Day: December 27, 2023

Stakeholders in the health sector have called on the Government to make cervical cancer vaccinations free as an effective way to prevent it among women and to encourage many younger women to undergo vaccination.

The stakeholders said it could be cured if diagnosed at an early stage and treated promptly.

They also stressed that for Ghana to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer in the coming decades, with an agreed set of three targets to be met by 2030, cervical cancer vaccination should be free in the country.

The stakeholders made the call during the weekly ‘Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility! A Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office initiative, aimed at promoting health-related communication and providing a platform for health information dissemination to influence personal health choices through improved health literacy.

The Ghana News Agency’s Tema Regional Office developed the public health advocacy platform ‘Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility’ to investigate the components
of four health communication approaches: informing, instructing, convincing, and promoting.

The stakeholders said a World Health Organisation data, indicated that cervical cancer was the fourth most common cancer in women, with 604 000 new cases in 2020.

The stakeholders called on the Government to consider absorbing the cost of cervical cancer vaccination to reduce the burden on women and encourage more women to participate in the vaccination.

Dr. Yaa Akyaa Boateng, a family physician specialist at the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH), spoke on the topic: ‘Preventive Health Care for Women.’

Dr Boateng stated that increasing public awareness and facilitating access to resources was essential to preventing and controlling cervical cancer throughout a person’s life.

She mentioned that a highly efficient strategy to avoid HPV infection, cervical cancer, and other malignancies associated to HPV was to get vaccinated between the ages of 9 and 14.

Cervical illness can be identified through screening aro
und age 30, and treatment for the condition also prevents cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer could be cured at any age if signs or concerns were identified early and treated well, she said.

‘If detected and treated in its early stages, cervical cancer is curable. A crucial first step is identifying symptoms and getting medical advice to address any concerns.

‘If a woman notices unusual bleeding throughout her menstrual cycle, after menopause, or during sexual activity, elevated or malodorous vaginal discharge symptoms, such as recurrent pelvic, back, or leg pain; weariness; appetite loss; vaginal discomfort; and leg swelling, important diagnostic tests and clinical evaluations are typically followed.

Referrals for treatment services, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery, as well as palliative care to offer pain management and supportive care are provided,’ she noted.

To guarantee that a patient is referred as soon as possible and is assisted in navigating the process of receiving a diagnosi
s and making treatment decisions, Dr. Boateng emphasized the significance of the management pathways for invasive cancer care.

She said because women were the backbone of the family, society, and nation, it was important to encourage them to get checked out so that diagnoses could be done early. By doing so, they can maintain their health and continue to do their daily tasks.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Mobile Telecommunication Network (MTN) Wednesday donated gifts to 17 new babies born on Christmas Day in Takoradi.

The babies, delivered at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, received assorted items to welcome them into the MTN family and the world in general.

Of the seven males and 10 females six of them delivered through spontaneous vagina delivery, while eleven were through caesarean sessions.

They received gifts including soaps, towels, baby oils, diapers, detergents, powders, lotions, and dresses.

Madam Esther Asabre, the Principal Nursing Officer at the Hospital, who represented DDNS Marian Sophia Quaye, the Head of Nursing and Midwifery Services, said all the mothers were in good condition and the babies in good health.

Mr Prince Nyarko, the Senior Manager of MTN Ghana, said MTN, every year, presented gifts to newborns across the regions in Ghana on Christmas Day to show love to the mothers.

‘It is a delight to share in the happiness and joy of mothers on a significant day like Christmas for b
ringing forth babies on the special occasion’, he said.

Similar gestures would be extended to mothers at the Essikado Hospital and other health facilities.

Mr Michael Danso, the Maternity Ward Administrator, expressed gratitude to MTN Ghana for the support.

‘The kind gesture done today shows how responsible and committed MTN is for contributing its bit to support mothers’, he stated.

He appealed to the Network to look more into maternal health issues by providing the hospital with delivery beds to facilitate the delivery process.

Nana Kobina Nketiah IV, the Paramount Chief of Essikado Traditional Area, joined the team to present the items and commended MTN for its commitment to lessening the burden on mothers in providing good care for their babies.

He noted that in the African culture women were untouchable because of the pain they went through in childbirth and the need for them to be accorded the needed respect.

Madam Alimatu Awudu, a mother who gave birth to twins, appreciated MTN on behalf of all
mothers who received the gifts.

She thanked God for a safe delivery, despite the pain they went through during the process.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Disregard for the zebra crossing signs, traffic lights and many other traffic rules is on the rise in the Tamale Metropolis of the Northern Region.

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) has observed that vehicles do not stop to make way for pedestrians to cross at the marked areas despite the bold white parallel stripes that indicate pedestrian crossing.

Pedestrians find themselves in competition with vehicles when crossing from one side of the road to the other, with motorcycles often navigating the pedestrian walkway instead of utilising the designated road.

The GNA has spotted many vehicles overtaking the few that respect the zebra crossing sign while pedestrians wait to cross the road.

The pedestrian walkway overhead in the central business area of Tamale has accessible routes on the median (traffic island), in front of the zebra crossing signs, to enable persons with disability to cross easily.

Alarmingly, this feature is being used by motorcycles and autorickshaws to cross the road from one side to the othe
r instead of using the appropriate turning points.

The median, an area that is ideally a safe space for pedestrians to stop midway while crossing the road, which allows them to navigate one direction of traffic at a time, is being hijacked by motorists.

Some road users in the area shared their experiences on the situation with the GNA.

Azara Mohammed, a hawker said she had witnessed motorcycles and pedestrian clashes on the pedestrian walkway many times, describing the scenes as deadly.

She said ‘In Tamale, everyone feels right doing the wrong things on the road. Abusing traffic rules is seen as normal and if you’re victimised at a point, you just have to overlook it for the sake of peace.’

Mr Stephen Anaara, a man in his 60s, recalled clashing with a bicycle rider while crossing a road on the zebra crossing mark and said crossing the road in Tamale, particularly, around the Aboabo and central market area was unsafe.

He mentioned that authorities that could instill discipline in motorists were dormant,
and cited instances, where traffic rules were disregarded in the presence of Police officers, who took no action against the offenders.

He said ‘We are all culpable of road offences. I am lamenting as a pedestrian now, but next time as a driver, I will violate. If you leave the house and return safely to Tamale, just thank God.’

Mr Misbao Wundow, Assistant Planning Manager at the Northern Regional Office of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), in an interview with GNA, said per traffic rules regarding zebra crossing, vehicles were mandated to stop before the white thick marking that preceded the zebra crossing lines for pedestrians to cross.

He said ‘On approaching the white thick marking, motorists must look around and if someone is waiting to cross, they must stop. In a case where there is no one waiting to cross, motorists’ movement is not counted as a disregard for the road sign.’

He appealed to residents to avoid misappropriating the designated crossing area for persons with disabilities as it
endangered the safety of road users.

Mr Wundow expressed dissatisfaction at the prevailing indiscipline on the roads in Tamale, indicating that the Authority conveyed its deep concern regarding the issue.

He said there were efforts through various sensitisation campaigns aimed at changing the status quo.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ntuune Pogyua Foundation, a non-profit organization, has organized free health screening for the elderly at Gambibgo, a community in the Bolgatanga East District.

The beneficiaries, mostly 60years and above, were screened for early signs of dementia, Blood Pressures (BPs) and Random Blood Sugar (RBS) levels checked to rule out hypertension and diabetes.

The senior citizens also underwent head to toe physical examination, Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT) for malaria parasites, while new entrants were registered on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), and those with invalid NHIS cards were renewed.

The exercise, which was under the Foundation’s ‘Adopt a senior citizen project,’ ensured that those with minor ailments received medications, while those with serious medical conditions were referred to hospitals for further management.

Apart from the medical screening, the beneficiaries who trooped to the Gambibgo Health Centre, for screening, were served lunch packs as they sat waiting for their turns.

Dr Nadia Adongo Fynn, President of the Foundation, in an interview with journalists, recalled that the Foundation was launched in the community in December 2018 and named after a nickname of her father.

She said her father was popularly known as ‘Ntuune’ which in gurune language, means ‘My work or job’, which he became more known as Ntuune than his own name, and so when he passed away at the age of 105, we decided to set up a Foundation in his name’.

Dr Fynn, who is a Canadian-trained Gerontologist, emphasized that ‘I have a passion for old people, and that is why I set up the Foundation to use my knowledge and the skills that I learnt in Canada to help my own community’.

The Foundation’s President, in the company of Mr Mathew Silas Amoah, New Patriotic Party’s Parliamentary Candidate for the area, said when the Foundation was launched, it took care of about 100 senior citizens, but the number had increased to over 500.

‘Some of these people do not get the opportunity to see any Doctor or Nurse until we d
o this screening. So, I feel that it is my duty to use the Foundation and the privilege I have, to do this screening for them.

‘Health is wealth, if you are healthy, you can do anything. So, I put more focus and emphasis on health than anything that I do,’ Dr Fynn, who is also the Deputy Director for Diaspora Affairs at the Office of the President, said.

Recounting the successes of the Foundation since its launch, she said ‘We were able to help some of the senior citizens who had diabetes and hypertension but didn’t know. Through the health screening, we were able to diagnose and put them on medications.’

She said after the exercise, volunteers of the Foundation would embark on home visits across the community to ensure the beneficiaries were properly cared for, and the Foundation would further assist those with prescriptions to buy their medications and support their medical reviews.

Dr Fynn expressed gratitude to her husband, friends and colleagues, ‘We did this because friends believe in my passion and
supported us to be able to get this done’.

Some senior citizens in interviews with the Ghana News Agency thanked Dr Fynn and her team for the health support they receive every year and prayed for God’s blessings for her to continue her good work.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Reverend Monica A. Achana, a Reverend Minister of the Methodist Church Ghana in Wa, has observed that Jesus Christ was born to bring peace to the world and ought to be the centre of every human life for peace to reign.

She said the world, and for that matter, Ghana was ‘full of chaos and confusion’ and finding solutions to the myriad of national development challenges such as restoring the economy, creating jobs and employment opportunities and addressing social issues among others could only be achieved through peace.

‘Jesus Christ is the peace, if you don’t have Jesus, you don’t have peace because he is the peace’, Rev. Achana, who is also the Upper West Regional Manager of the Methodist Education Unit, said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa to share her Christmas message with the world.

She referenced Biblical Scripture in Colossians 3:15, which enjoined all to allow the peace of God to rule their hearts but added that peace was missing in many lives today because they did not have
Christ in them.

Rev. Achana indicated that ‘the church’ was not living its mandate of preaching the gospel to save lives, win souls and for there to be peace as peace transcended beyond the mere absence of conflicts to contentment, happiness and satisfaction.

‘We need to have peace with our maker, God, we need to have peace within ourselves individually, peace within our relationships with other people, there should be peace within the family, among the spouse, and the children.

‘The leadership of the church is supposed to preach the gospel, and make the gospel known to others, yet it is a different story.

The church is busy with the world not with the business of God that is why you cannot find peace even inside the church’, she explained.

Rev. Achana added that ‘the church’ of today was busy doing politics, and the clergy who were supposed to preach the gospel were busy politicking.

She also observed that ‘the church’ was busy with money-making programmes and campaigning to occupy positions of recogni
tion rather than soul-winning activities.

The Rev minister said, with worry, that the youth were left to their fate without any teaching on the importance of peace and, thus, ready to engage in anything to gain.

She said that had led to many killings, armed robberies, rituals, and scams among others in Ghana and the world in recent times.

Rev. Achana, therefore, encouraged ‘the church’ to revisit its mandate of preaching the gospel of salvation and peace to the world, which was a pre-requisite for personal, social and economic development.

She said 2024 was a special year due to the Presidential and Parliamentary elections, which all Ghanaians must continue to pray for peace to prevail before, during and after the elections.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Mrs Mercy Asante, the Board Chairperson of Emmanuel Co-operative Credit Union, says Ghanaians should expect massive economic prospects and business development that will transform lives from next year.

She said the country’s economic situation, not withstanding, businesses were growing and with the adaptation of strategic plans, successes would be chalked.

Mrs Asante made the call at a media encounter at Agona Swedru in the Central Region to express Christmas wishes to customers and shareholders of the Union.

The economy was recovering as compared to the previous year, she said, and called on business owners to take advantage to invest in strategic areas to maximise profits.

The Union, she indicated, would bring innovation in management to promote businesses and pave the way to increase savings, investments, and credit facility to improve productivity.

The Board Chairperson, therefore, urged customers to continue having trust and confidence in the Credit Union since 2024 was going to be a year of growth
and prosperity.

Mrs Asante said the Management and Board were poised to come out with numerous products, coupled with new technology, to create the enabling environment for business growth.

The Board Chairperson, therefore, commended the management and staff for the hard work, dedication, honesty and good customer care that brought many developments into the Union.

Mrs Asante who is also the Managing Director of Truth and Mercy Enterprise Limited, a giant Fan Milk distributor, commended her workers for their hard work

and zeal that performed ‘magic’ in 2023 and expressed the hope that 2024 would be a year of prosperity.

She sent similar messages to her numerous customers in Asamankese , Adeiso, Akim Oda, Greater Kasoa , Akim Akroso , Winneba, Ajumako, Mankessim and Cape Coast for their dedication to duty.

The MD gave the assurance that 2024 would bring new vision and direction that would make positive impact in business development to enhance socio-economic advancement.
Source: Ghana News Agency