added that
the hospital's stand-by battery Unit was sufficient to deal with the situation.
A report from
Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service,
stated that no surgery was performed on the patient, neither was there a power
outage. It said laboratory results clearly indicate that the patient did not
have typhoid fever and therefore, could not have had typhoid peroration as
alleged by Pratt.
The report said the
cause of death was Gastroenteritis. It said the patient's out-patient and
inpatient records, nurses notes and treatment management sheets are available
and so is the medical cause of death certificate. The report noted that
although the theatre records for 7-8 June had gone missing, the theatre
recovery notes and written statement taken from all medical staff who attended
to the patient and those alleged to have seen and treated her, including those
who could have assisted in the possible surgical operation, are available.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Libya
presents car gift to Ghana
Accra (Greater Accra)
20 November 2002 - The Libyan government on Tuesday presented a Mercedes Benz
S500 car to the government of Ghana at a brief ceremony at the Castle, Osu in
Accra. Mohamed Gamudi, Libyan Ambassador-designate to Ghana, presented the keys
of the car to President John Kufuor.
"This is a gift
from your brother President Muammar Gaddafi of Libya to you for the friendship
and cordial relationship between the two countries and your contribution to the
African Union (AU)," Gamudi said.
President Kufuor said:
"I accept this special gift on behalf of the government and people of
Ghana. This is a great gesture of brotherhood and friendship between both
countries". President Kufuor handed over the keys to Kwadwo Mpiani, Chief
of Staff to include the car in the fleet of vehicles for the state.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Provision
of potable water is a challenge - Kufuor
Accra (Greater Accra)
20 November 2002 - President John Kufuor on Tuesday said one of the most basic
challenges facing the country was how to provide potable water nationwide in a
sustainable manner. He said it was because of this challenge that government
was pursuing private sector participation in the provision of water since
government would not be able to fund the huge investments needed.
"Investment in
water will have to be at the top of the agenda in any scheme that seeks to
boost the health of the nation," he said at the launch of the Ghana
Macroeconomics and Health (GMH) Initiative in Accra.
A workshop to
disseminate and discuss with stakeholders the findings and recommendations of
the WHO/CMH report and how to mobilise political support and advocacy at both
the local and international levels to attract additional funds to health
related areas was held after the launch.
The Commission on
Macroeconomics and Health (GMH) was established in January 2000 by the
Director-General of the WHO, Gro Harlem Brundtland to assess the place of
health in global economic development. The Commission's report provided
compelling evidence that better health for the world's poor was not only an
important goal but could also act as a catalyst for economic development and
poverty reduction.
President Kufuor said
in the urban areas where the pressure of population growth was most acute, only
59 per cent of the people had ready access to potable water and the situation
in the rural areas was worse. "This has made diseases such as guinea worm
and buruli ulcer to remain endemic in many parts of the country," he
added.
President Kufuor
called on the district assemblies to take up the challenge to arrest
environmental degradation. The public should stop littering the environment
with plastic sachets while businesses involved in the use of plastic sachets
should be more alive to their responsibilities to the communities where they
operate by keeping their surroundings clean.
Mrs Emma Mitchell,
Member of the Council of State, who chaired the function stressed the need for
government to provide adequate investment in the health sector in order to
promote economic development and reduce poverty. She recommended a shift
towards an increase in the government's budget allocation to the health sector
to enable the poor particularly those in the rural areas to have access to
health care.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com