July 8, 2008
THE government has received good signals from a number of investors to help in putting up houses for low, middle and high income groups.
In addition, the government would also look at the area of providing accommodation for some identified vulnerable persons using local materials and workforce from the communities.
The Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Dr Hanna Louisa Bisiw told the Daily Graphic in Accra that the affordable housing project initiated by the previous administration would also be continued till all the houses which were currently at different levels of completion were finished, in order to reduce the country’s housing deficit.
She pointed out that the government’s decision to use local materials and personnel was to have the job done at a lesser cost, as well as create jobs for the people.
She stressed that contractors who would get the opportunity to work on the project would be expected to do a good job and also finish on time, adding that none would have the chance of collecting money but fail to do the work as had been the case in the past.
Dr Bisiw said apart from putting up new structures, the government would also provide loans for individuals whose houses were in bad condition to repair them.
She complained about the situation where Ghanaians refused to use local materials that were cheaper and conducive to the Ghanaian environment but rather preferred to go in for foreign ones, which were expensive.
Statistics from the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources indicate that there is insufficient housing stock to meet the ever-increasing demand for housing in the country, especially in the urban areas.
Recent estimates indicate that there is a shortage of 400,000 units of houses nationwide.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Govt to Tackle Accra Floods-GH¢2.5m injected into the project (Front Page)
A MASSIVE construction work is to begin this month to overhaul the entire drainage system in Accra, as a way of dealing with the perennial flooding in the national capital “once and for all”.
Towards that project, the government has released GH¢2.5 million to cover the construction, expansion and extension of drains, as well as clearing silt from both major and minor drains to allow the free flow of water when it rains.
In addition, all structures that are on watercourses will be demolished and owners of those that were put up illegally, will be investigated and prosecuted.
This was made known to the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday by the Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Dr Hannah Louisa Bisiw, who explained that “this is an attempt to solve the flood problem once and for all”.
She stated that the funds for the project were made available to the ministry last week and expressed the hope that after the work had been completed, Accra would be free from floods.
Dr Bisiw said since the rains had made many of the affected parts too soft for heavy equipment to move in without getting stuck, work would begin at areas that were not too soft and later continue at other parts.
She pointed out that the government was aware that apart from Accra, other parts of the country also experienced flooding, and added that the ministry was collaborating with the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to ensure that every part of the country was free from flood.
In an answer as to whether the government would have the political will to demolish houses built on watercourses, Dr Bisiw said “the time has come for the people of Ghana to face the reality and refuse to allow a few individuals to take the rest of us for granted”.
On officials who gave building permits to individuals to build on watercourses and other unauthorised places, the deputy minister said those people would be dealt with at the appropriate time.
“The government is currently focussing all its attention on how best to solve the problem and when the problem is solved to some extent, those government officials will be dealt with according to the laws of the land,” she hinted.
Dr Bisiw said an inter-sectoral team that included the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) had accessed the situation and the damage caused by the rains, and their observation was that much of the problem was man-made.
She touched on illegal structures that were springing up on daily basis and also the attitude of some residents who continually threw garbage into drains, saying that they were partly to blame.
Dr Bisiw said there was the need for continuous education to let the people understand why they should not build on watercourses and also not dump refuse into drains. Those whose houses were on watercourses, she advised, should better move out because they would not be spared this time round.
“If we had done the right thing and prevented this situation, the government could have used that huge amount of money for some other project to benefit all of us,” she pointed out.
Citing instances from some Asian countries that had independence at the same time as Ghana, Dr Bisiw said there was the need for Ghanaians to do the right thing “if we want to move ahead as a country”.
Towards that project, the government has released GH¢2.5 million to cover the construction, expansion and extension of drains, as well as clearing silt from both major and minor drains to allow the free flow of water when it rains.
In addition, all structures that are on watercourses will be demolished and owners of those that were put up illegally, will be investigated and prosecuted.
This was made known to the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday by the Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Dr Hannah Louisa Bisiw, who explained that “this is an attempt to solve the flood problem once and for all”.
She stated that the funds for the project were made available to the ministry last week and expressed the hope that after the work had been completed, Accra would be free from floods.
Dr Bisiw said since the rains had made many of the affected parts too soft for heavy equipment to move in without getting stuck, work would begin at areas that were not too soft and later continue at other parts.
She pointed out that the government was aware that apart from Accra, other parts of the country also experienced flooding, and added that the ministry was collaborating with the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to ensure that every part of the country was free from flood.
In an answer as to whether the government would have the political will to demolish houses built on watercourses, Dr Bisiw said “the time has come for the people of Ghana to face the reality and refuse to allow a few individuals to take the rest of us for granted”.
On officials who gave building permits to individuals to build on watercourses and other unauthorised places, the deputy minister said those people would be dealt with at the appropriate time.
“The government is currently focussing all its attention on how best to solve the problem and when the problem is solved to some extent, those government officials will be dealt with according to the laws of the land,” she hinted.
Dr Bisiw said an inter-sectoral team that included the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) had accessed the situation and the damage caused by the rains, and their observation was that much of the problem was man-made.
She touched on illegal structures that were springing up on daily basis and also the attitude of some residents who continually threw garbage into drains, saying that they were partly to blame.
Dr Bisiw said there was the need for continuous education to let the people understand why they should not build on watercourses and also not dump refuse into drains. Those whose houses were on watercourses, she advised, should better move out because they would not be spared this time round.
“If we had done the right thing and prevented this situation, the government could have used that huge amount of money for some other project to benefit all of us,” she pointed out.
Citing instances from some Asian countries that had independence at the same time as Ghana, Dr Bisiw said there was the need for Ghanaians to do the right thing “if we want to move ahead as a country”.
Reduce Inefficiency and Waste in NHIS
July 6, 2009
HE Minister of Health, Dr George Yankey, has stated that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) will be sustainable if inefficiency and wastes are reduced by prescribers of medicines.
“For our growing National Health Insurance Scheme, it is cost containment toll to ensure that inefficiency and wastes are reduced to make the scheme sustainable,” he stressed.
The Health Minister explained that inappropriate prescription of medicines was one of the manifestations of irrational use of medicines, which occurred when medicines were not prescribed in accordance with guidelines based on scientific evidence to ensure safe, effective, and economic use.
He was delivering a speech at a stakeholders’ dissemination workshop on the review of the 2004 standard treatment guidelines and essential medicines list in Accra.
The meeting was to offer an opportunity for experts who worked on the review of the draft standard treatment guidelines and essential medicines list to brainstorm on issues in a transparent manner.
Dr Yankey said health systems, particularly in developing countries were faced with growing health needs on one hand and limited resources on the other and, therefore, called on policy makers at various levels to engage in developing cost-effective health interventions to ensure accessible and affordable quality care to benefit all, especially the poor and vulnerable.
In his address, the Director of Pharmaceutical Services and Chief Pharmacist of the Ministry of Health (MoH), Mr James Ohemeng Kyei, said the importance of the standard treatment guidelines was to assist and guide prescribers and dispensers in providing the best possible quality care to patients.
He explained that with the guidelines, any particular health problem would be provided the same treatment irrespective of social status, creed, ethnicity and geographical location of the patient.
Mr Kyei gave the assurance that the completion of the documents would serve as a powerful catalyst to enable the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to complete a review of the NHIA medicine list, which “is also long overdue”.
The First Secretary, Health and Gender, of the Royal Netherlands Embassy, Dr M. de-Jong, expressed the hope that the MoH, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) and the NHIA would succeed in resolving the issues of delayed reimbursements, payments and debt accumulation in the supply lines of the essential drugs and other supplies.
He also expressed hope that the revision of the document would be completed in time for distribution and use in all health facilities.
He touched on the numerous support the Netherlands Embassy had been giving to the Ghana National Drug Programme, adding that is was because of the importance of essential drugs in health care.
HE Minister of Health, Dr George Yankey, has stated that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) will be sustainable if inefficiency and wastes are reduced by prescribers of medicines.
“For our growing National Health Insurance Scheme, it is cost containment toll to ensure that inefficiency and wastes are reduced to make the scheme sustainable,” he stressed.
The Health Minister explained that inappropriate prescription of medicines was one of the manifestations of irrational use of medicines, which occurred when medicines were not prescribed in accordance with guidelines based on scientific evidence to ensure safe, effective, and economic use.
He was delivering a speech at a stakeholders’ dissemination workshop on the review of the 2004 standard treatment guidelines and essential medicines list in Accra.
The meeting was to offer an opportunity for experts who worked on the review of the draft standard treatment guidelines and essential medicines list to brainstorm on issues in a transparent manner.
Dr Yankey said health systems, particularly in developing countries were faced with growing health needs on one hand and limited resources on the other and, therefore, called on policy makers at various levels to engage in developing cost-effective health interventions to ensure accessible and affordable quality care to benefit all, especially the poor and vulnerable.
In his address, the Director of Pharmaceutical Services and Chief Pharmacist of the Ministry of Health (MoH), Mr James Ohemeng Kyei, said the importance of the standard treatment guidelines was to assist and guide prescribers and dispensers in providing the best possible quality care to patients.
He explained that with the guidelines, any particular health problem would be provided the same treatment irrespective of social status, creed, ethnicity and geographical location of the patient.
Mr Kyei gave the assurance that the completion of the documents would serve as a powerful catalyst to enable the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to complete a review of the NHIA medicine list, which “is also long overdue”.
The First Secretary, Health and Gender, of the Royal Netherlands Embassy, Dr M. de-Jong, expressed the hope that the MoH, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) and the NHIA would succeed in resolving the issues of delayed reimbursements, payments and debt accumulation in the supply lines of the essential drugs and other supplies.
He also expressed hope that the revision of the document would be completed in time for distribution and use in all health facilities.
He touched on the numerous support the Netherlands Embassy had been giving to the Ghana National Drug Programme, adding that is was because of the importance of essential drugs in health care.
Monday, July 6, 2009
CHRI disappointed with MoU - on death of Ghanaians in the Gambia (page
Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah
THE Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) has expressed “surprise” at the outcome of deliberations on the case of the murdered Ghanaians in The Gambia and charged the government of Ghana to show more commitment in pursuing the matter.
Reacting to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) that was signed on Thursday, between the governments of Ghana and The Gambia on the issue, the Executive Director of CHRI, Nana Oye Lithur, said the initiative, which had played a leading role in the matter, was disappointed with the outcome.
The human rights advocate said it was unacceptable that contribution was being considered for only six Ghanaians found dead in The Gambia without any mention of about 34 other Ghanaians who died or lost their lives during the unfortunate incident.
She also sought for compensation for Mr Martin Kyere, the survivor who testified for the government of Ghana during the fact-finding mission.
As part of the settlement, reached in Libya last Thursday, The Gambian government agreed to make contributions to the families of six Ghanaians who, the government of the Gambia claimed, were the only ones whose bodies were found on its territory.
There was also an agreement between the two countries to exhume and repatriate the six bodies to their families in Ghana so as to enable them to have befitting traditional burials.
"CHRI notes with surprise, the final conclusion on negotiations following a review of the Report of the Joint United Nations-ECOWAS Fact-finding Team on the circumstances surrounding the deaths and disappearance of the 44 Ghanaians in The Gambia in 2005," she stated.
She further raised issues with the two governments alleging that they concluded the matter without recourse to the families of the affected Ghanaians who were killed or had disappeared.
According to Nana Oye, it was disappointing that the concerns of the affected families had not at all material times been factored into the negotiations by either the fact-finding mission or other government deliberations, despite the fact that the families had on countless occasions sought audience with the government.
Last Thursday, the governments of Ghana and The Gambia resolved to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the 2005 crime in line with the position of the African Union (AU) and ECOWAS.
In addition, the two countries agreed to follow up on any future leads in the case of those suspected to be missing.
THE Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) has expressed “surprise” at the outcome of deliberations on the case of the murdered Ghanaians in The Gambia and charged the government of Ghana to show more commitment in pursuing the matter.
Reacting to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) that was signed on Thursday, between the governments of Ghana and The Gambia on the issue, the Executive Director of CHRI, Nana Oye Lithur, said the initiative, which had played a leading role in the matter, was disappointed with the outcome.
The human rights advocate said it was unacceptable that contribution was being considered for only six Ghanaians found dead in The Gambia without any mention of about 34 other Ghanaians who died or lost their lives during the unfortunate incident.
She also sought for compensation for Mr Martin Kyere, the survivor who testified for the government of Ghana during the fact-finding mission.
As part of the settlement, reached in Libya last Thursday, The Gambian government agreed to make contributions to the families of six Ghanaians who, the government of the Gambia claimed, were the only ones whose bodies were found on its territory.
There was also an agreement between the two countries to exhume and repatriate the six bodies to their families in Ghana so as to enable them to have befitting traditional burials.
"CHRI notes with surprise, the final conclusion on negotiations following a review of the Report of the Joint United Nations-ECOWAS Fact-finding Team on the circumstances surrounding the deaths and disappearance of the 44 Ghanaians in The Gambia in 2005," she stated.
She further raised issues with the two governments alleging that they concluded the matter without recourse to the families of the affected Ghanaians who were killed or had disappeared.
According to Nana Oye, it was disappointing that the concerns of the affected families had not at all material times been factored into the negotiations by either the fact-finding mission or other government deliberations, despite the fact that the families had on countless occasions sought audience with the government.
Last Thursday, the governments of Ghana and The Gambia resolved to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the 2005 crime in line with the position of the African Union (AU) and ECOWAS.
In addition, the two countries agreed to follow up on any future leads in the case of those suspected to be missing.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Murder of 44 Ghanaians in The Gambia- 6 Bodies to be Exhumed (Front Page)
FOUR years after 44 Ghanaians were murdered in The Gambia, the governments of Ghana and The Gambia have finally resolved to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of that crime in line with the position of the African Union (AU) and ECOWAS.
In addition, the two countries have also agreed to follow up on any future leads in the case of those suspected missing.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) to that effect was signed yesterday at a meeting held on the sidelines of the 11th Summit of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in Sirte, Libya by Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, and the Foreign Minister of Gambia, Dr Omar Alieu Touray. It was witnessed by the Chairman of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, Mr Ojo Maduekwe, who is also the Foreign Minister of Nigeria, and the Deputy Secretary General of the UN, Dr Asha-Rose Migiro.
The resolutions were the result of prolonged diplomacy including a ministerial meeting held to discuss the report of the Joint United Nations-ECOWAS Fact-finding Team, which was set up in August 2008, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths and disappearances of the Ghanaian nationals in The Gambia in July, 2005.
As part of the settlement, The Gambian government has agreed to make contributions to the families of six Ghanaians who, the government of the Gambia claimed, were the only ones whose bodies were found on its territory.
There was also an agreement between the two countries to exhume and repatriate the six bodies to their families in Ghana so as to enable them to have befitting traditional burials.
On May 11, 2009, a delegation from the two countries, represented by the ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Interior and Justice of The Gambia as well as ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Interior of Ghana met at the headquarters of the ECOWAS Commission, Abuja, under the auspices of the UN and ECOWAS to take a decision on the matter.
Consistent with the findings of the fact-finding team, the two parties, however, acknowledged that the government of The Gambia was not directly or indirectly complicit in the deaths and disappearances of the Ghanaian nationals concerned.
Nonetheless, The Gambian government agreed to make contributions to the families of the six Ghanaians, in conformity with African traditional values shared by both countries.
On July 23, 2005 Ghanaians were hit hard by the unpleasant news of the alleged killing of 44 of their compatriots and nine other West African nationals in The Gambia.
The news generated a national rage against The Gambia, compelling the then government to press the ECOWAS Commission and the UN to conduct an independent investigation into the case, so as to establish the complicity or otherwise of the Gambian security apparatus.
Subsequently, the two institutions set up a joint mission on August 14, 2008, tasked with investigating the issue under the chairmanship of an eminent Jamaican diplomat, Ambassador Ward.
The joint UN-ECOWAS fact-finding team was established at the request of the governments of The Gambia and Ghana to facilitate efforts by both governments to bring about the peaceful resolution of the above-mentioned matter “consistent with the principle of justice, and respect for human rights and human dignity”.
The memorandum said in recognition of the discovery that those Ghanaians and other ECOWAS nationals were victims of a human trafficking scam, and because of the regional dimension of the problem, both governments and other ECOWAS member states should intensify efforts to identify and punish known traffickers with the support of the international community.
Earlier reports on the incident indicated that alongside nationals from other African countries, the deceased, who were described as Ghanaian migrants, were allegedly killed by Gambian soldiers who saw them as hired insurgents brought into the country to topple President Yahaya Jammeh.
In the aftermath of the killings the dead bodies were reportedly found scattered along the Gambian coast.
Meanwhile, the governments of Ghana and The Gambia have re-affirmed their commitment to strengthen their traditional cordial bilateral relations and agreed to go by what was contained in their joint memorandum.
In addition, the two countries have also agreed to follow up on any future leads in the case of those suspected missing.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) to that effect was signed yesterday at a meeting held on the sidelines of the 11th Summit of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in Sirte, Libya by Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, and the Foreign Minister of Gambia, Dr Omar Alieu Touray. It was witnessed by the Chairman of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, Mr Ojo Maduekwe, who is also the Foreign Minister of Nigeria, and the Deputy Secretary General of the UN, Dr Asha-Rose Migiro.
The resolutions were the result of prolonged diplomacy including a ministerial meeting held to discuss the report of the Joint United Nations-ECOWAS Fact-finding Team, which was set up in August 2008, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths and disappearances of the Ghanaian nationals in The Gambia in July, 2005.
As part of the settlement, The Gambian government has agreed to make contributions to the families of six Ghanaians who, the government of the Gambia claimed, were the only ones whose bodies were found on its territory.
There was also an agreement between the two countries to exhume and repatriate the six bodies to their families in Ghana so as to enable them to have befitting traditional burials.
On May 11, 2009, a delegation from the two countries, represented by the ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Interior and Justice of The Gambia as well as ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Interior of Ghana met at the headquarters of the ECOWAS Commission, Abuja, under the auspices of the UN and ECOWAS to take a decision on the matter.
Consistent with the findings of the fact-finding team, the two parties, however, acknowledged that the government of The Gambia was not directly or indirectly complicit in the deaths and disappearances of the Ghanaian nationals concerned.
Nonetheless, The Gambian government agreed to make contributions to the families of the six Ghanaians, in conformity with African traditional values shared by both countries.
On July 23, 2005 Ghanaians were hit hard by the unpleasant news of the alleged killing of 44 of their compatriots and nine other West African nationals in The Gambia.
The news generated a national rage against The Gambia, compelling the then government to press the ECOWAS Commission and the UN to conduct an independent investigation into the case, so as to establish the complicity or otherwise of the Gambian security apparatus.
Subsequently, the two institutions set up a joint mission on August 14, 2008, tasked with investigating the issue under the chairmanship of an eminent Jamaican diplomat, Ambassador Ward.
The joint UN-ECOWAS fact-finding team was established at the request of the governments of The Gambia and Ghana to facilitate efforts by both governments to bring about the peaceful resolution of the above-mentioned matter “consistent with the principle of justice, and respect for human rights and human dignity”.
The memorandum said in recognition of the discovery that those Ghanaians and other ECOWAS nationals were victims of a human trafficking scam, and because of the regional dimension of the problem, both governments and other ECOWAS member states should intensify efforts to identify and punish known traffickers with the support of the international community.
Earlier reports on the incident indicated that alongside nationals from other African countries, the deceased, who were described as Ghanaian migrants, were allegedly killed by Gambian soldiers who saw them as hired insurgents brought into the country to topple President Yahaya Jammeh.
In the aftermath of the killings the dead bodies were reportedly found scattered along the Gambian coast.
Meanwhile, the governments of Ghana and The Gambia have re-affirmed their commitment to strengthen their traditional cordial bilateral relations and agreed to go by what was contained in their joint memorandum.
GDA Holds Annual Congress (page 43)
July 2, 2009
THE Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Dr Mustapha Ahmed, has appealed to the Ghana Dental Association (GDA) to help find lasting solution to continuous oral health problems affecting people in the Bongo District.
High level of fluoride in water in the Bongo District has been identified as a contributory factor to the oral health problems of the people in the area.
Addressing the 18th annual congress of the GDA in Accra on Tuesday, Dr Ahmed, who is a dentist, said the incidence of very high level of fluoride in water in the area posed a serious threat to all, particularly children.
The congress, which was on the theme: "Oral Health of the Ghanaian Child - Our Concern" was sponsored by Unilever Ghana Limited.
Dr Ahmed, who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayawaso East, said poor oral health was an essential component of the overall health of a person.
Medical researchers have begun to appreciate the complex relationship between poor oral health and its effects on other bodily systems.
As much as 18 per cent of premature births is attributable to poor oral health in mothers while mothers with poor oral health are seven times likely to have a premature and/or low birth weight.
Dr Ahmed said there was even evidence to link poor oral health to cardiovascular disease, poorly controlled diabetes and difficulties in pregnancy and delivery.
The Ayawaso East MP, therefore, called on the government to aim at achieving the global goals for developing better oral health system by 2020.
For her part, Nana Yaa Kissi, the Category Manager (Personal Care) of Unilever Ghana Limited, said oral care was central to every individual's well-being, adding that that was the reason why the organisation had decided to embark on a programme to encourage "Day and Night Brushing" in especially children.
She explained that a major way one could contribute to the oral health of the country was to focus on children who were more likely to get used to new habits.
Nana Yaa Kissi said Unilever had since a School Mission Campaign in 1996 reached up to four million children and hoped to cover about 350,000 this year.
In his welcoming address, the President of the GDA, Dr Eric Asamoah, said there were 172 registered dental surgeons currently practising in Ghana, which gave the dental surgeon-population ratio as 1:116,000, a figure far below the recommended World Health Organisation ratio of one surgeon to 80 people.
In spite of the challenge, he said, dentists in the country were doing their best to offer quality health care to the people and appealed to the government to prevent quarks from practising as dentists.
An exhibition of various oral health care products by Unilever Ghana and other manufacturers was mounted as part of the congress.
THE Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Dr Mustapha Ahmed, has appealed to the Ghana Dental Association (GDA) to help find lasting solution to continuous oral health problems affecting people in the Bongo District.
High level of fluoride in water in the Bongo District has been identified as a contributory factor to the oral health problems of the people in the area.
Addressing the 18th annual congress of the GDA in Accra on Tuesday, Dr Ahmed, who is a dentist, said the incidence of very high level of fluoride in water in the area posed a serious threat to all, particularly children.
The congress, which was on the theme: "Oral Health of the Ghanaian Child - Our Concern" was sponsored by Unilever Ghana Limited.
Dr Ahmed, who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayawaso East, said poor oral health was an essential component of the overall health of a person.
Medical researchers have begun to appreciate the complex relationship between poor oral health and its effects on other bodily systems.
As much as 18 per cent of premature births is attributable to poor oral health in mothers while mothers with poor oral health are seven times likely to have a premature and/or low birth weight.
Dr Ahmed said there was even evidence to link poor oral health to cardiovascular disease, poorly controlled diabetes and difficulties in pregnancy and delivery.
The Ayawaso East MP, therefore, called on the government to aim at achieving the global goals for developing better oral health system by 2020.
For her part, Nana Yaa Kissi, the Category Manager (Personal Care) of Unilever Ghana Limited, said oral care was central to every individual's well-being, adding that that was the reason why the organisation had decided to embark on a programme to encourage "Day and Night Brushing" in especially children.
She explained that a major way one could contribute to the oral health of the country was to focus on children who were more likely to get used to new habits.
Nana Yaa Kissi said Unilever had since a School Mission Campaign in 1996 reached up to four million children and hoped to cover about 350,000 this year.
In his welcoming address, the President of the GDA, Dr Eric Asamoah, said there were 172 registered dental surgeons currently practising in Ghana, which gave the dental surgeon-population ratio as 1:116,000, a figure far below the recommended World Health Organisation ratio of one surgeon to 80 people.
In spite of the challenge, he said, dentists in the country were doing their best to offer quality health care to the people and appealed to the government to prevent quarks from practising as dentists.
An exhibition of various oral health care products by Unilever Ghana and other manufacturers was mounted as part of the congress.
Make teeth examination mandatory before admission — MP (Junior Graphic )
July 1-July 7, 2009
THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayawaso East, Dr Mustapha Ahmed has said that one sure way of promoting child oral health is to make it mandatory for school-going children to show proof of dental examination before admission to school.
He said just as children have to show proof of innoculation against the six childhood killer diseases, examination of a child's teeth by school authorities before admission would encourage parents to take proper care of their children's teeth.
Dr Ahmed who is a dentist himself was addressing members of the Ghana Dental Association (GDA) at their 18 annual congress in Accra on Friday.
The congress was sponsored by Unilever Ghana Limited; manufacturers of Close Up and Pepsodent toothpaste. It was on the theme "Oral Health of the Ghanaian Child-Our Concern".
The MP said "Benefits from this policy are many, including the education of parents about the need the for basic oral care and the adoption of regular dental visits for check up".
Dr Ahmed pointed out that poor oral health in children affected far more than just their appearance adding the "effects include pain, nutritional difficulty, tooth loss, less of sleep lack of, attention deficits, which could result in a child's poor performance in school and in life".
He said there was the need for stakeholders in the health service and other policy makers to work together and show more growing concern about the poor state of oral health for the Ghanaian child.
On her part, Nana Yaa Kissi, the Category Manager (Personal Care) of Unilever Ghana Limited said more than 50 million hours of school time was missed each year in the United States (US) because of dental problems.
"I do not have the equivalent figures in Ghana but I have reason to believe that this is fast becoming the case if not already the case", she stressed.
THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayawaso East, Dr Mustapha Ahmed has said that one sure way of promoting child oral health is to make it mandatory for school-going children to show proof of dental examination before admission to school.
He said just as children have to show proof of innoculation against the six childhood killer diseases, examination of a child's teeth by school authorities before admission would encourage parents to take proper care of their children's teeth.
Dr Ahmed who is a dentist himself was addressing members of the Ghana Dental Association (GDA) at their 18 annual congress in Accra on Friday.
The congress was sponsored by Unilever Ghana Limited; manufacturers of Close Up and Pepsodent toothpaste. It was on the theme "Oral Health of the Ghanaian Child-Our Concern".
The MP said "Benefits from this policy are many, including the education of parents about the need the for basic oral care and the adoption of regular dental visits for check up".
Dr Ahmed pointed out that poor oral health in children affected far more than just their appearance adding the "effects include pain, nutritional difficulty, tooth loss, less of sleep lack of, attention deficits, which could result in a child's poor performance in school and in life".
He said there was the need for stakeholders in the health service and other policy makers to work together and show more growing concern about the poor state of oral health for the Ghanaian child.
On her part, Nana Yaa Kissi, the Category Manager (Personal Care) of Unilever Ghana Limited said more than 50 million hours of school time was missed each year in the United States (US) because of dental problems.
"I do not have the equivalent figures in Ghana but I have reason to believe that this is fast becoming the case if not already the case", she stressed.
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