Page 25: Daily Graphic, May 15, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia & Francis Yaw Kyei
POLICE personnel have been asked to discharge their duties in a manner that will help redeem the sunken image of the service.
Addressing the passing-out parade of 116 recruits in Accra last Tuesday, the Director-General in charge of Services of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police (COP), Mr Yaw Adu-Gyimah, said that hardly a day passed without the newspapers reporting one crime or another which had been committed by a policeman, adding that instead of fighting crime, some policemen perpetuated it.
The ceremony formed part of efforts of the government to boost the human resource in the service.
There are currently a little over 22,000 police personnel in the country.
Mr Adu-Gyamfi told the new recruits that they were being initiated into a Police Service that had lost credibility among the populace they were to protect.
“The Police kill instead of protecting life; police rob instead of protecting the public against robbery. Police defraud and condone fraud instead of protecting the public against fraudulent elements in the society. They molest instead of protecting the public from bullies,” he said.
Mr Adu-Gyimah further expressed regret that the police had become a menace to road users by abandoning their road safety responsibility and rather extorting moey on the roads.
“I want to charge you here and now to go and change this negative and grotesque picture that some of your colleagues who are already in the field have painted for the service,” he entreated the recruits.
“The public no more volunteer information to the police since they would not hesitate to blow the lid off their informants and this has made crime fighting and prevention an uphill task, for without information, the police wallow in a quagmire of futility in their quest for crime prevention and detection,” he stated.
Mr Adu-Gyimah, whose address did not go down well with some personnel because they claimed he was washing the dirty linen of the police in public, said some senior police officers could not escape blame for the negative tendencies in the service because they failed to check their subordinates.
He reminded the recruits of the delicate task ahead of them since “the days when some police personnel felt they were so powerful or above the law that they could, therefore, physically assault, insult, abuse and threaten members of the public for no just cause are over.”
He said the rights of all citizens as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution must be respected and protected by treating members of the public with utmost respect and civility.
“I must emphasise that in our present democratic dispensation where the Constitution guarantees freedom and human rights and protection through the rule of law, it is important that no opportunity whatsoever is given to any police officer to display recklessness, officiousness, high-handedness or any form of arrogance or abuse of power on the citizenry,” he said, adding that “the service has, therefore, no room for abusive and arrogant police personnel.”
Mr Adu-Gyimah urged the recruits to see the knowledge they had acquired during their training as a foundation which they needed to build upon as hard work and sacrifice would be required of them.
The recruits, who were made up of 48 from the Kumasi Training School and 68 from the National Police Training School in Accra, earlier undertook drills and exercises to entertain the dignitaries, family members and the public who had gathered to witness the parade.
While policewoman recruit Bridget Yeboah from Kumasi was adjudged the overall best recruit as well as best in academic work and markswoman, policewoman recruit Augustina Vigbedor was adjudged the best in academic work and the overall best recruit from Accra.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
EX-SPEAKER IS 'HOT' * He's to return items worth GH¢1.6 m to state * But claims he yet to be officially officially informed
Front Page: Daily Graphic, May 14, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE former Speaker of Parliament, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes, is to return to the state items worth ¢1.6 billion which he took away from the Speaker’s bungalow upon his retirement from office last year.
He is also to pay ¢1 billion for some of the items and keep the rest, which were valued at ¢368 million, at no cost to him.
These are some of the recommendations made by a parliamentary ad hoc committee chaired by the Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, which was constituted to investigate allegations that the former Speaker had taken away household appliances valued at ¢4.5 billion from the bungalow at Cantonments in Accra.
The items include furniture, curtains, paintings, generators, carpets, gymnasium and kitchen equipment, rugs from Morocco, electrical appliances, among others.
The committee, which was to ascertain from the inventory which of the items could be disposed of, returned or depreciated and sold to the former Speaker, noted that the decision in respect of Mr Sekyi Hughes “should be considered as a one-off event, pending putting in place a well-defined policy”.
It said its findings and recommendations were based on the advice of officials of the Prestige Wing of the Public Works Department (PWD) and the fact that no internal policy on the disposal of soft furnishings could be cited.
It noted the non-existence of a policy on the disposal of soft furnishing items for the leadership and senior officers of the Parliamentary Service as a grey area and asked the Parliamentary Service Board to “put in place a policy to forestall the recurrence of the current state of affairs”.
According to the report, which the committee has submitted to the Parliamentary Service Board, discourse with officials of the PWD Prestige Wing revealed the non-existence of a hard and fast policy on the provision and disposal of soft furnishings in the Civil Service.
It said the established convention in the Civil Service, however, was that soft items provided for the official residences of the Vice-President, ministers and chief directors remained in-situ when the beneficiaries left office.
It pointed out that inventories of soft furnishing items provided for official residences were taken upon occupation and on exit of the occupants.
“As regards the Public and the Judiciary services, officials from PWD Prestige confirmed that the entities within those institutions have varied policies on soft furnishing which were self-regulated,” it added.
The committee noted that the general practice for restocking soft furnishing items such as living and bedroom furniture in the public services differed from organisation to organisation but generally most organisations restocked furniture after four or five years.
It said in the Civil Service, furniture restocking was done after eight years and indicated that “prior to that, furniture with torn or damaged upholstery which could be re-used is sent for re-upholstery and used in either offices or official residences. The last resort is auctioning”.
On a depreciation policy for assets, it said the officials of PWD Prestige indicated that the best practice was for all institutions to have one depreciation policy for all its assets.
According to the committee, as to whether fixtures and electrical fittings, chandeliers in particular, taken away from official residence should be returned, the officials of PWD Prestige held the view that payment be demanded on items from the occupant due to the fragile nature of those items.
“However, in circumstances where the replacement cost is high and could not be readily borne by the institution, the fittings could be demanded to be returned,” officials of PWD Prestige noted to the committee.
It said in determining the items that could be disposed of to the former Speaker, the committee was advised to be guided by the internal policy on the disposal of soft furnishing items, the current cost of replacement, year of acquisition, the possibility of the items being returned in good condition/original state and the likelihood of setting precedence.
The committee said officials from PWD Prestige advised that all electrical gadgets/appliances, fittings and fixtures and gymnastic equipment and its accessories taken away by the former Speaker should be returned.
“Further, the officials advised that since items such as curtains, carpets and bed sheets were normally acquired based on occupants’ taste and preference, they could be disposed of. Beds and mattresses may also be disposed of. Other kitchen items and crockery used for a period of four years were also to be disposed of,” it said.
The Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu Committee was set up after an inspection by a team of officials from Parliament of the former Speaker’s official residence on March 3, this year had revealed that Mr Sekyi Hughes had taken away soft furnishings in his residence worth GH¢330,000.
The cost did not include the beds and mattresses purchased for the residency and rooms and imported items, including furniture, hand-woven carpets and rugs from Morocco.
When the former Speaker was reached for his comments, he told the Daily Graphic that he had no knowledge of the report and recommendations of the committee chaired by the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.
He said, however, that he received a letter on May 5, 2009, from Parliament inquiring about the whereabouts of the items in his official residence.
Mr Hughes stated that he was yet to respond to that letter but indicated that would be able to give a reply by the end of the week.
He said it was unfortunate that the said report got to the media without first being referred to him.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE former Speaker of Parliament, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes, is to return to the state items worth ¢1.6 billion which he took away from the Speaker’s bungalow upon his retirement from office last year.
He is also to pay ¢1 billion for some of the items and keep the rest, which were valued at ¢368 million, at no cost to him.
These are some of the recommendations made by a parliamentary ad hoc committee chaired by the Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, which was constituted to investigate allegations that the former Speaker had taken away household appliances valued at ¢4.5 billion from the bungalow at Cantonments in Accra.
The items include furniture, curtains, paintings, generators, carpets, gymnasium and kitchen equipment, rugs from Morocco, electrical appliances, among others.
The committee, which was to ascertain from the inventory which of the items could be disposed of, returned or depreciated and sold to the former Speaker, noted that the decision in respect of Mr Sekyi Hughes “should be considered as a one-off event, pending putting in place a well-defined policy”.
It said its findings and recommendations were based on the advice of officials of the Prestige Wing of the Public Works Department (PWD) and the fact that no internal policy on the disposal of soft furnishings could be cited.
It noted the non-existence of a policy on the disposal of soft furnishing items for the leadership and senior officers of the Parliamentary Service as a grey area and asked the Parliamentary Service Board to “put in place a policy to forestall the recurrence of the current state of affairs”.
According to the report, which the committee has submitted to the Parliamentary Service Board, discourse with officials of the PWD Prestige Wing revealed the non-existence of a hard and fast policy on the provision and disposal of soft furnishings in the Civil Service.
It said the established convention in the Civil Service, however, was that soft items provided for the official residences of the Vice-President, ministers and chief directors remained in-situ when the beneficiaries left office.
It pointed out that inventories of soft furnishing items provided for official residences were taken upon occupation and on exit of the occupants.
“As regards the Public and the Judiciary services, officials from PWD Prestige confirmed that the entities within those institutions have varied policies on soft furnishing which were self-regulated,” it added.
The committee noted that the general practice for restocking soft furnishing items such as living and bedroom furniture in the public services differed from organisation to organisation but generally most organisations restocked furniture after four or five years.
It said in the Civil Service, furniture restocking was done after eight years and indicated that “prior to that, furniture with torn or damaged upholstery which could be re-used is sent for re-upholstery and used in either offices or official residences. The last resort is auctioning”.
On a depreciation policy for assets, it said the officials of PWD Prestige indicated that the best practice was for all institutions to have one depreciation policy for all its assets.
According to the committee, as to whether fixtures and electrical fittings, chandeliers in particular, taken away from official residence should be returned, the officials of PWD Prestige held the view that payment be demanded on items from the occupant due to the fragile nature of those items.
“However, in circumstances where the replacement cost is high and could not be readily borne by the institution, the fittings could be demanded to be returned,” officials of PWD Prestige noted to the committee.
It said in determining the items that could be disposed of to the former Speaker, the committee was advised to be guided by the internal policy on the disposal of soft furnishing items, the current cost of replacement, year of acquisition, the possibility of the items being returned in good condition/original state and the likelihood of setting precedence.
The committee said officials from PWD Prestige advised that all electrical gadgets/appliances, fittings and fixtures and gymnastic equipment and its accessories taken away by the former Speaker should be returned.
“Further, the officials advised that since items such as curtains, carpets and bed sheets were normally acquired based on occupants’ taste and preference, they could be disposed of. Beds and mattresses may also be disposed of. Other kitchen items and crockery used for a period of four years were also to be disposed of,” it said.
The Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu Committee was set up after an inspection by a team of officials from Parliament of the former Speaker’s official residence on March 3, this year had revealed that Mr Sekyi Hughes had taken away soft furnishings in his residence worth GH¢330,000.
The cost did not include the beds and mattresses purchased for the residency and rooms and imported items, including furniture, hand-woven carpets and rugs from Morocco.
When the former Speaker was reached for his comments, he told the Daily Graphic that he had no knowledge of the report and recommendations of the committee chaired by the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.
He said, however, that he received a letter on May 5, 2009, from Parliament inquiring about the whereabouts of the items in his official residence.
Mr Hughes stated that he was yet to respond to that letter but indicated that would be able to give a reply by the end of the week.
He said it was unfortunate that the said report got to the media without first being referred to him.
Monday, May 11, 2009
SWINE FLU PANIC * Sharp drop in pork patronage
Front Page: Daily Graphic, May 12, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
PORK, a Ghanaian delicacy, is said to be recording low patronage since news about the outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1), otherwise referred to as swine flu, reached the country.
Traders who retail pork told the Daily Graphic yesterday that sales dipped further when the government reacted with a ban on the importation of pork and pork products into the country.
They have, therefore, called on the government to make announcements to inform and educate the public on the real facts of swine flu, especially the fact that the disease has not been reported in Ghana and that it is not found in cooked pork.
The Director of the Veterinary Services Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Dr Enoch Boye-Mensah Koney, endorsed the retailers’ stance when he agreed with them that the outbreak of the disease had been overblown by the local media, a fact which had contributed to low business for the traders.
He said there was no cause for alarm and urged consumers to patronise the product.
Dr Koney said the disease had not been detected in any part of Africa and that the situation was not as it had been publicised by the media.
He said there was a technical team comprising officials of MOFA, the Ministry of Health and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in place which met regularly to review the situation.
He said the team would meet on Thursday, May 14, 2009 to update the Ministry of Health and MOFA on the situation.
Dr Koney contended that there was no need for the government to have banned the importation of pork and pork products if it had been properly debriefed on the issue.
He said the African Union-International African Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) last week criticised African countries which had resorted to the culling and quarantine of pigs, saying that “culling and quarantine interventions on the swine industry are unwarranted”.
Dr Koney said the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health had both issued statements stating that there was no evidence to show that the influenza could be transmitted through food.
Some pig farmers, however, said their businesses had not been affected in any way by the outbreak and urged Ghanaians to enjoy their locally-produced pork provided they were well cooked.
According to them, there had not been any negative impact of the disease on the production and sale of pigs.
Mesdame Joyce Odamptey and Elizabeth Adamah who are based at the slaughter house for pigs at Five Junction at Osu said the intake of pork had gone down drastically.
They said people who used to order some of the pork for social gatherings such as funerals, weddings and parties had all stopped.
Madam Odamptey said only the youth now patronised pork, while the elderly shunned it.
“I wish that the government went on air to make announcements about the real situation. The sale of pork is our source of income to pay our children’s school fees and meet other obligations,” she said.
The owner of Christian Service Farm at Yahoman, near Amasaman, Dr Paul K. Fynn, told the Daily Graphic that the effect of Influenza A was mostly in Europe because consumers there did not cook pork well before eating it, adding that Ghanaians normally cooked their meat very well before eating it and so there was not much cause for alarm.
“People must not live in fear. They must cook their pork well and enjoy it. Once pork is well cooked, the bacteria will be destroyed,” he remarked.
For his part, Mr Jonathan Nii Addo Mensah, who owns a piggery at Osu, said the demand for pigs was still high.
He said until the outbreak of the flu in Mexico, 10 pigs were slaughtered at the piggery per day and the situation had not changed.
Influenza A is a respiratory disease caused by influenza type A, which infects pigs. There are many types and the infection is constantly changing.
To date, 30 countries on four continents — the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania — have confirmed the infection.
The virus has been detected in people in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China (Hong Kong), Costa Rica, Colombia, Denmark, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US.
According to the AU-IBAR, the current outbreak was caused by a new sub-type and there was so far no evidence that pigs were involved in the current outbreak.
Symptoms of swine flu include fever, cough, sore throat, bodily aches, chills and fatigue.
Although the source of the outbreak in humans is still unknown, cases were first discovered in the US and officials soon suspected a link between those incidents and an earlier outbreak of late-season flu cases in Mexico.
Soon thereafter, the WHO, along with the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), expressed concern that Influenza A (H1N1) could become a world-wide flu pandemic and the WHO then raised its pandemic alert level to "Phase 5" out of the six maximum as a "signal that a pandemic is imminent".
The outbreak was first detected in Mexico City in cases of influenza-like illness starting on March 18.
The surge was assumed by Mexican authorities to be "late-season flu" (which usually coincides with a mild Influenza virus B peak) until April 21 when a CDC alert concerning two isolated cases of a novel swine flu was reported in the media.
Story: Albert K. Salia
PORK, a Ghanaian delicacy, is said to be recording low patronage since news about the outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1), otherwise referred to as swine flu, reached the country.
Traders who retail pork told the Daily Graphic yesterday that sales dipped further when the government reacted with a ban on the importation of pork and pork products into the country.
They have, therefore, called on the government to make announcements to inform and educate the public on the real facts of swine flu, especially the fact that the disease has not been reported in Ghana and that it is not found in cooked pork.
The Director of the Veterinary Services Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Dr Enoch Boye-Mensah Koney, endorsed the retailers’ stance when he agreed with them that the outbreak of the disease had been overblown by the local media, a fact which had contributed to low business for the traders.
He said there was no cause for alarm and urged consumers to patronise the product.
Dr Koney said the disease had not been detected in any part of Africa and that the situation was not as it had been publicised by the media.
He said there was a technical team comprising officials of MOFA, the Ministry of Health and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in place which met regularly to review the situation.
He said the team would meet on Thursday, May 14, 2009 to update the Ministry of Health and MOFA on the situation.
Dr Koney contended that there was no need for the government to have banned the importation of pork and pork products if it had been properly debriefed on the issue.
He said the African Union-International African Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) last week criticised African countries which had resorted to the culling and quarantine of pigs, saying that “culling and quarantine interventions on the swine industry are unwarranted”.
Dr Koney said the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health had both issued statements stating that there was no evidence to show that the influenza could be transmitted through food.
Some pig farmers, however, said their businesses had not been affected in any way by the outbreak and urged Ghanaians to enjoy their locally-produced pork provided they were well cooked.
According to them, there had not been any negative impact of the disease on the production and sale of pigs.
Mesdame Joyce Odamptey and Elizabeth Adamah who are based at the slaughter house for pigs at Five Junction at Osu said the intake of pork had gone down drastically.
They said people who used to order some of the pork for social gatherings such as funerals, weddings and parties had all stopped.
Madam Odamptey said only the youth now patronised pork, while the elderly shunned it.
“I wish that the government went on air to make announcements about the real situation. The sale of pork is our source of income to pay our children’s school fees and meet other obligations,” she said.
The owner of Christian Service Farm at Yahoman, near Amasaman, Dr Paul K. Fynn, told the Daily Graphic that the effect of Influenza A was mostly in Europe because consumers there did not cook pork well before eating it, adding that Ghanaians normally cooked their meat very well before eating it and so there was not much cause for alarm.
“People must not live in fear. They must cook their pork well and enjoy it. Once pork is well cooked, the bacteria will be destroyed,” he remarked.
For his part, Mr Jonathan Nii Addo Mensah, who owns a piggery at Osu, said the demand for pigs was still high.
He said until the outbreak of the flu in Mexico, 10 pigs were slaughtered at the piggery per day and the situation had not changed.
Influenza A is a respiratory disease caused by influenza type A, which infects pigs. There are many types and the infection is constantly changing.
To date, 30 countries on four continents — the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania — have confirmed the infection.
The virus has been detected in people in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China (Hong Kong), Costa Rica, Colombia, Denmark, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US.
According to the AU-IBAR, the current outbreak was caused by a new sub-type and there was so far no evidence that pigs were involved in the current outbreak.
Symptoms of swine flu include fever, cough, sore throat, bodily aches, chills and fatigue.
Although the source of the outbreak in humans is still unknown, cases were first discovered in the US and officials soon suspected a link between those incidents and an earlier outbreak of late-season flu cases in Mexico.
Soon thereafter, the WHO, along with the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), expressed concern that Influenza A (H1N1) could become a world-wide flu pandemic and the WHO then raised its pandemic alert level to "Phase 5" out of the six maximum as a "signal that a pandemic is imminent".
The outbreak was first detected in Mexico City in cases of influenza-like illness starting on March 18.
The surge was assumed by Mexican authorities to be "late-season flu" (which usually coincides with a mild Influenza virus B peak) until April 21 when a CDC alert concerning two isolated cases of a novel swine flu was reported in the media.
Three to undergo kidney transplant
Page 41: Daily Graphic, May 11. 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THREE renal patients are expected to undergo kidney transplant operations at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital from today to Friday, May 16, 2009.
This is the second time in the history of the hospital that kidney transplant operation is being undertaken.
The first successful kidney transplant of three patients took place at the hospital in November, last year .
An 11-member team from the Queens Hospital in the United Kingdom, led by Dr Andrew Ready, arrived in the country on Saturday night to begin the operation as part of efforts to build the capacity of health professionals at Korle-Bu to become self-sufficient in manpower and equipment to handle cases on their own.
The team include the internationally acclaimed Ghanaian kidney transplant specialist, Dr Dwomoa Adu.
The trip is being facilitated by Charity Transplant Links of the United Kingdom.
The Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Mr Mustapha Salifu told the Daily Graphic that the three patients in the second batch would be receiving the kidneys from their family members.
He said in the first case, a man would be donating his kidney to his brother, while a sister would also donate to her brother and the third being an aunt donating to her nephew.
He said the surgeries would be performed jointly by the team from UK with the support of personnel from the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
Mr Salifu said more than 200 Ghanaians across the country needed kidney transplant, many of whom had had to depend on renal dialysis to survive.
He said a dialysis costs 100 euros per session while kidney patients required three sessions of dialysis a week.
According to him, the cost of a kidney transplant operation in the UK was GH¢100,000 while it ranged between GH¢30,000 and GH¢50,000 in South Africa, saying that those costs excluded transportation, accommodation and feeding of the donor and the recipient as well as accompanying relations.
Mr Salifu said the cost of each transplant being performed at the hospital was $30,000.
“With Ghana being able to undertake this exercise therefore, patients who would have been flown outside for kidney transplant can equally be catered for right here. This would save cost to patients who do not have money whiles generating income to the nation,” he said.
Mr Salifu said the kidney transplant was relatively cheaper than haemodialysis as it reduced the financial and social burden on families and friends.
Moreover, he said, it provided improved quality of life for the beneficiary.
Mr Salifu, therefore, appealed to Ghanaians, philanthropists and organisations to support the National Kidney Foundation by donating generously to keep it running to assist patients.
He expressed the hospital’s gratitude to Dr Jennie Jewitt-Harris, the Head of Charity Transplant Links for facilitating the trip of the medical team.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THREE renal patients are expected to undergo kidney transplant operations at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital from today to Friday, May 16, 2009.
This is the second time in the history of the hospital that kidney transplant operation is being undertaken.
The first successful kidney transplant of three patients took place at the hospital in November, last year .
An 11-member team from the Queens Hospital in the United Kingdom, led by Dr Andrew Ready, arrived in the country on Saturday night to begin the operation as part of efforts to build the capacity of health professionals at Korle-Bu to become self-sufficient in manpower and equipment to handle cases on their own.
The team include the internationally acclaimed Ghanaian kidney transplant specialist, Dr Dwomoa Adu.
The trip is being facilitated by Charity Transplant Links of the United Kingdom.
The Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Mr Mustapha Salifu told the Daily Graphic that the three patients in the second batch would be receiving the kidneys from their family members.
He said in the first case, a man would be donating his kidney to his brother, while a sister would also donate to her brother and the third being an aunt donating to her nephew.
He said the surgeries would be performed jointly by the team from UK with the support of personnel from the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
Mr Salifu said more than 200 Ghanaians across the country needed kidney transplant, many of whom had had to depend on renal dialysis to survive.
He said a dialysis costs 100 euros per session while kidney patients required three sessions of dialysis a week.
According to him, the cost of a kidney transplant operation in the UK was GH¢100,000 while it ranged between GH¢30,000 and GH¢50,000 in South Africa, saying that those costs excluded transportation, accommodation and feeding of the donor and the recipient as well as accompanying relations.
Mr Salifu said the cost of each transplant being performed at the hospital was $30,000.
“With Ghana being able to undertake this exercise therefore, patients who would have been flown outside for kidney transplant can equally be catered for right here. This would save cost to patients who do not have money whiles generating income to the nation,” he said.
Mr Salifu said the kidney transplant was relatively cheaper than haemodialysis as it reduced the financial and social burden on families and friends.
Moreover, he said, it provided improved quality of life for the beneficiary.
Mr Salifu, therefore, appealed to Ghanaians, philanthropists and organisations to support the National Kidney Foundation by donating generously to keep it running to assist patients.
He expressed the hospital’s gratitude to Dr Jennie Jewitt-Harris, the Head of Charity Transplant Links for facilitating the trip of the medical team.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Surgery at Cardio Centre suspended -As gas conveyor is stolen
Page 32: Daily Graphic, May 8, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
SURGERY at the National Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital has been suspended following the theft of an 80-metre gas conveyor at the centre.
The Director of the centre, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, told the Daily Graphic that since the copper pipe was stolen two weeks ago, no major operation had taken place at the centre.
The centre performs between eight and 10 major surgeries every week.
It would cost GH¢20,000 to replace the pipe at the cardio centre alone although similar thefts have been reported at other departments of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng explained that there was a general problem with the Oxygen and Compressor Air Plants at the hospital, which affected the centre and the Department of Surgery.
He said when the repairs were undertaken on the plants, it was detected that the centre was still not getting its share of compressor air, which was used to work on ventilators and anaesthetic machines among others.
He said when the technicians decided to check find out the problem, it was realised that about 80 metres of the copper pipe that conveyed medical gases to the centre had been stolen.
Asked if outsiders could have stolen the items, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said it was only insiders who could do that.
That, he explained, was because the pipes were laid underground and there were only two entrances that could be accessed by only Korle Bu staff.
Moreover, he said, the place was so dark that it needed someone who knew the tracks to do any such thing.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said money must be found to replace those pipes immediately to save lives and also prevent cases from piling up.
Story: Albert K. Salia
SURGERY at the National Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital has been suspended following the theft of an 80-metre gas conveyor at the centre.
The Director of the centre, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, told the Daily Graphic that since the copper pipe was stolen two weeks ago, no major operation had taken place at the centre.
The centre performs between eight and 10 major surgeries every week.
It would cost GH¢20,000 to replace the pipe at the cardio centre alone although similar thefts have been reported at other departments of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng explained that there was a general problem with the Oxygen and Compressor Air Plants at the hospital, which affected the centre and the Department of Surgery.
He said when the repairs were undertaken on the plants, it was detected that the centre was still not getting its share of compressor air, which was used to work on ventilators and anaesthetic machines among others.
He said when the technicians decided to check find out the problem, it was realised that about 80 metres of the copper pipe that conveyed medical gases to the centre had been stolen.
Asked if outsiders could have stolen the items, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said it was only insiders who could do that.
That, he explained, was because the pipes were laid underground and there were only two entrances that could be accessed by only Korle Bu staff.
Moreover, he said, the place was so dark that it needed someone who knew the tracks to do any such thing.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said money must be found to replace those pipes immediately to save lives and also prevent cases from piling up.
Panthers Unit investigations section dissolved
Page 19: Daily Graphic, May 8, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mrs Elizabeth Mills-Robertson, has dissolved the investigations section of the Panthers Unit of the Ghana Police Service and asked the unit to stop handling criminal cases with immediate effect.
She said the unit was set up as an operational unit of the Police Administration at the headquarters to respond to emergencies and not to be handling criminal cases.
Mrs Mills-Robertson noted that some personnel of the unit often arrested criminals and kept them in the cells of police stations in the Accra Region, which was not their duty.
She said the personnel, like any police officers, could arrest on suspicion or facts but the person arrested must be handed over to the nearest police station for further investigations, in which case “those who effected the arrest will become witnesses and not investigators”.
According to her, “the Accra Region is not the jurisdiction of the Panthers Unit and it should, therefore, refer all cases either to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters or the nearest police command in Accra”.
She told officers and men of the unit at a meeting at the Police Headquarters yesterday that personnel of the unit had in recent times been in the news for the wrong reasons.
Mrs Mills-Robertson said the Police Administration would not tolerate any undisciplined and criminal acts by the personnel.
As a first step, she said, the Police Administration would restructure the unit and those who needed not to be there would be re-posted, stressing, “Do not think that when you are at the Panthers Unit you are untouchable.”
She said the restructuring had become more imperative with the creation of the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF), since there should not be any duplication of roles.
Mrs Mills-Robertson said some of the personnel often undertook operations or exercises which did not lay in the purview of the unit and ended up bringing the image of the service into disrespect.
She expressed disappointment with the senior officers at the unit for often sending the junior ranks on errands which led them into trouble.
She said she had received reports that some of the junior ranks were often unhappy with the errands their superior officers sent them to carry, especially duties which were not part of police work.
“Do not send them to undertake any unlawful duties on your behalf anymore,” she warned.
She advised those who did not have the right attitude for police duties to apply to be given safe passage or stay in the face the consequences.
The Director-General in charge of Operations, DCOP Patrick Timbillah, said the unit was established as an intervention unit for the Police Headquarters and be an interface between the police and the military.
Unfortunately, he said, it was now handling land cases and other issues which had given it a bad name.
The Head of the unit, DSP Francis Somian, noted that some of the cases it handled had been referred to it by members of the Headquarters Management Advisory Board (HEMAB) and other senior officers.
He said the unit would comply with the directives of the IGP and stick to its core role and apologised for any embarrassment it might have caused the Police Service.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mrs Elizabeth Mills-Robertson, has dissolved the investigations section of the Panthers Unit of the Ghana Police Service and asked the unit to stop handling criminal cases with immediate effect.
She said the unit was set up as an operational unit of the Police Administration at the headquarters to respond to emergencies and not to be handling criminal cases.
Mrs Mills-Robertson noted that some personnel of the unit often arrested criminals and kept them in the cells of police stations in the Accra Region, which was not their duty.
She said the personnel, like any police officers, could arrest on suspicion or facts but the person arrested must be handed over to the nearest police station for further investigations, in which case “those who effected the arrest will become witnesses and not investigators”.
According to her, “the Accra Region is not the jurisdiction of the Panthers Unit and it should, therefore, refer all cases either to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters or the nearest police command in Accra”.
She told officers and men of the unit at a meeting at the Police Headquarters yesterday that personnel of the unit had in recent times been in the news for the wrong reasons.
Mrs Mills-Robertson said the Police Administration would not tolerate any undisciplined and criminal acts by the personnel.
As a first step, she said, the Police Administration would restructure the unit and those who needed not to be there would be re-posted, stressing, “Do not think that when you are at the Panthers Unit you are untouchable.”
She said the restructuring had become more imperative with the creation of the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF), since there should not be any duplication of roles.
Mrs Mills-Robertson said some of the personnel often undertook operations or exercises which did not lay in the purview of the unit and ended up bringing the image of the service into disrespect.
She expressed disappointment with the senior officers at the unit for often sending the junior ranks on errands which led them into trouble.
She said she had received reports that some of the junior ranks were often unhappy with the errands their superior officers sent them to carry, especially duties which were not part of police work.
“Do not send them to undertake any unlawful duties on your behalf anymore,” she warned.
She advised those who did not have the right attitude for police duties to apply to be given safe passage or stay in the face the consequences.
The Director-General in charge of Operations, DCOP Patrick Timbillah, said the unit was established as an intervention unit for the Police Headquarters and be an interface between the police and the military.
Unfortunately, he said, it was now handling land cases and other issues which had given it a bad name.
The Head of the unit, DSP Francis Somian, noted that some of the cases it handled had been referred to it by members of the Headquarters Management Advisory Board (HEMAB) and other senior officers.
He said the unit would comply with the directives of the IGP and stick to its core role and apologised for any embarrassment it might have caused the Police Service.
Prez subjects himself to search at Airport
Page 24: Daily Graphic, May 7, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, last Tuesday subjected himself to searches by officials of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) at the Kotoka International Airport, and asked them to go about their duty without fear or favour.
“I want you to do it to everybody,” he told NACOB officials who were there with officials of Operation Westbridge to carry out their work.
President Atta Mills stunned his accompanying members of his delegation, including his wife, Naadu, that their luggage should also be searched.
The action of President Atta Mills, who was on his way to the United Kingdom, is said to have been commended by the European Union (EU) Delegation to Ghana who saw it as a morale booster to the NACOB officials to do their work with confidence and also demonstrated the President’s commitment to fighting the drug menace.
On encountering the officials of NACOB, President Atta Mills asked them what they usually did at the airport and after he was briefed, he asked them to search him and all other officials accompanying him.
He said he wanted the Very Very Important Persons (VVIP) Lounge to be demystified so that people did not use it to commit crime.
President Atta Mills said the VVIP area should not be seen as a no-go area for operatives of security agencies, particularly the NACOB.
He gave the assurance that the government would help procure additional scanners for the NACOB to make their presence really felt at the airport and other points of entry, especially the Tema port and Aflao and Elubo borders.
He urged the NACOB officials to continue their good work and not allow anyone to compromise them.
The Deputy British High Commissioner in Accra, Mr Matthew Johnson, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the action of President Atta Mills had been well received by the international community in Ghana.
He said he saw the action of the President as “an act that will motivate the personnel and reassure them that the President is behind them”.
Mr Johnson said it sent a clear message that President Atta Mills was committed to fighting the drug menace and that his government would not tolerate the drug business in Ghana.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, last Tuesday subjected himself to searches by officials of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) at the Kotoka International Airport, and asked them to go about their duty without fear or favour.
“I want you to do it to everybody,” he told NACOB officials who were there with officials of Operation Westbridge to carry out their work.
President Atta Mills stunned his accompanying members of his delegation, including his wife, Naadu, that their luggage should also be searched.
The action of President Atta Mills, who was on his way to the United Kingdom, is said to have been commended by the European Union (EU) Delegation to Ghana who saw it as a morale booster to the NACOB officials to do their work with confidence and also demonstrated the President’s commitment to fighting the drug menace.
On encountering the officials of NACOB, President Atta Mills asked them what they usually did at the airport and after he was briefed, he asked them to search him and all other officials accompanying him.
He said he wanted the Very Very Important Persons (VVIP) Lounge to be demystified so that people did not use it to commit crime.
President Atta Mills said the VVIP area should not be seen as a no-go area for operatives of security agencies, particularly the NACOB.
He gave the assurance that the government would help procure additional scanners for the NACOB to make their presence really felt at the airport and other points of entry, especially the Tema port and Aflao and Elubo borders.
He urged the NACOB officials to continue their good work and not allow anyone to compromise them.
The Deputy British High Commissioner in Accra, Mr Matthew Johnson, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the action of President Atta Mills had been well received by the international community in Ghana.
He said he saw the action of the President as “an act that will motivate the personnel and reassure them that the President is behind them”.
Mr Johnson said it sent a clear message that President Atta Mills was committed to fighting the drug menace and that his government would not tolerate the drug business in Ghana.
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