Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah (Saturday, March 15, 2008)
DISTRICT assemblies have been challenged to critically examine their performance in the application of the one per cent District Assemblies Common Fund for malaria control initiatives to make Ghana a malaria-free country.
At the launch of Ghana Malaria Advocacy Campaign programme in Accra, a Deputy Minister of Health, Dr (Mrs) Gladys Norley Ashietey, said through an Act of Parliament (Act 445 of 1993), the government in its wisdom prescribed the use of the fund to fight malaria, which was the number one killer disease.
The programme was organised by the Ghana Voices for Malaria-Free Future with support from John Hopkins University of the United States Centre for Communication Programme and the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP).
Dr Ashietey expressed the hope that with support from other stakeholders and the right application of the fund, the assemblies would be working towards attaining malaria-free communities as well as a malaria-free Ghana.
The Deputy Health Minister noted that approximately three million malarial cases were registered in the public health care facilities annually while about 13 per cent of all recorded deaths in the country were attributed to the disease.
“Our children and pregnant women who hold the key to the sustainability of our kind are the most vulnerable to the disease,” she stressed.
Dr Ashietey explained that about 61 per cent of children who were admitted to hospitals was due to malaria and eight per cent of pregnant women in our health facilities suffered from malaria.
She said the most frightening was the fact that 18 per cent of all under-five deaths were caused by malaria while nine per cent of all maternal deaths were also caused by the disease.
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Elias Sory, said there was the need for Ghanaians to fight against malaria, which had cost the country so much.
The Programme Manager of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), Dr Constance Bart-Plange, said it was unfortunate that malaria continued to be a number one killer in spite of the numerous interventions, and called on health professionals to properly diagnose diseases so as to record the correct malarial cases.
The Country Director of Johns Hopkins University/Centre for Communication Programmes, Mr Emmanuel Fiabgey, called on corporate bodies to join the fight against the disease, since it affected their workforce.
Mr Fiabgey, who spoke on behalf of the Voices of Malaria Free Future Advocacy Campaign, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), said there was need to mobilise leadership in government and civic society groups to join the fight.
The Co-ordinator for President Bush’s Malaria Initiative in Ghana, Dr Paul Psychas, said after the president’s visit to Ghana a number of distinguished personalities in the US had shown interest in the fight against the disease, which he said was a good sign.
The chairman for the function who is also the President of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs and a member of the Council of State, Kuoro Kuri Buktie Limann IV, called for intensification of advocacy in malarial prevention.
Gifts were presented to a number of distinguished personalities who serve as “Voices Against Malaria” in Ghana. They included the Minister of Health, Major Courage Quashigah; the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Commerce, Ms Joyce Aryee; and the Ameer and Missionary in charge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, Maulvi Wahab Adam.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Efforts to Get More People Under Pension Scheme (Page 34)
Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah
THE Chairman of the Pension Reform Implementation Committee (PRIC), Mr T.A. Bediako, has stated that Ghana cannot boast of an acceptable pension scheme when about 85 per cent of its workforce operating in the informal sector are left out.
To change that situation, the new pension reform bill makes provision for the inclusion of workers in the private sector in the proposed pension scheme.
The Presidential Commission on Pensions, set up by President J.A. Kufuor in July 2004, proposed a three-tier scheme. The first consists of a mandatory basic national social security scheme responsible for monthly pensions only; the second scheme is a mandatory, privately managed occupational or work-based scheme to pay lump sums, while the third is a voluntary provident fund and personal pension scheme which can cater for workers in the informal sector and others who want to contribute, in addition to the first two schemes.
Presenting a paper on, “Ensuring Adequate Social Security and Good Pension Governance in Ghana: The Role of the Pension Reform Implementation Committee”, which was organised by the Legal Resource Centre and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) in Accra yesterday, Mr Bediako said to have a better scheme for the Ghanaian worker, the committee looked at schemes in other countries and built on them.
He also said to ensure good pension governance, the PRIC had made proposals in the bill with regard to supervision and management of the new pension scheme in particular, especially the privately managed schemes.
Explaining that point, he said there would be an independent National Pensions Regulatory Authority to supervise, regulate and monitor the new scheme and also ensure that only companies and individuals that met the necessary criteria were allowed to operate.
He said some advantages of the new three-tier pension scheme were improved pension benefit, workers’ control over their benefits and members’ involvement in running the scheme, which could promote a sense of ownership and create confidence that the scheme was being run properly.
In his presentation, the Head of Education and Training of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), Mr David Dorkenu, commended the committee for a good work done but added that there was the need to for the scheme to be properly structured to benefit all stakeholders.
He said looking at the challenges facing some regulatory bodies, such as the National Labour Commission (NLC), in terms of accommodation, he wondered how the Pension Regulatory Authority would be accommodated throughout the country to effectively perform.
He raised the issue of private companies running the second tier of the three-tier scheme and suggested that the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) should be empowered to handle that, in addition the first tier.
Mr Dorkenu concluded that care must be taken to avoid the situation where workers’ contribution would be handed to private individuals who might end up misusing them through high salaries and administrative costs.
In response, the Project Consultant of the Pension Reform Implementation Committee, Mr Daniel Aidoo Mensah, said there were adequate mechanisms in place to check abuse of the system, adding that the only groups which would be allowed to handle money were the custodians, who were banks and insurance companies.
He pointed out that the new scheme was based on World Bank recommendations, though it did not dictate to the country how to go about it.
Mr Aidoo Mensah said after looking at the proposals made by the PRIC, the World Bank commended the committee for a good work done.
The Community Director of the FES, Ms Catherine Meissner, said there was the need for people who had contributed to the economy in their active lives to be well catered for when they went on retirement and, therefore, called on the committee to come up with a better pension scheme for Ghanaian workers.
The General Manager in charge of Operations at SSNIT, Mrs Gifty Anterkyi, said the trust had already begun a pilot project to sensitise workers in the informal sector to join the pension scheme.
THE Chairman of the Pension Reform Implementation Committee (PRIC), Mr T.A. Bediako, has stated that Ghana cannot boast of an acceptable pension scheme when about 85 per cent of its workforce operating in the informal sector are left out.
To change that situation, the new pension reform bill makes provision for the inclusion of workers in the private sector in the proposed pension scheme.
The Presidential Commission on Pensions, set up by President J.A. Kufuor in July 2004, proposed a three-tier scheme. The first consists of a mandatory basic national social security scheme responsible for monthly pensions only; the second scheme is a mandatory, privately managed occupational or work-based scheme to pay lump sums, while the third is a voluntary provident fund and personal pension scheme which can cater for workers in the informal sector and others who want to contribute, in addition to the first two schemes.
Presenting a paper on, “Ensuring Adequate Social Security and Good Pension Governance in Ghana: The Role of the Pension Reform Implementation Committee”, which was organised by the Legal Resource Centre and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) in Accra yesterday, Mr Bediako said to have a better scheme for the Ghanaian worker, the committee looked at schemes in other countries and built on them.
He also said to ensure good pension governance, the PRIC had made proposals in the bill with regard to supervision and management of the new pension scheme in particular, especially the privately managed schemes.
Explaining that point, he said there would be an independent National Pensions Regulatory Authority to supervise, regulate and monitor the new scheme and also ensure that only companies and individuals that met the necessary criteria were allowed to operate.
He said some advantages of the new three-tier pension scheme were improved pension benefit, workers’ control over their benefits and members’ involvement in running the scheme, which could promote a sense of ownership and create confidence that the scheme was being run properly.
In his presentation, the Head of Education and Training of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), Mr David Dorkenu, commended the committee for a good work done but added that there was the need to for the scheme to be properly structured to benefit all stakeholders.
He said looking at the challenges facing some regulatory bodies, such as the National Labour Commission (NLC), in terms of accommodation, he wondered how the Pension Regulatory Authority would be accommodated throughout the country to effectively perform.
He raised the issue of private companies running the second tier of the three-tier scheme and suggested that the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) should be empowered to handle that, in addition the first tier.
Mr Dorkenu concluded that care must be taken to avoid the situation where workers’ contribution would be handed to private individuals who might end up misusing them through high salaries and administrative costs.
In response, the Project Consultant of the Pension Reform Implementation Committee, Mr Daniel Aidoo Mensah, said there were adequate mechanisms in place to check abuse of the system, adding that the only groups which would be allowed to handle money were the custodians, who were banks and insurance companies.
He pointed out that the new scheme was based on World Bank recommendations, though it did not dictate to the country how to go about it.
Mr Aidoo Mensah said after looking at the proposals made by the PRIC, the World Bank commended the committee for a good work done.
The Community Director of the FES, Ms Catherine Meissner, said there was the need for people who had contributed to the economy in their active lives to be well catered for when they went on retirement and, therefore, called on the committee to come up with a better pension scheme for Ghanaian workers.
The General Manager in charge of Operations at SSNIT, Mrs Gifty Anterkyi, said the trust had already begun a pilot project to sensitise workers in the informal sector to join the pension scheme.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Driver & traders in brisk business on Indece day (Page 29)
Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah
IN order not to disrupt their daily objective of earning a living, some traders and commercial drivers on Thursday closed their eyes to the statutory public holiday announced by the government and went about their normal businesses in some commercial areas of Accra.
As is common with all important national events, a statement signed by the Minister of the Interior, Mr Kwamena Bartels, and sent to all media houses on Monday, reminded the general public that the day, Thursday, March 6, 2008, which marked the celebration of the country’s 51st independence anniversary, was a statutory public holiday and should be observed as such throughout the country.
But a chat with some traders in Accra indicated that they had to work to survive and therefore, could not afford to observe the holiday.
A trip from Awoshie, through the streets leading to Kwashieman, Odorkor, Darkuman, Dansoman, Mataheko, Kaneshie, Abossey Okai and Adabraka, revealed that many of the traders, who were usually seen conducting their businesses, had as usual hit the road around 8.30 a.m.
Traffic, although not heavy as usual, had mounted between the road in front of the Accra Academy Senior High School, and the Kaneshie Market Complex when this reporter got there at about 9.30 a.m.
About 80 per cent of the shops lining the streets between the Kaneshie First Light, the traffic lights at Mpamprom and those at Abossey Okai, where mostly vehicle spare parts are sold, were open to customers.
Almost all the shops and stores at the two-storey the Kaneshie Market Complex were open. Traders who sell outside the market were also at their best with shouts to attract buyers.
In front of two shops where second-hand electronics were sold, a sizeable group of people, some with their wares on their heads, were seen watching the independence day parade live on television.
The lorry park close to the Kaneshie Market saw no change in operation as the place was as usual full of commercial vehicles with a number of driver’s mates shouting to attract passengers to their individual destinations.
It was also clear that the number of hawkers, who, on daily basis, occupied the road from the Kaneshie First Light to the Graphic Road at Adabraka, had increased in number.
In an interview, a dealer in hardware along the First Light-Mataheko street, who is known simply as Kwabena, said holidays were meant for government employees but not those in the informal sector.
He said his economic situation did not allow him to rest as much as he would have wanted.
He explained that he was forced to come to sell on Thursday and all other holidays because he usually received many customers on Saturdays and on holidays, since many of those who bought from him were people in the formal sector who were free to shop only on Saturdays and holidays.
Kwaku Samuel, a 21-year-old ice cream seller at the Mpamprom traffic light, said he was a mason who only found time to sell on Saturdays and on holidays.
A tomato seller at the Kaneshie Market, Maame Sarpong, said she could not afford to spend a holiday because she spent all the sales she made daily on her four children and, therefore, had to come to the market on daily basis.
From the Central Business District of Accra, Davina Darko-Mensah and Naa Lartiokor Lartey report that the enthusiasm and excitement that climaxed last year’s Golden Jubilee celebration of the country’s attainment of independence were completely missing this year.
Apart from most streets being quiet, the brisk business in national paraphernalia was also absent.
Traders at the Makola, Railways and Tema stations were rather selling their usual household items as if there was nothing special about the day.
The only place with a semblance of anniversary celebrations was the Kwame Nkrumah Circle where the national flags were hoisted while most major streets in Accra had no flags at all.
From the Ring Road Central to the Danquah Circle, which had lots of flags last year, there was not a single flag at all this year.
There were no miniature flags on cars either.
Along the streets of Accra the independence day fever was not felt either as people went about town ordinarily.
Human and vehicular traffic was not as heavy as it used to be as there were very few people and cars in town. However, the few people the reporter spoke to said the day was not different from any other day.
They explained that the publicity given to last year’s celebrations because it was the golden jubilee made it special hence the enthusiasm by Ghanaians to demonstrate their love and patriotism for their country.
A woman who gave her name as Akuokor Nartey said she was aware the day was independence day, but she preferred to celebrate it quietly.
A male trader, Kwame Opoku Asiedu, said he needed to sell his goods during the day so that he could celebrate in the evening with some friends at a drinking spot.
At the La Pleasure Beach, people were seen trooping with others already dancing to highlife and hiplife music.
There were both foreigners and Ghanaians, though the latter outnumbered the former.
Some hawkers who could not sell all their items made for the Ghana 2008 tournament took the opportunity to sell some T-shirts made in the national colours to the beach goers at the entrance to the beach.
IN order not to disrupt their daily objective of earning a living, some traders and commercial drivers on Thursday closed their eyes to the statutory public holiday announced by the government and went about their normal businesses in some commercial areas of Accra.
As is common with all important national events, a statement signed by the Minister of the Interior, Mr Kwamena Bartels, and sent to all media houses on Monday, reminded the general public that the day, Thursday, March 6, 2008, which marked the celebration of the country’s 51st independence anniversary, was a statutory public holiday and should be observed as such throughout the country.
But a chat with some traders in Accra indicated that they had to work to survive and therefore, could not afford to observe the holiday.
A trip from Awoshie, through the streets leading to Kwashieman, Odorkor, Darkuman, Dansoman, Mataheko, Kaneshie, Abossey Okai and Adabraka, revealed that many of the traders, who were usually seen conducting their businesses, had as usual hit the road around 8.30 a.m.
Traffic, although not heavy as usual, had mounted between the road in front of the Accra Academy Senior High School, and the Kaneshie Market Complex when this reporter got there at about 9.30 a.m.
About 80 per cent of the shops lining the streets between the Kaneshie First Light, the traffic lights at Mpamprom and those at Abossey Okai, where mostly vehicle spare parts are sold, were open to customers.
Almost all the shops and stores at the two-storey the Kaneshie Market Complex were open. Traders who sell outside the market were also at their best with shouts to attract buyers.
In front of two shops where second-hand electronics were sold, a sizeable group of people, some with their wares on their heads, were seen watching the independence day parade live on television.
The lorry park close to the Kaneshie Market saw no change in operation as the place was as usual full of commercial vehicles with a number of driver’s mates shouting to attract passengers to their individual destinations.
It was also clear that the number of hawkers, who, on daily basis, occupied the road from the Kaneshie First Light to the Graphic Road at Adabraka, had increased in number.
In an interview, a dealer in hardware along the First Light-Mataheko street, who is known simply as Kwabena, said holidays were meant for government employees but not those in the informal sector.
He said his economic situation did not allow him to rest as much as he would have wanted.
He explained that he was forced to come to sell on Thursday and all other holidays because he usually received many customers on Saturdays and on holidays, since many of those who bought from him were people in the formal sector who were free to shop only on Saturdays and holidays.
Kwaku Samuel, a 21-year-old ice cream seller at the Mpamprom traffic light, said he was a mason who only found time to sell on Saturdays and on holidays.
A tomato seller at the Kaneshie Market, Maame Sarpong, said she could not afford to spend a holiday because she spent all the sales she made daily on her four children and, therefore, had to come to the market on daily basis.
From the Central Business District of Accra, Davina Darko-Mensah and Naa Lartiokor Lartey report that the enthusiasm and excitement that climaxed last year’s Golden Jubilee celebration of the country’s attainment of independence were completely missing this year.
Apart from most streets being quiet, the brisk business in national paraphernalia was also absent.
Traders at the Makola, Railways and Tema stations were rather selling their usual household items as if there was nothing special about the day.
The only place with a semblance of anniversary celebrations was the Kwame Nkrumah Circle where the national flags were hoisted while most major streets in Accra had no flags at all.
From the Ring Road Central to the Danquah Circle, which had lots of flags last year, there was not a single flag at all this year.
There were no miniature flags on cars either.
Along the streets of Accra the independence day fever was not felt either as people went about town ordinarily.
Human and vehicular traffic was not as heavy as it used to be as there were very few people and cars in town. However, the few people the reporter spoke to said the day was not different from any other day.
They explained that the publicity given to last year’s celebrations because it was the golden jubilee made it special hence the enthusiasm by Ghanaians to demonstrate their love and patriotism for their country.
A woman who gave her name as Akuokor Nartey said she was aware the day was independence day, but she preferred to celebrate it quietly.
A male trader, Kwame Opoku Asiedu, said he needed to sell his goods during the day so that he could celebrate in the evening with some friends at a drinking spot.
At the La Pleasure Beach, people were seen trooping with others already dancing to highlife and hiplife music.
There were both foreigners and Ghanaians, though the latter outnumbered the former.
Some hawkers who could not sell all their items made for the Ghana 2008 tournament took the opportunity to sell some T-shirts made in the national colours to the beach goers at the entrance to the beach.
Ghana's Food Situation Not Bad- Minister
Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah
GHANA has not as yet been affected by the alarming food price increase the world is experiencing.
While the global average food price increase stands at 37 per cent, figures from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) indicate that increase in food prices in Ghana is at 12 per cent.
This shows that food prices in Ghana are relatively low as compared to elsewhere in the world where countries experience increase as high as 75 per cent.
Information available at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture indicates that the world is currently facing food shortage which experts attribute to a combination of factors, including climate change which brought about floods and droughts and also the shift from fossil fuel to bio-diesel where food items such as grains and legumes had to be processed into fuel.
In an interview with the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Ernest Akubour Debrah, in Accra, he said Ghana’s success story was because of prudent measures taken by the agricultural sector to prevent any catastrophic effects that might affect the country because of global food shortages.
Mr Debrah said in addition to supplying the farmers with high yielding seedlings, one major step that the ministry took which was paying off was the collaboration it had with the association of award winners in the agric sector to motivate them to produce all year round.
Answering why he said Ghana’s food situation was relatively better, the minister said that unlike in previous years, there were still white yams on the market at this time of the year, adding that that was why the consumption of water yams had not started yet.
He also added that vegetables, especially tomatoes, had continued to be on the market all year round and at reasonable prices unlike other times where prices went skyrocketing.
The Food and Agriculture minister added that a study of the market situation by any objective observer could reveal that maize and other legumes were available and at relatively affordable prices.
He said in addition to the effects of climate change and the conversion of grains and legumes to fuel, the high price of fuel and farm inputs and machinery was also a factor.
Other items which the minister said were creating problems in food production include high fertiliser and transportation costs due to high fuel price.
Mr Debrah also said because the global consumption of animal products had increased, large amount of grains was being used to feed animals instead of direct consumption by humans.
GHANA has not as yet been affected by the alarming food price increase the world is experiencing.
While the global average food price increase stands at 37 per cent, figures from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) indicate that increase in food prices in Ghana is at 12 per cent.
This shows that food prices in Ghana are relatively low as compared to elsewhere in the world where countries experience increase as high as 75 per cent.
Information available at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture indicates that the world is currently facing food shortage which experts attribute to a combination of factors, including climate change which brought about floods and droughts and also the shift from fossil fuel to bio-diesel where food items such as grains and legumes had to be processed into fuel.
In an interview with the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Ernest Akubour Debrah, in Accra, he said Ghana’s success story was because of prudent measures taken by the agricultural sector to prevent any catastrophic effects that might affect the country because of global food shortages.
Mr Debrah said in addition to supplying the farmers with high yielding seedlings, one major step that the ministry took which was paying off was the collaboration it had with the association of award winners in the agric sector to motivate them to produce all year round.
Answering why he said Ghana’s food situation was relatively better, the minister said that unlike in previous years, there were still white yams on the market at this time of the year, adding that that was why the consumption of water yams had not started yet.
He also added that vegetables, especially tomatoes, had continued to be on the market all year round and at reasonable prices unlike other times where prices went skyrocketing.
The Food and Agriculture minister added that a study of the market situation by any objective observer could reveal that maize and other legumes were available and at relatively affordable prices.
He said in addition to the effects of climate change and the conversion of grains and legumes to fuel, the high price of fuel and farm inputs and machinery was also a factor.
Other items which the minister said were creating problems in food production include high fertiliser and transportation costs due to high fuel price.
Mr Debrah also said because the global consumption of animal products had increased, large amount of grains was being used to feed animals instead of direct consumption by humans.
Stroke — Who is at risk? (Page 27)
Article: Lucy Adoma Yeboah (10-03-2008)
ON Monday, February 25, 2008, the Daily Graphic carried a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report with the headline, “Daytime dozing — early warning sign of stroke,” which made many readers sit up.
I could say that for a fact because five people, friends and family members, who are aware of my interest in health issues, called me to read that story.
According to the BBC report, which was based on a study conducted by a group of US researchers, regular unintentional daytime dozing may be an early warning sign of stroke in elderly people.
It continued that for those who had a habit of nodding off, the risk of stroke was two to four times higher than for those who never fell asleep in the day.
At an International Stroke Conference, the team advised doctors to check out older people who found they were dropping off in front of the TV.
As part of the research, the study asked 2,000 people how often they dozed off in different situations.
The situations included while watching TV, sitting and talking to someone, sitting quietly after a lunch without alcohol and stopping briefly in traffic while driving.
The risk of stroke over the next two years was 2.6 times greater for people who reported "some dozing" compared to those with no dozing. Among those who reported "significant dozing" the risk was 4.5 times higher.
The researchers also found the risk of heart attack or death from vascular disease was 1.6 per cent higher for moderate dozers and 2.6 per cent higher for significant dozers.
Study leader, Dr Bernadette Boden-Albala, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Columbia University, New York, said: "Those are significant numbers. We were surprised that the impact was that high for such a short period of time."
Previous research has shown that people who suffer from sleep apnoea— short periods when breathing stops during sleep— have an increased stroke risk.
It could be that daytime sleepiness is a sign of sleeping poorly at night because of sleep apnoea.
"Given what's known now, it's worth assessing patients for sleep problems," Dr Boden-Albala said.
"If patients are moderately or significantly dozing, physicians need to think about sending them for further evaluation."
She added that other studies had shown people were not getting enough sleep, making them consistently tired.
"But the real question is: 'What are we doing to our bodies?'. Sleepiness obviously puts us at risk of stroke."
Dr Heinrich Audebert, Consultant Stroke Physician at Guy and St Thomas's Hospital in London said the findings seemed reasonable.
"Sleep apnoea is a risk factor for stroke and in Mediterranean countries the siesta is associated with a little bit of an increased daytime risk of stroke," he said.
After reading this piece, it became evident that it is important if we spend a little of our time to learn about stroke and how it could be prevented.
What is a stroke?
According to health experts, a stroke is the sudden death of brain cells due to a problem with the blood supply. When blood flow to the brain is impaired, oxygen and important nutrients cannot be delivered. The result is abnormal brain function. Blood flow to the brain can be disrupted by either a blockage or rupture of an artery to the brain. A stroke is also referred to as a cerebrovascular accident or CVA.
Signs of Stroke
According to a report posted on the Internet by a group of University of North Carolina researchers, three commands sometimes used by doctors to begin assessing whether a person may be experiencing a stroke can also be useful for people who are not doctors, so as to help themselves or others who might be at risk.
The report said non-health professionals can ask a potential stroke victim to smile, raise both arms or make a simple sentence to determine whether he was suffering from the disease or not.
These three commands, known as the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale (CPSS), are used by health professionals as a simple first step in the assessment process for signs of stroke. If a person has trouble with any of these simple commands, the person should immediately be sent to hospital with a description of the situation, noting that you suspect the individual is having a stroke.
Another report from the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke also states that major signs of stroke are the sudden onset of: Numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body, the loss of voluntary movement and/or sensation may be complete or partial. These may also be associated with tingling sensation in the affected area.
What causes a stroke?
According to health experts, the blockage of an artery in the brain by blood clot (thrombosis) is the most common cause of a stroke. The part of the brain that is supplied by the clotted blood vessel is then deprived of blood and oxygen. The cells of that part of the brain die as a result.
Typically, a clot forms in a small blood vessel within the brain that has previously been narrowed due to the long–term damaging effects of high blood pressure (hypertension) or diabetes. The resulting strokes are called lacunar strokes because they look like little lakes.
In other situations, usually because of hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), a blood clot can obstruct a larger vessel going to the brain, thereby preventing blood supply to the brain through the neck.
Another type of stroke may occur when a blood clot or a piece of atherosclerotic plaque (cholesterol and calcium deposits on the wall of the inside of the heart or artery) breaks loose, travels through open arteries, and lodges in an artery of the brain. When this happens, the flow of oxygen–rich blood to the brain is blocked and a stroke occurs.
This type of stroke is referred to as an embolic stroke.
A cerebral haemorrhage occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and bleeds into the surrounding brain tissue. A cerebral haemorrhage (bleeding in the brain) can cause a stroke by depriving blood and oxygen to parts of the brain. The accumulation of blood from a cerebral haemorrhage can also press on parts of the brain and cause damage.
A subarachnoid haemorrhage is caused by the rupture of a blood vessel that is usually located between the outside of the brain and the inside of the skull. The blood vessel at the point of rupture is often previously abnormal, such as from an aneurysm, which is an abnormal ballooning out of the wall of the vessel. Subarachnoid haemorrhages usually cause a sudden, severe headache and are often complicated by further neurological problems, such as paralysis, coma, and even death.
Overall, the most common risk factors for stroke are high blood pressure and increasing age. Diabetes and certain heart conditions, such as atrial fibrillation, are other common risk factors.
When strokes occur in younger individuals who are less than 50 years old, less common risk factors are often involved. These risk factors include drugs, such as cocaine or amphetamines, ruptured aneurysms, and inherited (genetic) predisposition to blood clotting.
Another example of a genetic predisposition to stroke occurs in a rare condition called homocystinuria, in which there are excessive levels of the chemical homocystine in the body. Another rare cause of stroke is vasculitis, a condition in which the blood vessels become inflamed.
Another report have it that there appears to be a very slight increased occurrence of stroke in people with migraine headache.
What are the treatable risk factors?
Health experts state that some of the most important treatable risk factors for stroke are: High blood pressure, also called hypertension.
This health condition is considered by far the most potent risk factor for stroke. If one’s blood pressure is high, it is important his or her doctor works out an individual strategy to bring it down to the normal range.
To reduce the risks, one needs to maintain proper weight. Avoid drugs known to raise blood pressure. Cut down on salt. Eat fruits and vegetables to increase potassium in diet. Exercise more: A doctor may prescribe medicines that could help lower blood pressure.
Controlling blood pressure will also help one avoid heart disease, diabetes, and kidney failure.
Avoid cigarette smoking: Cigarette smoking has been linked to the build-up of fatty substances in the carotid artery, the main neck artery supplying blood to the brain. Blockage of this artery is the leading cause of stroke in Americans. Also, nicotine raises blood pressure; carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen one’s blood can carry to the brain; and cigarette smoke makes one’s blood thicker and more likely to clot.
Another risk factor, diabetes, causes destructive changes in the blood vessels throughout the body, including the brain. Treating diabetes can delay the onset of complications that increase the risk of stroke.
ON Monday, February 25, 2008, the Daily Graphic carried a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report with the headline, “Daytime dozing — early warning sign of stroke,” which made many readers sit up.
I could say that for a fact because five people, friends and family members, who are aware of my interest in health issues, called me to read that story.
According to the BBC report, which was based on a study conducted by a group of US researchers, regular unintentional daytime dozing may be an early warning sign of stroke in elderly people.
It continued that for those who had a habit of nodding off, the risk of stroke was two to four times higher than for those who never fell asleep in the day.
At an International Stroke Conference, the team advised doctors to check out older people who found they were dropping off in front of the TV.
As part of the research, the study asked 2,000 people how often they dozed off in different situations.
The situations included while watching TV, sitting and talking to someone, sitting quietly after a lunch without alcohol and stopping briefly in traffic while driving.
The risk of stroke over the next two years was 2.6 times greater for people who reported "some dozing" compared to those with no dozing. Among those who reported "significant dozing" the risk was 4.5 times higher.
The researchers also found the risk of heart attack or death from vascular disease was 1.6 per cent higher for moderate dozers and 2.6 per cent higher for significant dozers.
Study leader, Dr Bernadette Boden-Albala, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Columbia University, New York, said: "Those are significant numbers. We were surprised that the impact was that high for such a short period of time."
Previous research has shown that people who suffer from sleep apnoea— short periods when breathing stops during sleep— have an increased stroke risk.
It could be that daytime sleepiness is a sign of sleeping poorly at night because of sleep apnoea.
"Given what's known now, it's worth assessing patients for sleep problems," Dr Boden-Albala said.
"If patients are moderately or significantly dozing, physicians need to think about sending them for further evaluation."
She added that other studies had shown people were not getting enough sleep, making them consistently tired.
"But the real question is: 'What are we doing to our bodies?'. Sleepiness obviously puts us at risk of stroke."
Dr Heinrich Audebert, Consultant Stroke Physician at Guy and St Thomas's Hospital in London said the findings seemed reasonable.
"Sleep apnoea is a risk factor for stroke and in Mediterranean countries the siesta is associated with a little bit of an increased daytime risk of stroke," he said.
After reading this piece, it became evident that it is important if we spend a little of our time to learn about stroke and how it could be prevented.
What is a stroke?
According to health experts, a stroke is the sudden death of brain cells due to a problem with the blood supply. When blood flow to the brain is impaired, oxygen and important nutrients cannot be delivered. The result is abnormal brain function. Blood flow to the brain can be disrupted by either a blockage or rupture of an artery to the brain. A stroke is also referred to as a cerebrovascular accident or CVA.
Signs of Stroke
According to a report posted on the Internet by a group of University of North Carolina researchers, three commands sometimes used by doctors to begin assessing whether a person may be experiencing a stroke can also be useful for people who are not doctors, so as to help themselves or others who might be at risk.
The report said non-health professionals can ask a potential stroke victim to smile, raise both arms or make a simple sentence to determine whether he was suffering from the disease or not.
These three commands, known as the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale (CPSS), are used by health professionals as a simple first step in the assessment process for signs of stroke. If a person has trouble with any of these simple commands, the person should immediately be sent to hospital with a description of the situation, noting that you suspect the individual is having a stroke.
Another report from the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke also states that major signs of stroke are the sudden onset of: Numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body, the loss of voluntary movement and/or sensation may be complete or partial. These may also be associated with tingling sensation in the affected area.
What causes a stroke?
According to health experts, the blockage of an artery in the brain by blood clot (thrombosis) is the most common cause of a stroke. The part of the brain that is supplied by the clotted blood vessel is then deprived of blood and oxygen. The cells of that part of the brain die as a result.
Typically, a clot forms in a small blood vessel within the brain that has previously been narrowed due to the long–term damaging effects of high blood pressure (hypertension) or diabetes. The resulting strokes are called lacunar strokes because they look like little lakes.
In other situations, usually because of hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), a blood clot can obstruct a larger vessel going to the brain, thereby preventing blood supply to the brain through the neck.
Another type of stroke may occur when a blood clot or a piece of atherosclerotic plaque (cholesterol and calcium deposits on the wall of the inside of the heart or artery) breaks loose, travels through open arteries, and lodges in an artery of the brain. When this happens, the flow of oxygen–rich blood to the brain is blocked and a stroke occurs.
This type of stroke is referred to as an embolic stroke.
A cerebral haemorrhage occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and bleeds into the surrounding brain tissue. A cerebral haemorrhage (bleeding in the brain) can cause a stroke by depriving blood and oxygen to parts of the brain. The accumulation of blood from a cerebral haemorrhage can also press on parts of the brain and cause damage.
A subarachnoid haemorrhage is caused by the rupture of a blood vessel that is usually located between the outside of the brain and the inside of the skull. The blood vessel at the point of rupture is often previously abnormal, such as from an aneurysm, which is an abnormal ballooning out of the wall of the vessel. Subarachnoid haemorrhages usually cause a sudden, severe headache and are often complicated by further neurological problems, such as paralysis, coma, and even death.
Overall, the most common risk factors for stroke are high blood pressure and increasing age. Diabetes and certain heart conditions, such as atrial fibrillation, are other common risk factors.
When strokes occur in younger individuals who are less than 50 years old, less common risk factors are often involved. These risk factors include drugs, such as cocaine or amphetamines, ruptured aneurysms, and inherited (genetic) predisposition to blood clotting.
Another example of a genetic predisposition to stroke occurs in a rare condition called homocystinuria, in which there are excessive levels of the chemical homocystine in the body. Another rare cause of stroke is vasculitis, a condition in which the blood vessels become inflamed.
Another report have it that there appears to be a very slight increased occurrence of stroke in people with migraine headache.
What are the treatable risk factors?
Health experts state that some of the most important treatable risk factors for stroke are: High blood pressure, also called hypertension.
This health condition is considered by far the most potent risk factor for stroke. If one’s blood pressure is high, it is important his or her doctor works out an individual strategy to bring it down to the normal range.
To reduce the risks, one needs to maintain proper weight. Avoid drugs known to raise blood pressure. Cut down on salt. Eat fruits and vegetables to increase potassium in diet. Exercise more: A doctor may prescribe medicines that could help lower blood pressure.
Controlling blood pressure will also help one avoid heart disease, diabetes, and kidney failure.
Avoid cigarette smoking: Cigarette smoking has been linked to the build-up of fatty substances in the carotid artery, the main neck artery supplying blood to the brain. Blockage of this artery is the leading cause of stroke in Americans. Also, nicotine raises blood pressure; carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen one’s blood can carry to the brain; and cigarette smoke makes one’s blood thicker and more likely to clot.
Another risk factor, diabetes, causes destructive changes in the blood vessels throughout the body, including the brain. Treating diabetes can delay the onset of complications that increase the risk of stroke.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Health Sector Has Seen Many Reforms (Page 43)
Compiled by Lucy Adoma Yeboah and Rebecca Quaicoe Duho.
THE health sector, which is one of the critical sectors of the Ghanaian economy, has over the past 50 years played its role through the introduction of many policies and reforms to provide health care to Ghanaians.
These policies and reforms have been assigned to a governmental institution, the Ministry of Health (MoH), with the responsibility to see to their implementation so as to improve the health status of all people living in Ghana to enable them to contribute to the country’s development.
Although the MoH has seen changes in its policies over the years, its main focus of improving the health status of the Ghanaian population through the development and promotion of proactive policies for good health and longevity, the provision of universal access to basic health service, and provision of quality health services which are affordable and accessible, have remained the same.
The MoH has over the years been directly responsible for the provision of public health services delivery in the country until the creation of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in the late 1990s.
Since Ghana’s independence 51 years ago, various governments have been challenged with the task of improving the country’s health care system.
As part of the country’s Golden Jubilee Celebration last year, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, the former Director-General of Ghana’s health services, admitted that the country had achieved “mixed success” in its bid to ensure health for all Ghanaians.
In a report carried by the Voice of America (VOA), Professor Akosa stated that the colonial legacy in the health sector was pretty bad; hospitals had been built for the Europeans, and Ghanaians had virtually nothing to contend with — few medical units to deal with some public health problems, but that was about all.
After independence in 1957, the situation improved, Akosa said. “The first government set out to develop health infrastructure; the government made a bold initiative of starting a medical school in Ghana and starting with employing Ghanaians.”
Prof Akosa added that Ghana’s first medical school became “one of the best” of such schools in the world. “Graduates from the medical school were everywhere,” he said. But, he explained, Ghana receded into terms of quality health care when subsequent governments failed to invest in the system.
“We have a policy that every district should have a hospital … but this is difficult to accomplish because building a hospital is a lot of money. And, therefore, we are heavily reliant on support from donors … So what I will say is that the amount of investment in health certainly has not been the best. And I think this would be applicable to all regimes. Some people have invested more in health; others have not,” he revealed.
As a policy, Ghana operated a cost-recovery health delivery system known infamously as the ‘cash-and-carry’ system since 1985, whereby patients were required to pay up-front for health services at government clinics and hospitals. That, however, pushed health care far beyond the reach of the ordinary Ghanaian until the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2003.
Health Sector Reforms
Ghana’s health sector has had many reforms. The most recent reform that has been in process since the early 1990s has been finally documented in what is popularly known as “Medium Term Health Strategy, 1996-2000”. It aims at improving access to health services, quality of care and efficiency, strengthening links with other sectors such as the Ministries of Agriculture and Education which also have health components in their activities or impact on the health of people (Ministry of Health, 1996). Its main achievement or focus has been the introduction of user fees.
The introduction of user fees in Ghana has also been a component of a range of strategies that are part of an international health reform agenda. They are linked to a broad set of public sector reform ideas and initiatives collectively known as the ‘new public management’ (NPM).
The NPM in the health sector has other policies apart from the user fees — decentralisation of the health sector with changes in organisational management and culture, and autonomous hospital boards and deregulation, and regulation of the private sector.
The main objectives of these policies are achievement of sustainable financing of health services, quality improvement, and equity with respect to access.
Institution of User Fees and Exemption of the Poor
Fees for health services in public facilities, first introduced in 1971, were very low and aimed at reducing unnecessary use of services rather than to generate revenue.
The fees were raised slightly in July 1983 and increased substantially in July 1985 when a new hospital act was passed under the military regime of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), aimed at recovering at least 15 per cent of operational costs.
Initially, the Act allowed health centres and clinics to retain only 25 per cent of the revenue from fees collected while hospitals were allowed to retain 50 per cent. In 1990, this provision was amended and some public health institutions were selected for a pilot programme and allowed to keep all revenue generated from user fees.
In 1992, the new fees were implemented nation-wide as the government, influenced by multilateral donors, abandoned a phased implementation procedure started in 1990. Since then, a decentralised system of charging fees has been operating in the public health facilities and all revenue has been retained for operational or non-salary budget. Budget surpluses that are not invested in improving the quality of care are sent to the Ministry of Health (MoH).
A revolving fund for drugs was initiated in 1992 by which all health institutions were to recover the full cost of drugs and keep this revenue to purchase drugs only. An overhead cost of 10-15 per cent is added and the full cost was revised in line with inflation.
The public health facilities also charged other fees for the following: Out Patient Department (OPD) cards and initial registration, consultation, admissions, gloves gauze, needles and syringes. Informal fees with various shades of legality and unauthorised fees were also collected from users.
Implementation of Ghana’s Health User Fee Policy and the Exemption of the Poor.
The 1992 law, however, has a clause providing for exemption for the poor and treatment of emergencies whether patients are in a position to pay immediately or not. It does not indicate the criteria by which the poor can be identified though — whether by income, geographical area, occupation, etc.
Health workers were just instructed to use their discretion to grant exemption to anyone who said he/she could not afford fees. They later applied for refund from government, the exemptions that they granted.
The implementation of the new user fee was described by some as successful with respect to revenue generation despite some registered abuses. Revenue raising dominated other concerns and was at the expense of health care needs, to the extent that the exemption clause had been either ignored or just labelled as difficult to implement, even in clear-cut cases where exemption could be granted.
The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS)
In March 2004, President John Agyekum Kufuor launched a National Insurance Health Scheme designed to offer affordable medical care, especially to the poor and vulnerable among Ghana’s 19 million people.
Under the scheme, adult Ghanaians are paying a yearly minimum subscription of GH¢7.20. In addition to free services to contributors to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and SSNIT pensioners, the government is catering for health treatment of the aged, the poor as well as children of parents who both subscribe to the scheme.
Currently, about 50 per cent of Ghanaians have registered under the scheme, which covers all districts in the country under District Mutual Health Insurance Schemes (DMHISs).
New Health Policy.
Currently, the health sector has initiated a new health policy that emphasises health promotion and prevention of ill-health in the promotion of healthy lifestyles, behavioural changes and healthy environment.
Dubbed, “Regenerative Health and Nutrition Programme”, the health sector is educating Ghanaians on the need to reduce their salt, sugar, fat and alcohol intake and rather drink enough water, consume vegetables and fruits, have physical exercises and enough rest to live healthily. The programme has the theme — “Renew Your Strength-Prevent Diseases”.
With this and other policies previously introduced, the health sector believes the country would be relieved of most of its health problems such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, cholera, measles, typhoid, tuberculosis, chicken pox, yellow fever, trachoma, and river blindness.
Others are guinea worm, various kinds of dysentery, river blindness or onchocerciasis, pneumonia, dehydration, venereal diseases, poliomyelitis and malnutrition, among others.
THE health sector, which is one of the critical sectors of the Ghanaian economy, has over the past 50 years played its role through the introduction of many policies and reforms to provide health care to Ghanaians.
These policies and reforms have been assigned to a governmental institution, the Ministry of Health (MoH), with the responsibility to see to their implementation so as to improve the health status of all people living in Ghana to enable them to contribute to the country’s development.
Although the MoH has seen changes in its policies over the years, its main focus of improving the health status of the Ghanaian population through the development and promotion of proactive policies for good health and longevity, the provision of universal access to basic health service, and provision of quality health services which are affordable and accessible, have remained the same.
The MoH has over the years been directly responsible for the provision of public health services delivery in the country until the creation of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in the late 1990s.
Since Ghana’s independence 51 years ago, various governments have been challenged with the task of improving the country’s health care system.
As part of the country’s Golden Jubilee Celebration last year, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, the former Director-General of Ghana’s health services, admitted that the country had achieved “mixed success” in its bid to ensure health for all Ghanaians.
In a report carried by the Voice of America (VOA), Professor Akosa stated that the colonial legacy in the health sector was pretty bad; hospitals had been built for the Europeans, and Ghanaians had virtually nothing to contend with — few medical units to deal with some public health problems, but that was about all.
After independence in 1957, the situation improved, Akosa said. “The first government set out to develop health infrastructure; the government made a bold initiative of starting a medical school in Ghana and starting with employing Ghanaians.”
Prof Akosa added that Ghana’s first medical school became “one of the best” of such schools in the world. “Graduates from the medical school were everywhere,” he said. But, he explained, Ghana receded into terms of quality health care when subsequent governments failed to invest in the system.
“We have a policy that every district should have a hospital … but this is difficult to accomplish because building a hospital is a lot of money. And, therefore, we are heavily reliant on support from donors … So what I will say is that the amount of investment in health certainly has not been the best. And I think this would be applicable to all regimes. Some people have invested more in health; others have not,” he revealed.
As a policy, Ghana operated a cost-recovery health delivery system known infamously as the ‘cash-and-carry’ system since 1985, whereby patients were required to pay up-front for health services at government clinics and hospitals. That, however, pushed health care far beyond the reach of the ordinary Ghanaian until the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2003.
Health Sector Reforms
Ghana’s health sector has had many reforms. The most recent reform that has been in process since the early 1990s has been finally documented in what is popularly known as “Medium Term Health Strategy, 1996-2000”. It aims at improving access to health services, quality of care and efficiency, strengthening links with other sectors such as the Ministries of Agriculture and Education which also have health components in their activities or impact on the health of people (Ministry of Health, 1996). Its main achievement or focus has been the introduction of user fees.
The introduction of user fees in Ghana has also been a component of a range of strategies that are part of an international health reform agenda. They are linked to a broad set of public sector reform ideas and initiatives collectively known as the ‘new public management’ (NPM).
The NPM in the health sector has other policies apart from the user fees — decentralisation of the health sector with changes in organisational management and culture, and autonomous hospital boards and deregulation, and regulation of the private sector.
The main objectives of these policies are achievement of sustainable financing of health services, quality improvement, and equity with respect to access.
Institution of User Fees and Exemption of the Poor
Fees for health services in public facilities, first introduced in 1971, were very low and aimed at reducing unnecessary use of services rather than to generate revenue.
The fees were raised slightly in July 1983 and increased substantially in July 1985 when a new hospital act was passed under the military regime of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), aimed at recovering at least 15 per cent of operational costs.
Initially, the Act allowed health centres and clinics to retain only 25 per cent of the revenue from fees collected while hospitals were allowed to retain 50 per cent. In 1990, this provision was amended and some public health institutions were selected for a pilot programme and allowed to keep all revenue generated from user fees.
In 1992, the new fees were implemented nation-wide as the government, influenced by multilateral donors, abandoned a phased implementation procedure started in 1990. Since then, a decentralised system of charging fees has been operating in the public health facilities and all revenue has been retained for operational or non-salary budget. Budget surpluses that are not invested in improving the quality of care are sent to the Ministry of Health (MoH).
A revolving fund for drugs was initiated in 1992 by which all health institutions were to recover the full cost of drugs and keep this revenue to purchase drugs only. An overhead cost of 10-15 per cent is added and the full cost was revised in line with inflation.
The public health facilities also charged other fees for the following: Out Patient Department (OPD) cards and initial registration, consultation, admissions, gloves gauze, needles and syringes. Informal fees with various shades of legality and unauthorised fees were also collected from users.
Implementation of Ghana’s Health User Fee Policy and the Exemption of the Poor.
The 1992 law, however, has a clause providing for exemption for the poor and treatment of emergencies whether patients are in a position to pay immediately or not. It does not indicate the criteria by which the poor can be identified though — whether by income, geographical area, occupation, etc.
Health workers were just instructed to use their discretion to grant exemption to anyone who said he/she could not afford fees. They later applied for refund from government, the exemptions that they granted.
The implementation of the new user fee was described by some as successful with respect to revenue generation despite some registered abuses. Revenue raising dominated other concerns and was at the expense of health care needs, to the extent that the exemption clause had been either ignored or just labelled as difficult to implement, even in clear-cut cases where exemption could be granted.
The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS)
In March 2004, President John Agyekum Kufuor launched a National Insurance Health Scheme designed to offer affordable medical care, especially to the poor and vulnerable among Ghana’s 19 million people.
Under the scheme, adult Ghanaians are paying a yearly minimum subscription of GH¢7.20. In addition to free services to contributors to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and SSNIT pensioners, the government is catering for health treatment of the aged, the poor as well as children of parents who both subscribe to the scheme.
Currently, about 50 per cent of Ghanaians have registered under the scheme, which covers all districts in the country under District Mutual Health Insurance Schemes (DMHISs).
New Health Policy.
Currently, the health sector has initiated a new health policy that emphasises health promotion and prevention of ill-health in the promotion of healthy lifestyles, behavioural changes and healthy environment.
Dubbed, “Regenerative Health and Nutrition Programme”, the health sector is educating Ghanaians on the need to reduce their salt, sugar, fat and alcohol intake and rather drink enough water, consume vegetables and fruits, have physical exercises and enough rest to live healthily. The programme has the theme — “Renew Your Strength-Prevent Diseases”.
With this and other policies previously introduced, the health sector believes the country would be relieved of most of its health problems such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, cholera, measles, typhoid, tuberculosis, chicken pox, yellow fever, trachoma, and river blindness.
Others are guinea worm, various kinds of dysentery, river blindness or onchocerciasis, pneumonia, dehydration, venereal diseases, poliomyelitis and malnutrition, among others.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Political Activities Highten Road Accidents-Study (page 19)
Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah (Sat. March 1, 2008)
THE country’s annual average figure of about 1,600 road accident fatalities rose to 2,185 in 2004 as against, a situation attributed partly to political activities during the year.
Since 2008 is an election year, road safety officals are therefore, cautioning politicians and road users to be careful on the roads in order not to repeat the trend.
The Deputy Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of the National Roads Safety Commission (NRSC), Mr David Osafo Adonteng, said during the year (2004), many people moved around within the country either to campaign or participate in political rallies, sometimes driving at high speed to beat time or driving for long distances without stopping to rest.
He also observed that many of the nation’s security agencies which helped in traffic regulations had to suspend those duties to either accompany political leaders on political tours or monitor political activities in other parts of the country.
At a meeting with two road safety officials from Lesotho to share Ghana’s experience in road safety campaign in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Adonteng said in that same year, a total of 12,164 road traffic accidents occurred in the country compared to 10,644 accidents in 2003 and 11,305 in 2005.
Statistics on distribution of road fatalities by age for between 2000 and 2006 indicated that 23.5 per cent of deaths were people aged between 26 and 35 followed by those between 16 and 25 years, who constituted 18.0 per cent. The lowest is those aged more that 65 years who constituted 4.8 per cent of the fatalities.
Mr Adonteng also said more men died in road traffic accidents than women, citing the 2004 figures where he said 1,568 men died as against 587 women.
He explained that women were considered more careful on the road and also the fact that not many of them drove long distances, which brought about fatigue, which caused accidents.
On regional basis, Ashanti Region topped the chart with 22 per cent, followed by Eastern Region with 17 per cent, Greater Accra Region, 14 per cent, Central Region, 11 per cent, Brong Ahafo Region, 10 per cent, Volta Region, eight per cent, Western Region, eight per cent, Northern Region six per cent, Upper East Region, three per cent and the least affected, which is the Upper West Region, recorded one per cent.
He pointed out that the economic loss to the nation due to those accidents was 1.6 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which was about US$100 billion.
He attributed accidents on the roads to unsafe driving, which included impatience, recklessness and irresponsibility, excessive loading, driving under the influence of alcohol high speed and fatigue on the part of drivers, deficiencies in vehicle fitness, insufficient enforcement of laws and disabled vehicles.
Briefing the officials from Lesotho, Mr Adonteng said in spite of those figures, Ghana was said to be doing well in road safety, adding that while Ghana recorded an average of 1,600 deaths in a year, South Africa recorded about 10,000 deaths.
He also stated that the national figures of 23 deaths per 10,000 vehicles had reduced to 22 deaths per 10,000 vehicles as against 43.1 in Tanzania.
He debunked the notion that Ghana was among the first three countries in the world which were affected by road accidents, adding that “we are not even among the first 50 countries”.
Mr Adonteng said the NRSC was working hard to reduce road traffic fatalities systematically on a yearly basis to a single digit by 2015 just as in Denmark, adding that the causes of between 50 per cent and 65 per cent accidents stemmed from attitude of drivers, which the commission was doing well to change through education and law enforcement.
He advised drivers to desist from using cellphones while driving, adding that “presently we are waiting to get the Legislative Instrument (LI) which prevents that and when we get it, offenders will not be spared”.
The two Lesotho road safety officials who visited the country for three days, were Mr Neo Khoaele, a senior instructor, and Ms Madrass Mojai, an information officer.
THE country’s annual average figure of about 1,600 road accident fatalities rose to 2,185 in 2004 as against, a situation attributed partly to political activities during the year.
Since 2008 is an election year, road safety officals are therefore, cautioning politicians and road users to be careful on the roads in order not to repeat the trend.
The Deputy Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of the National Roads Safety Commission (NRSC), Mr David Osafo Adonteng, said during the year (2004), many people moved around within the country either to campaign or participate in political rallies, sometimes driving at high speed to beat time or driving for long distances without stopping to rest.
He also observed that many of the nation’s security agencies which helped in traffic regulations had to suspend those duties to either accompany political leaders on political tours or monitor political activities in other parts of the country.
At a meeting with two road safety officials from Lesotho to share Ghana’s experience in road safety campaign in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Adonteng said in that same year, a total of 12,164 road traffic accidents occurred in the country compared to 10,644 accidents in 2003 and 11,305 in 2005.
Statistics on distribution of road fatalities by age for between 2000 and 2006 indicated that 23.5 per cent of deaths were people aged between 26 and 35 followed by those between 16 and 25 years, who constituted 18.0 per cent. The lowest is those aged more that 65 years who constituted 4.8 per cent of the fatalities.
Mr Adonteng also said more men died in road traffic accidents than women, citing the 2004 figures where he said 1,568 men died as against 587 women.
He explained that women were considered more careful on the road and also the fact that not many of them drove long distances, which brought about fatigue, which caused accidents.
On regional basis, Ashanti Region topped the chart with 22 per cent, followed by Eastern Region with 17 per cent, Greater Accra Region, 14 per cent, Central Region, 11 per cent, Brong Ahafo Region, 10 per cent, Volta Region, eight per cent, Western Region, eight per cent, Northern Region six per cent, Upper East Region, three per cent and the least affected, which is the Upper West Region, recorded one per cent.
He pointed out that the economic loss to the nation due to those accidents was 1.6 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which was about US$100 billion.
He attributed accidents on the roads to unsafe driving, which included impatience, recklessness and irresponsibility, excessive loading, driving under the influence of alcohol high speed and fatigue on the part of drivers, deficiencies in vehicle fitness, insufficient enforcement of laws and disabled vehicles.
Briefing the officials from Lesotho, Mr Adonteng said in spite of those figures, Ghana was said to be doing well in road safety, adding that while Ghana recorded an average of 1,600 deaths in a year, South Africa recorded about 10,000 deaths.
He also stated that the national figures of 23 deaths per 10,000 vehicles had reduced to 22 deaths per 10,000 vehicles as against 43.1 in Tanzania.
He debunked the notion that Ghana was among the first three countries in the world which were affected by road accidents, adding that “we are not even among the first 50 countries”.
Mr Adonteng said the NRSC was working hard to reduce road traffic fatalities systematically on a yearly basis to a single digit by 2015 just as in Denmark, adding that the causes of between 50 per cent and 65 per cent accidents stemmed from attitude of drivers, which the commission was doing well to change through education and law enforcement.
He advised drivers to desist from using cellphones while driving, adding that “presently we are waiting to get the Legislative Instrument (LI) which prevents that and when we get it, offenders will not be spared”.
The two Lesotho road safety officials who visited the country for three days, were Mr Neo Khoaele, a senior instructor, and Ms Madrass Mojai, an information officer.
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