Day: July 25, 2023

The Paediatric Society of Ghana (PSG) has launched a child road safety campaign to help save children from the dangers of using the roads.

The Child Road Safety campaign 2023 would involve Paediatricians and other health workers in collaborative efforts to end the increasing number of child victims of road crashes.

The Society is collaborating with the National Road Safety Authority (NSRA) and other key stakeholders to undertake extensive sensitisation on the worrying subject.

Dr. Hilda Boye, the President of Paediatric Society of Ghana, in her welcome address, mentioned that according to the WHO, a child died every four minutes from road traffic accidents, and enjoined all to take part actively in the campaign.

Dr. Kokou Amegan-Aho, a Consultant Paediatrician Haematologist, who is the head of the Department of Paediatrics and Child health, UHAS School of Medicine (SOM) launched the campaign, and said stakeholders needed to be concerned over the present fate of children using the nation’s roads.

He expressed the hope that the campaign would help to collate ideas to address the issue, adding that attention must be paid to the state of the nation’s roads.

‘There is a lot to do, and this campaign has come at the right time. It should bring innovative ways to prevent the trend of losing our children early to crashes’.

Mr. Bismark Elorm Sakitey, Assistant Planning Manager of the NSRA in the Volta Region, said in a report, that as of June, the national percentage of child fatalities in road crashes stood at 12.6 per cent compared to 22 per cent in the Volta Region.

He said human factors, including disregard for road rules by both drivers and pedestrians, account for the majority, adding that children remained among the most vulnerable groups.

The Assistant Planning Manager said parents should ensure the safety of their children in and out of school and called for effective collaboration with school management.

He advised children not to be sent out onto highways on errands and said child restraint for infants should be highly considered.

Madam Joan Fafa Ayer, Director for the road safety authority in the Volta and Oti Regions, said road crashes had a huge toll on the nation’s emergency services, and that the support of the medical fraternity was most welcome to drive interest in the campaign.

‘Having our doctors on board as advocates will help everyone know that it is the responsibility of all of us to; we all have a role to play,’ she said, and urged all to become advocates on road safety and join the campaign to end the carnage.

Dr. Emmanuel Oppong, Vice President of the Paediatric Society Ghana, commended the NSRA for the commitment and hoped all would join forces to ensure the safety of children using the roads.

Dr Richard Bright Danyoh, Acting Head of Paediatric and Child Health Sub BMC, Ho Teaching Hospital and chairman of the campaign, said a public engagement programme was being drawn for the campaign, including a stakeholder forum.

He detailed school visits, OPD and ward talks, the use of digital media, and open campaigns at markets and lorry parks as some of the modules for the programme.

There would also be durbars with traditional authorities and visits to religious houses.

Dr. Danyoh said medical professionals were considered role models and hoped their interest would encourage others, particularly children, to maintain safety on the roads.

The Society has also instituted a 1000-word essay competition on child road safety as part of the programme.

The theme for the campaign is ‘Road Safety-Teach the Child now!’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Philip Osei, the Secretary of Nkwanta Yam Sellers Association, has complained about the lack of market sheds saying it is a major challenge preventing effective trading of its members.

Mr Osei speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said all efforts to reach the authorities, especially the Municipal Assembly, had yielded no results.

He said the failure on the part of authorities to urgently address the challenges continued to affect their daily activities, adding that trading in the open without a roof over their heads exposed them to the rains and scorching sun.

Mr Osei said sometimes tubers of yam that were unsold get rotten due to the excessive heat from the direct sunlight.

Some farmers corroborated the concerns raised by Mr Osei, saying the increased prices of new yam could be attributed to the hike in price of farming inputs.

They urged the government to ensure the supply farming inputs to help reduce the price of food stuff in the market.

Some concerns also bother on the bad roads leading to their various farms and how transport of yam to the market was also affected.

Madam Victoria Lelewu, the Market Queen also appealed for a toilet facility at the market to ease the stress that traders often go through when ‘nature calls.’

She said open defecation had become the order of the day due to the absence of toilets for traders at the market.

Madam Lelewu said they hoped the Assembly would, as a matter of urgency, consider their plights and provide possible solutions for them.

Source: Ghana News Agency

All 23 students of the Abutia Senior High School (ABUSCO), who suffered food poisoning after they ate a rice meal on campus last Wednesday, have been discharged from hospital.

Mr Claude Dziseaku, the Physician Assistant of the Mater Ecclesiae Hospital at Sokode, in the Ho Municipality told the Ghana News Agency, the students were rushed to the facility with abdominal pains, vomiting and diarrhoea on Friday night, but had since been treated and discharged.

He said the Public Health Unit of the hospital had started investigations into the case.

Mr Leonard Nyatsoe, the Headmaster of the School, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the affected students had regained their strength.

He said the Ghana Education Service, the Ghana Health Service and the Police had opened a fact-finding investigation into the incident to guide stakeholders against future occurrence.

Students of ABUSCO, who consumed fried rice on campus on Wednesday and Thursday, suffered abdominal pains, vomiting and diarrhoea, and were rushed to the Mater Eclessiae Hospital, where they were admitted and stabilised.

He said the situation was chaotic as some of the students were paired on a bed due to the nature of the cases and the numbers involved.

Mr Nyatsoe said about 10 staff, who were off duty, were called to assist them in the situation and by 1500 hours on Saturday, nine of the students were discharged after their situation improved.

Source: Ghana News Agency