October 24, 2023 – L' Observateur Burundi

October 24, 2023

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre Announces Innovative Clinical Pharmacogenomics

Enhances Drug Effectiveness and Patient Safety

Genomic building – KFSH&RC

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH&RC) is proud to announce the launch of the inaugural phase of its clinical pharmacogenomics service within its Heart Center. This pioneering service leverages the patient’s DNA to tailor drug dosages and selections, heralding a new era in healthcare that prioritizes personalized treatment for each individual. This groundbreaking approach is poised to enhance treatment outcomes and reduce potential harm.

KFSH&RC’s experts have said that this analysis empowers physicians to prescribe medications customized to each patient, factoring in their unique health conditions and genetic traits. Patients’ responses to pharmaceuticals can significantly differ based on their genetic profiles. As a result, what proves effective for one patient may have minimal impact in another. It is worth noting that statistics reveal that 15% of hospital admissions stem from adverse drug reactions, imposing substantial financial and human burdens on healthcare systems across the globe.

This innovative service is a collaborative endeavor between the Centre for Genomic Medicine, Healthcare Information Technology Affairs, and the Pharmaceutical Care Department at KFSH&RC. In its initial phase, this service encompasses six of the most frequently prescribed medications, as determined by hospital data, whose efficacy is known to be influenced by genetic variations.

KFSH&RC has made it clear that it remains committed to expanding the scope of this service progressively, encompassing all hospital departments. This expansion underscores the hospital’s unwavering dedication to providing personalized healthcare to every patient, ensuring the utmost level of safety, and minimizing harm, while adhering to the latest globally endorsed scientific practices.

At the Global Health Exhibition held in Riyadh from October 29th to 31st, where KFSH&RC plays a vital role as a strategic health partner, the hospital is set to unveil the innovative service that promises to advance healthcare outcomes in the region.

KFSH&RC stated that it is moving to gradually expand the scope of application of the service to include all medical specialties as part of its commitment to providing personalized health care for each patient at the highest level of safety and prevention of harm and to harness the latest scientifically proven practices around the world.

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center is considered among the most prominent in the world in providing specialized health care, a pioneer in innovation, and an advanced medical research and education center. It also seeks to develop medical technologies and raise health care worldwide in partnership with prominent local, regional and international institutions. To achieve world-class service in the clinical, research, and educational fields.

Contact information:

kfshrc@mcsaatchi.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9e826983-52ae-4fe5-8579-0cbdfcca9d1c

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8964787

October 24, 2023

Hitachi Energy passes 150 GW in HVDC links integrated into the power system, expands capacity to meet accelerating energy transition demand

• $3 billion investment globally, in manufacturing and engineering footprint, R&D and partnerships • Workforce expansion with more than 8,000 people hired • 150 GW of HVDC links integrated into the power system by Hitachi Energy

Zurich, Switzerland, Oct. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hitachi Energy, a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all, announced today that it has enabled more than 150-gigawatts (GW) of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) links around the world integrated into the power system – sufficient to meet the peak power demand for Japan. The announcement follows the delivery of the first power from Dogger Bank, the world’s largest offshore wind development, via the UK’s first-time use of HVDC technology on a wind farm.

The company has consistently expanded its capacity to meet accelerating demand driven by the clean energy transition. Since 2020, when Hitachi began its strategic investment, Hitachi Energy has increased its workforce by more than 8,000. Within the same period, the company also invested $3 billion in manufacturing and engineering footprint, and Research & Development (R&D), expanding collaboration and driving the company to become the strategic partner throughout the customers’ entire lifecycle.

“Electricity will be the backbone of the entire energy system and will help to drive the clean energy transition. Today’s announcement shows how we are enabling our customers to accelerate the development of the power grids that energy system requires,” said Claudio Facchin, CEO of Hitachi Energy.

The continuing investments are in line with the Hitachi Energy 2030 Plan and Hitachi’s Mid-term Management Plan 2024.

Investments in the three focus areas of Hitachi Energy 2030 Plan:

1. Continuously strengthening the power grid core business
The company has invested heavily in expanding capacity and new hires across the globe in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, North and South America, and Asia Pacific. Examples from this year alone are the power quality factory and the global technology and innovation center in India, and the transformer factory in China. In addition, it has recently invested in Sweden, Switzerland, and the US.

Investments in R&D
Sustainable solutions: EconiQ contains no sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) proven to significantly reduce carbon footprint throughout the entire life cycle. Next-generation power semiconductors like RoadPak for e-Mobility. Digital technologies like Lumada Asset Performance Management and IdentiQ for HVDC and power quality.

2. Doubling efforts on digital and services and expansion at the edge of the energy system
Digitalization and Service: The new generation of Lumada Asset Performance Management software solution features advantages of Artificial Intelligence; the acquisition of majority stake in eks Energy, a power conversion technology provider to enhance storage and flexibility at the edge of the energy system.

3. Innovation, synergies, partnerships, and M&A to accelerate growth
Increasingly strong collaborations have led to new business models, framework agreements for capacity reservation, and global standards, allowing for better planning to meet demands. Some key projects enabled by the company’s technologies are Champlain Hudson Power Express, TenneT’s 2GW Program, and Project Lightning, a first-of-its-kind subsea power transmission project.

The IEA report, “Electricity Grids and Secure Energy Transitions” states that grid investment needs to nearly double by 2030 to over $600 billion per year after stagnation at the global level, and building out of grids requires a secure supply chain and a skilled workforce.

Rapid electrification of transport, buildings, and industries is increasing the demand for secure, sustainable, and flexible electricity globally. The company is committed to continuously strengthening its business toward the forecast of the 2050 energy system; where it sees an installed global power generation capacity of four times today and a transfer of electrical energy, which is three times compared to what it is today.

“Since we started the journey with Hitachi in July 2020, we have been able to accelerate our growth and expansion, also leveraging synergies across Hitachi Group,” Facchin added. “With more than a century of energy expertise, combined with digitalization as an enabler, we can scale at pace and provide innovative services and solutions to our customers. As Hitachi, we have a unique position across IT, OT and product capabilities to support our customers throughout the entire lifecycle.”

About Hitachi Energy Ltd.

Hitachi Energy is a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all. We serve customers in the utility, industry and infrastructure sectors with innovative solutions and services across the value chain. Together with customers and partners, we pioneer technologies and enable the digital transformation required to accelerate the energy transition towards a carbon-neutral future. We are advancing the world’s energy system to become more sustainable, flexible and secure whilst balancing social, environmental and economic value. Hitachi Energy has a proven track record and unparalleled installed base in more than 140 countries. Headquartered in Switzerland, we employ around 40,000 people in 90 countries and generate business volumes of over $10 billion USD.
https://www.hitachienergy.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hitachienergy
https://twitter.com/HitachiEnergy

About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society through the use of data and technology. We solve customers’ and society’s challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products. Hitachi operates under the business structure of “Digital Systems & Services” – supporting our customers’ digital transformation; “Green Energy & Mobility” – contributing to a decarbonized society through energy and railway systems, and “Connective Industries” – connecting products through digital technology to provide solutions in various industries. Driven by Digital, Green, and Innovation, we aim for growth through co-creation with our customers. The company’s consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2022 (ended March 31, 2023) totaled 10,881.1 billion yen, with 696 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at https://www.hitachi.com.

Attachments

Jocelyn Chang
Hitachi Energy
media.relations@hitachienergy.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8964623

October 24, 2023

Hitachi Energy acquires eks Energy

Strategic acquisition adds advanced power electronics and energy management software capabilities to meet accelerated, global demand for battery energy storage solutions

Zurich, Switzerland, Oct. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hitachi Energy, a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all, announced today that it has acquired a controlling stake of eks Energy, a leading supplier of power electronics and energy management solutions for storage and renewables integration, based in Seville, Spain, from Powin LLC (Powin), a top global energy storage system provider. The investment also marks the establishment of a strategic partnership with Powin, who maintains a significant ownership stake in eks Energy.

As the world transitions to more renewable energy sources, the global demand for battery energy storage systems (BESS) continues to surge and is expected to grow more than 20 percent per year through 2030¹. By combining eks Energy’s power electronics and advanced control capabilities with its own highly complementary automation, software, and system integration offerings, Hitachi Energy fortifies its position as a leading-edge technology provider to the renewables and BESS market. With the strategic partnership, Hitachi Energy and Powin aim to apply the strength of the two firms to develop power conversion products specifically designed for the next generation of energy storage systems.

“Hitachi Energy has been an innovative force in the BESS and microgrid space for more than 30 years, and this strategic acquisition demonstrates our continued commitment to deliver the most advanced and proven solutions for our customers,” said Massimo Danieli, Managing Director for the Hitachi Energy Grid Automation Business Unit. “The market, including leading BESS system integrators, has made it clear that it needs and wants energy solutions powered by best-in-class power electronics integrated with control and digital capabilities. New applications and use cases are emerging every day, driven by the ever-increasing need for integration of renewable resources in the grid and electrification at the grid edge. eks Energy has an impressive product deployment footprint in North America and Europe, and under Powin has further extended their global reach. With this significant addition to our portfolio, Hitachi Energy is ready to address the demands of the fast-growing global BESS market with speed and scale.”

“This strategic investment marks a significant milestone in the energy storage industry, as it paves the way for Hitachi, Powin and eks Energy to align their strengths in exploring new opportunities on a global scale as well as an ability to better serve new and existing customers,” said Jeff Waters, CEO of Powin. “We are proud of what we have already developed with eks Energy, including one of the world’s largest battery projects in history, the Waratah Super Battery (WSB) where eks Energy’s unrivaled power conversion systems are able to meet the Australian grid operators’ high standards of performance. We look forward to continuing to work with eks Energy and Hitachi Energy to bring more projects like WSB to the world.”

The addition of eks Energy to the Hitachi Energy portfolio demonstrates accelerated traction on the company’s 2030 strategic growth plan. Hitachi Energy is continuously strengthening its power grids core business while advancing the world’s energy system to be more sustainable, flexible and secure. This acquisition increases our core capabilities at the edge of the grid including digital, power electronics and services, toward the larger goal of advancing a sustainable energy future for all.

Nomura Greentech acted as exclusive financial advisor and Shearman & Sterling acted as legal advisor to Hitachi Energy.

Footnotes
¹From BNEF 1H 2023 Energy Storage Market Outlook

About Hitachi Energy Ltd.
Hitachi Energy is a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all. We serve customers in the utility, industry and infrastructure sectors with innovative solutions and services across the value chain. Together with customers and partners, we pioneer technologies and enable the digital transformation required to accelerate the energy transition towards a carbon-neutral future. We are advancing the world’s energy system to become more sustainable, flexible and secure whilst balancing social, environmental and economic value. Hitachi Energy has a proven track record and unparalleled installed base in more than 140 countries. Headquartered in Switzerland, we employ around 40,000 people in 90 countries and generate business volumes of over $10 billion USD.
https://www.hitachienergy.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hitachienergy
https://twitter.com/HitachiEnergy

About Powin
At Powin, we are advancing the next frontier of energy and changing the way we power our daily lives by ensuring access to clean, resilient, and affordable power. As a global energy platform provider, we offer fully integrated battery storage solutions, software, and services to optimize grid performance and enable the transition to cleaner energy sources. To date, Powin has deployed over 3,200 MWh of battery systems worldwide with 11,900 MWh under construction. To learn more, please visit www.powin.com

Attachment

Hitachi Energy acquires eks Energy

Jocelyn Chang
Hitachi Energy
media.relations@hitachienergy.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8964622

October 24, 2023

NAGRAT calls for improved teachers’ welfare

The Central Regional office of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT Central) has called on the national leadership of the association to be steadfast in negotiating for new conditions of service to ensure industrial peace and harmony. It said although progress had been made towards improving the working conditions of teachers, however, teachers were faced with many challenges affecting productivity. The NAGRAT Central Regional Office described as distressing the inability of the national executives of NAGRAT to negotiate a new agreement following the expiry of their bargaining agreement with the government in 2022. Consequently, the NAGRAT Central has given a week’s ultimatum to the national executives to act appropriately to prevent what they described as dire consequences on teaching and learning. Addressing the media on Monday, Mrs. Salamatu Gausu, the Regional Chairperson, reminded NAGRAT national to ensure that benefits that other public sector workers enjoyed were extended to all teachers. ‘The Ghanaian teacher cannot hope for a reward in heaven while others enjoyed on earth,’ she said. She said the precarious working conditions of teachers across the country have made them worse off and hopeless without any stringent measures by the government to ameliorate their plight. Mrs Gausu re-counted harrowing tales of teachers who visit the NAGRAT Central office daily with stories of poor welfare and hopelessness. There are public sector workers who enjoy rent allowance, transport allowance, entertainment allowance, electricity subsidies, and other juicy allowances that the Ghanaian teacher does not enjoy. ‘As you are all aware, the Ghanaian teacher lags when it comes to issues of compensation and remuneration, even though the teacher works under very challenging conditions everywhere in this country. ‘We are all public sector workers, working for the same government and the same country, and yet, our government deem it necessary to include in the conditions of service for other sector workers, benefits that are not found in the conditions of service for others and this is not fair,’ she added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

October 24, 2023

Supreme Court’s disqualification of Gyakye Quayson ‘scandalous’ – Justice Atuguba

Justice William Atuguba, a former Supreme Court Judge, has described the apex court’s ruling, which disqualified Mr James Gyakye Quayson from contesting in the 2020 parliamentary elections in the Assin North Constituency as ‘scandalous’. ‘The Supreme Court does not stand in good light in disqualifying Gyakye Quayson despite his clear certificate of renunciation of his Canadian citizenship as from 26th November 2020, whereas the election was on December 7, 2020,’ he said. Justice Atuguba, who retired from the bench in June 2018, made the case when he delivered a public lecture at the Political Science Department, University of Ghana, on Tuesday, on the topic: ‘Protecting our democracy: the role of the judiciary’. The Supreme Court on May 17, 2023, ordered Parliament to expunge the name of James Gyakye Quayson from its records as a Member of Parliament for Assin North Constituency in the Central Region. A seven-member panel presided over by Justice Jones Dotse, in a unanimous decision, ruled that the Electoral Commission acted unconstitutionally in allowing him to contest the 2020 Parliamentary elections without proof of him renouncing his Canadian Citizenship. Mr Michael Ankomah Nimfah, a resident of Assin Bereku and the Plaintiff, had obtained judgement from the Cape Coast High Court nullifying Quayson’s election because of his alleged Canadian Citizenship. The Electoral Commission consequently organised a by-election in the Assin North Constituency on June 27, 2023 – and Mr Quayson contested on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress and won. Justice Atuguba said he could not fathom why the Supreme Court would adjudicate over a matter that had been decided by the High Court ‘on merit’. He argued that the certificate of renunciation obtained by Mr Quayson and dated November 26, 2020, was ‘more important’ than his (Quayson) participation in the parliamentary campaigns between 5th and 9th October 2020 when he filed his parliamentary nomination papers with the Electoral Commission. ‘If the certificate of renunciation is so mandatory and conclusive, why was it not conclusive in its effect to qualify Gyakye Quayson when he received the dated 26th November 2020 certificate whereas the parliamentary election was held on 7th December 2020?’ Justice Atuguba asked. He added: ‘It should be noticed that his certificate of citizenship is tied to an oath of allegiance; the two move together…it is difficult to think that Gyakye Quayson, who submitted his renunciation of citizenship papers to Canada in 2019 could still in December 2020 be held as seriously owing allegiance to as a matter of hard realism as opposed to formalism to Canada.’ Justice Atuguba expressed concern over the independence and impartiality of the judiciary and questioned why the Constitution empowered the President to appoint four representatives on the Judiciary Council aside the Attorney General. ‘Executive powers of the President and functionalities must be curtailed,’ he said. Justice Atuguba said appointments to the judiciary and other public institutions should be made by independent bodies on merit and should be devoid of ‘protocol’ and ‘cronyism’. He said working conditions in the service should also be ‘reasonably attractive’ to encourage workers to give out their best in the discharge of their duty. Justice Atuguba said public perception about the work of the judiciary is critical to engendering confidence in democracy and urged the courts to be consistent in their judgements in the spirit and letter of the law. ‘The duty of the court is to do justice and the court should not be turned away from doing justice,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

October 24, 2023

VETCo students demonstrate over welfare issues

Students of Pong Tamale Vertinary College (VETCo) have staged a demonstration to register their displeasure over persisting challenges and poor welfare at the school. Among the challenges they listed were congested classrooms and dormitories, inadequate water supply, security issues, low quality, and insufficient quantity of food. The students, during the demonstration, presented a petition to the Principal of the College giving the College a 72-hour ultimatum to respond. Abande Jacob, President of Student Representative Council of VETCo, speaking to the Ghana News Agency following the demonstration on Monday, said the student leadership was fed up prompting authorities about things they should provide to create enabling learning environment for students. He said despite students paying for prerequisite services and needs, they lacked the very things they paid for. He noted that a dining hall that should accommodate about 300 students was being used by over 1000 students, adding hostels were congested because the school admitted more students than it could accommodate. Mr Jacob said: ‘It was a peaceful demonstration. We gave the authorities 72 hours to respond and if they do not, we will carry out our next action.’ Ms Ivian Sambing, the SRC Women’s Commissioner said: ‘We are congested in one hostel as ladies. aside from that, we walk long distances to nearby communities to draw water.’ She mentioned that students paid for the hostel facility mandatorily but the majority of them were compelled to rent outside the campus due to inadequate space. She described the security situation in the school as poor, noting that thieves broke into the girl’s dormitory often, making them vulnerable. Jacob Dapila, a second year Diploma student of Animal Health and Production, expressed discontentment with food served them, saying ‘Food given us does not correlate with the fees we pay.’ He emphasised that students paid GHS950 as fees per semester but were served foods that were of low quality in small portions that did not suffice them.

Source: Ghana News Agency