THE management of Hoggar Clinic Limited at Akatsi in the Volta Region has denied allegation of malfeasance and professional misconduct in providing services under the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Reacting to claims by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) that it had been sanctioned along with 33 others for professional misconduct, the management of the clinic conceded that it made mistakes but said they were made at the time of the introduction of a new tariff structure.
Addressing a press conference in Accra yesterday, the Medical Director of the Hoggar Clinic, Dr Stephen K. Hoggar, declared that the mistakes were genuine but not peculiar to only the clinic.
The press conference was organised in reaction to media reports in which the NHIA was reported to have sanctioned 34 individuals and service providers under the NHIS in the Volta and Brong Ahafo regions.
The action of the NHIA was part of efforts to ensure the sustenance of the NHIS and Hoggar Clinic was one of the 15 healthcare providers mentioned by the NHIA audit team for alleged professional misconduct and malfeasance.
Dr Hoggar explained that the mistakes which were picked on by the audit team were committed by almost all service providers country-wide because many of the personnel were not familiar with the new tariff structure and, therefore, made mistakes on the claim forms.
Referring to the mistakes, he said it was because of that challenge that in August 2008 a stakeholders’ meeting was organised with the view to educating the service providers on how to handle the new tariff structure.
He pointed out it would have been better if the NHIA audit team had waited for appropriate responses to some of the queries raised, since the Akatsi District Health Insurance Scheme had already identified the problem and communicated to the clinic accordingly.
"Those mistakes were not being made by only Hoggar Clinic Limited, or the Akatsi District for that matter, but throughout the whole country," he stressed.
Dr Hoggar said he could not speak for the other health service providers who were mentioned in the report but what transpired within the Akatsi District was that claims to the scheme's office were always vetted and the findings communicated to the providers for the right thing to be done.
He provided two letters from the Akatsi DHIS office dated December 15, 2008 and March 25, 2009 which talked about mistakes in some of the claims and measures being used to have the correct amount to be paid to the clinic, respectively.
He also expressed surprise that the NHIA audit team made its findings public before communicating them to the management of the clinic, adding that the leader of the team also refused to give him (Dr Hoggar) audience when he wanted to explain himself to the leader on his way from Accra to Akatsi.
The medical director said there was no way he could use his clinic to cheat a scheme he had personally helped to nurture in the district right from the time that the NHIS was introduced.
He said it would have saved both the NHIA and the clinic a lot of problems if the appropriate auditing procedure had been followed, instead of a situation where an institution which had been accused of wrongdoing was allowed to respond.
"They only wrote to us after they had gone public with the findings," Dr Hoggar complained.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Take fire safety measures seriously
Sat. January 16, 2010
THE Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has asked institutions and individuals to take fire safety and preventive measures seriously because the service does not have the capacity and equipment to combat all fires in the event of their outbreak.
The Dangme West District Fire Officer, Mr Courage K. Ametewee, who gave the advice, made reference to the fire which engulfed the 10-storey building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Accra on October 21, 2009 and said when the incident occurred, the GNFS marshalled all its resources to the site but that could not save the building because of serious challenges.
Addressing a day’s workshop for fire and peace volunteers drawn from communities around Dodowa and Ayikuma in the Dangme West District of the Greater Accra Region, Mr Ametewee said it was always better to prevent the outbreak of a fire than to take chances with the hope that that fire could be put out.
The workshop, which was scheduled to be replicated in the remaining zones within the district, was held by the district office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Dangme West District Assembly.
Topics treated were the concept of conflict and conflict management; the concept of peace and the attributes of a peace maker; fire and fire safety, as well as education on influenza pandemic H1N1 (swine flu).
Touching on fire fighting, Mr Ametewee said firemen usually depended on available fire fighting equipment in times of fire, adding that there were situations when although firemen would be available, they might not be in the position to completely fight the fire, depending on its intensity and firemen’s accessibility to the source of fire.
He, however, said personnel of the service were doing all that they could under the circumstances to save lives and property and advised the public to offer them the needed support.
On conflicts, the District Disaster Control Officer of NADMO, Ms Victoria Okutu, urged the volunteers to endeavour to find amicable solutions to minor conflicts which began in their communities and not allow them to degenerate into violent situations.
She, however, said those which were criminal in nature should be reported to the appropriate authorities, adding that the volunteers should always have the attributes of mediators in order to win the confidence and trust of the people they lived with.
Ms Okutu educated the participants on: What is conflict; types of conflicts; conflict management; the conflict tree; process of conflict resolution; negotiation; mediation; arbitration; attributes of a mediator, among other relevant topics.
On the H1N1 influenza, the Deputy Chief Disaster Control Officer at the NADMO headquarters in Accra, Mr Ruth Arthur, stated that the pandemic was still a serious health problem which must continue to be treated with all the seriousness it deserved.
Ms Arthur, who is also the Desk Officer for Disease and Epidemic Disasters, said as of December 31, 2009, 55 H1N1 cases had been reported in Ghana, with no deaths so far.
She took the opportunity to educate the participants on the background of the pandemic; disease profile; mode of transmission; symptoms; treatment; the impact of the disease on society, as well as preparations made by the country to reduce its impact on society.
For his part, the Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinator of NADMO, Mr Winfred Nomotey Tesia, advised the participants to put into practice the knowledge they had acquired for the benefit of their respective communities, adding that in so doing, the assembly would be encouraged to offer more of such assistance to others.
The Chairman for the function, who is also the District NADMO Co-ordinator, Mr Ebenezer Kwame Adzakli, advised assembly members to report all wrongdoing in the communities, specifically those who built on water courses and other unapproved areas, for the right thing to be done.
THE Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has asked institutions and individuals to take fire safety and preventive measures seriously because the service does not have the capacity and equipment to combat all fires in the event of their outbreak.
The Dangme West District Fire Officer, Mr Courage K. Ametewee, who gave the advice, made reference to the fire which engulfed the 10-storey building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Accra on October 21, 2009 and said when the incident occurred, the GNFS marshalled all its resources to the site but that could not save the building because of serious challenges.
Addressing a day’s workshop for fire and peace volunteers drawn from communities around Dodowa and Ayikuma in the Dangme West District of the Greater Accra Region, Mr Ametewee said it was always better to prevent the outbreak of a fire than to take chances with the hope that that fire could be put out.
The workshop, which was scheduled to be replicated in the remaining zones within the district, was held by the district office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Dangme West District Assembly.
Topics treated were the concept of conflict and conflict management; the concept of peace and the attributes of a peace maker; fire and fire safety, as well as education on influenza pandemic H1N1 (swine flu).
Touching on fire fighting, Mr Ametewee said firemen usually depended on available fire fighting equipment in times of fire, adding that there were situations when although firemen would be available, they might not be in the position to completely fight the fire, depending on its intensity and firemen’s accessibility to the source of fire.
He, however, said personnel of the service were doing all that they could under the circumstances to save lives and property and advised the public to offer them the needed support.
On conflicts, the District Disaster Control Officer of NADMO, Ms Victoria Okutu, urged the volunteers to endeavour to find amicable solutions to minor conflicts which began in their communities and not allow them to degenerate into violent situations.
She, however, said those which were criminal in nature should be reported to the appropriate authorities, adding that the volunteers should always have the attributes of mediators in order to win the confidence and trust of the people they lived with.
Ms Okutu educated the participants on: What is conflict; types of conflicts; conflict management; the conflict tree; process of conflict resolution; negotiation; mediation; arbitration; attributes of a mediator, among other relevant topics.
On the H1N1 influenza, the Deputy Chief Disaster Control Officer at the NADMO headquarters in Accra, Mr Ruth Arthur, stated that the pandemic was still a serious health problem which must continue to be treated with all the seriousness it deserved.
Ms Arthur, who is also the Desk Officer for Disease and Epidemic Disasters, said as of December 31, 2009, 55 H1N1 cases had been reported in Ghana, with no deaths so far.
She took the opportunity to educate the participants on the background of the pandemic; disease profile; mode of transmission; symptoms; treatment; the impact of the disease on society, as well as preparations made by the country to reduce its impact on society.
For his part, the Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinator of NADMO, Mr Winfred Nomotey Tesia, advised the participants to put into practice the knowledge they had acquired for the benefit of their respective communities, adding that in so doing, the assembly would be encouraged to offer more of such assistance to others.
The Chairman for the function, who is also the District NADMO Co-ordinator, Mr Ebenezer Kwame Adzakli, advised assembly members to report all wrongdoing in the communities, specifically those who built on water courses and other unapproved areas, for the right thing to be done.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
NHIA staff to sign agreement
THE National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) says staff of the authority will from this month sign what it termed confidentiality agreement.
That, according to the authority, is to control indiscriminate dissemination of information by all categories of staff.
At a recent durbar held in Accra for staff at the headquarters of the authority and those in the Greater Accra Region, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NHIA, Mr Sylvester Mensah, said much as the authority would not want to hide information from the public, authorised officers with the right form of information should be responsible for that.
He explained that some staff members of the headquarters would be posted to the regional offices to strengthen the public relations outfits there.
Mr Mensah took the opportunity to announce some new appointments, as well as a number of transfers, which had taken place since the beginning of the year.
Throwing more light on the issue of confidentiality agreement, the NHIA Board Secretary, who is also the Head of Legal Affairs, Mrs Aimee Yuori, told the Daily Graphic that the move was to protect corporate information as well as ensure that discipline existed among the various positions of the authority.
She explained that the procedure was in line with what persisted in many public and civil entities where information flow was regulated in a similar manner.
Mrs Yuori said there was no institution or organisation anywhere where management would encourage that all types of information, either confidential or otherwise, to go out anyhow without any checks in place.
In an answer to a question, she stressed that although there had not been any time where any damaging information had gotten out to the public, there were, however, occasions where some members of staff gave out information which later turned out to be wrong and embarrassing.
Elaborating on the procedure, she said all staff members would be made to sign forms which would be placed on their personal files, adding that any personnel who flouted the agreement would be sanctioned based on the NHIA’s conditions of service.
“When a case like that happens, the authority would look at it and based on the conditions of service, will come out with the appropriate sanction,” she stated.
That, according to the authority, is to control indiscriminate dissemination of information by all categories of staff.
At a recent durbar held in Accra for staff at the headquarters of the authority and those in the Greater Accra Region, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NHIA, Mr Sylvester Mensah, said much as the authority would not want to hide information from the public, authorised officers with the right form of information should be responsible for that.
He explained that some staff members of the headquarters would be posted to the regional offices to strengthen the public relations outfits there.
Mr Mensah took the opportunity to announce some new appointments, as well as a number of transfers, which had taken place since the beginning of the year.
Throwing more light on the issue of confidentiality agreement, the NHIA Board Secretary, who is also the Head of Legal Affairs, Mrs Aimee Yuori, told the Daily Graphic that the move was to protect corporate information as well as ensure that discipline existed among the various positions of the authority.
She explained that the procedure was in line with what persisted in many public and civil entities where information flow was regulated in a similar manner.
Mrs Yuori said there was no institution or organisation anywhere where management would encourage that all types of information, either confidential or otherwise, to go out anyhow without any checks in place.
In an answer to a question, she stressed that although there had not been any time where any damaging information had gotten out to the public, there were, however, occasions where some members of staff gave out information which later turned out to be wrong and embarrassing.
Elaborating on the procedure, she said all staff members would be made to sign forms which would be placed on their personal files, adding that any personnel who flouted the agreement would be sanctioned based on the NHIA’s conditions of service.
“When a case like that happens, the authority would look at it and based on the conditions of service, will come out with the appropriate sanction,” she stated.
Monday, January 11, 2010
34 SANCTIONED BY NHIA (Front Page)
Sat. January 9, 2010
THE National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has sanctioned 34 individuals and service providers in the Volta and Brong Ahafo regions, in its efforts to ensure the sustenance of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Out of the 34, seven members of staff of the NHIA have been interdicted and four other individuals who are staff of some affected hospitals are to be handed over to the police.
In addition, 15 service providers have been suspended, six others are to be reported to the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service and two mission hospitals are to be reported to the Christian Health Association of Ghana for appropriate action.
The action was taken after months of financial and clinical audits conducted in all the scheme’s offices, as well as some selected health facilities in the two regions, where fraudulent activities were allegedly uncovered.
In a report headed “Findings and action taken on the Audit of the Volta and Brong Ahafo Regions,” made available to the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, the NHIA indicated that the officers involved included the scheme manager and accountant respectively of the North Tongu DMHIS in the Volta Region.
The two were said to have failed to account for a total of GH¢27,836.00 of premium collected from subscribers.
At the Adaklu-Anyibge DMHIS, the audit report revealed that GH¢28,537.73 meant for the payment of claims to service providers was allegedly misappropriated by three of the scheme’s officers.
At the Jaman North DMHIS, the scheme manager and the accountant who were said to be on interdiction were allegedly involved in mismanagement and incompetence.
The district office under the leadership of the two officials was reported to have misapplied GH¢25,944.00 to purchase computers and accessories and also misapplied other funds to the tune of GH¢12,000.00.
The two officials were also accused of locking GH¢52,750.00 which they used in printing identification (ID) cards, security renewal stickers and making of ID cards wallets. Moneys from the claims accounts were said to have been used to make those payments.
The Wenchi DMHIS was also cited for overpayment of claims to the tune of GH¢57,932.13 to Emil Memorial Hospital, Wenchi Methodist Hospital, Subinso Health Centre, Nyaase Royal Maternity Home and Droboso Clinic.
The service providers which had been sanctioned because of alleged professional misconduct and malfeasance are the Biodum Maternity Home at Adidome; Haggar Clinic and St Paul’s Hospital, both at Akatsi; Crown Pharmacy in Ho; Sefe Clinic; St Patrick Hospital at Kpando and Adidome Government Hospital, Sogakope Government Hospital, Peki Government Hospital and Afoega Catholic Hospital, all in the Volta Region.
In the Brong Ahafo Region, facilities which were alleged to have been involved in fraudulent deals are Bernice Maternity and Clinic at Yeji; Helen Pharmacy at Duayaw Nkwanta; Shasha Clinic at Goaso; Emil Memorial Hospital at Berekum; Akomade Clinic at Atebubu and Menji Rural Clinic.
The audit report revealed that several maternity homes were providing extensive clinical services other than maternity and child health services.
The NHIA indicated that the practice ran through the country and, therefore, took the opportunity to advise such maternity homes to desist from providing extensive clinical services to NHIS subscribers.
THE National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has sanctioned 34 individuals and service providers in the Volta and Brong Ahafo regions, in its efforts to ensure the sustenance of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Out of the 34, seven members of staff of the NHIA have been interdicted and four other individuals who are staff of some affected hospitals are to be handed over to the police.
In addition, 15 service providers have been suspended, six others are to be reported to the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service and two mission hospitals are to be reported to the Christian Health Association of Ghana for appropriate action.
The action was taken after months of financial and clinical audits conducted in all the scheme’s offices, as well as some selected health facilities in the two regions, where fraudulent activities were allegedly uncovered.
In a report headed “Findings and action taken on the Audit of the Volta and Brong Ahafo Regions,” made available to the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, the NHIA indicated that the officers involved included the scheme manager and accountant respectively of the North Tongu DMHIS in the Volta Region.
The two were said to have failed to account for a total of GH¢27,836.00 of premium collected from subscribers.
At the Adaklu-Anyibge DMHIS, the audit report revealed that GH¢28,537.73 meant for the payment of claims to service providers was allegedly misappropriated by three of the scheme’s officers.
At the Jaman North DMHIS, the scheme manager and the accountant who were said to be on interdiction were allegedly involved in mismanagement and incompetence.
The district office under the leadership of the two officials was reported to have misapplied GH¢25,944.00 to purchase computers and accessories and also misapplied other funds to the tune of GH¢12,000.00.
The two officials were also accused of locking GH¢52,750.00 which they used in printing identification (ID) cards, security renewal stickers and making of ID cards wallets. Moneys from the claims accounts were said to have been used to make those payments.
The Wenchi DMHIS was also cited for overpayment of claims to the tune of GH¢57,932.13 to Emil Memorial Hospital, Wenchi Methodist Hospital, Subinso Health Centre, Nyaase Royal Maternity Home and Droboso Clinic.
The service providers which had been sanctioned because of alleged professional misconduct and malfeasance are the Biodum Maternity Home at Adidome; Haggar Clinic and St Paul’s Hospital, both at Akatsi; Crown Pharmacy in Ho; Sefe Clinic; St Patrick Hospital at Kpando and Adidome Government Hospital, Sogakope Government Hospital, Peki Government Hospital and Afoega Catholic Hospital, all in the Volta Region.
In the Brong Ahafo Region, facilities which were alleged to have been involved in fraudulent deals are Bernice Maternity and Clinic at Yeji; Helen Pharmacy at Duayaw Nkwanta; Shasha Clinic at Goaso; Emil Memorial Hospital at Berekum; Akomade Clinic at Atebubu and Menji Rural Clinic.
The audit report revealed that several maternity homes were providing extensive clinical services other than maternity and child health services.
The NHIA indicated that the practice ran through the country and, therefore, took the opportunity to advise such maternity homes to desist from providing extensive clinical services to NHIS subscribers.
Friday, January 8, 2010
'Government rating high' (Front Page)
A cross-section of people and a number of recognised bodies in Accra yesterday scored high marks for the Mills administration in the areas of the economy, education and security after one year in office.
However, they conceded that a lot more needed to be done in the areas of consolidating peace, promoting business, providing infrastructure and improving the general conditions of workers.
A security analyst, Mr Emmanuel Bombande, noted that the first year of the Mills administration witnessed a remarkable improvement in the fight against violent crimes, but not in the search for peace, reports Kofi Yeboah.
In an interview, Mr Bombande stressed the need for the police and other security agencies to upscale their strategy in order to sustain the gains made and called for a more proactive approach to improve on peace interventions.
"Peace and security are mutually influential and are truly integrated, and yet, they are not the same thing," he remarked, as he shared some thoughts with the Daily Graphic on the performance of the Mills administration regarding national security in 2009.
Mr Bombande said although security could not be put in a time frame, there had been a remarkable improvement and progress in combating violent crime, such as armed robbery.
He said the achievement was due to the more proactive approach adopted by the police and the military, an improvement on their capacity for rapid deployment and the reward package instituted by the police, among other factors.
Although he admitted that there had been a few instances of violent crime of very disturbing proportions in the course of the year, he pointed out that, in terms of figures, those incidents were less than what pertained the previous year.
Mr Bombande, however, indicated that the issue was not just about statistics but the psychological barrier that made people to feel safe or unsafe.
He said the challenge was how to sustain the gains made and even improve on them to ensure that the incidents of violent crime were reduced to the barest minimum.
On peace, Mr Bombande observed that peacekeeping in the country had been reduced to the level of firefighting without any initiative to promote dialogue among the factions.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) feels that some achievements were made in the area of education, reports Emmanuel Bonney.
The association said the interventions such as the provision of free exercise books, free uniforms and the 50 per cent increase in the Capitation Grant from GH¢3 to GH¢4.50 pesewas, to attract and retain pupils in school were laudable.
A Deputy General Secretary of GNAT, Mr John Nyoagbe, told the Daily Graphic that the interventions by the government would help address inequality in the system.
He said such initiatives should not be a nine-day wonder but should be sustained, adding that the real targets of the interventions should be identified for them to derive maximum benefit.
"The increase in the Capitation Grant by 50 per cent is worthy of commendation. But the issue is the time of delivering the resource is the most important thing. If the Capitation Grant comes early enough then school heads would use it to plan and implement the programme, but if it comes in the middle of the term or towards the end, then one can now guess what the money would be used for," he said.
Mr Nyoagbe said teachers and their welfare issues especially teacher shortage and how to attract and retain teachers in deprived communities, needed to be given a very serious thought.
He said the 20 per cent allowance for teachers in rural areas announced by the government should not be a platform talk but must be translated into reality else the imbalance in education delivery would remain.
On the Government's decision to revert to the three-year senior high school education, he said once the government had decided to do that it should endeavour to motivate teachers and provide the needed facilities that would enhance teaching and learning.
On the health sector, a former Director-General (D-G) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, said it was premature for any serious assessment to be done on a government’s performance within one year, reports Lucy Adoma Yeboah.
He went further to point out that it would be a bit easier if the health sector had had one minister to head the ministry for the year but not under the current situation where the ministry had two ministers within that short period.
Professor Akosa explained that if Dr George Sipah-Adjah Yankey who was first assigned the responsibility of the ministry had been given the opportunity to work for the whole year, one would have been in a better position to, at least, look at some of the policies he might have introduced.
He said unfortunately, Dr Yankey did not keep long at the Ministry of Health and also the new minister, Dr Benjamin Kunbour, had just taken over as the substantive sector minister and, therefore, no proper assessment could be done on that ministry.
Matilda Attram & Henrietta Brocke report that a section of the traders at the Agbogbloshie market raised concerns about the economy in the first year of the Mills administration, which came into office on January 7, 2009.
A provision shop owner, Mr Fred Addo, said although the economy had not been better than expected, it was manageable.
Comparing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) era to that of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), he stated that the difference in the increase in fuel prices and goods was not that much.
“During NPP era a carton of milk was 16 cedis and now it is 20 cedis due to inflation,” he said.
He expressed the hope that Ghanaians would co-operate with the government to improve on the economy for the benefit of all.
For his part, the Executive Director at the Centre for Policy Analysis (CEPA), Dr J. L. S. Abbey, urged the government to strive towards reducing its expenditure in order to close its deficit gap currently pegged at 10.5 per cent, reports Naa Lamiley Bentil.
Last year, the government envisaged a reduction of its deficit to 9.4 per cent but it was unable to achieve that target at the end of year 2009 and that, according to Dr Abbey, could be attributed to the backlog of expenditure in the year 2008 during the electioneering.
To reverse the trend however, and set the economic on a path of recovery, Dr Abbey stated that the government must remain focus and insist on value for money in its expenditure whilst ensuring that programmes and projects which had stalled were completed to the benefit of the people.
Infrastructure projects such as roads, for instance, must be built to facilitate economic activities.
According to him, 2009 was a very difficult year for even developed economies due to the global recession and described Ghana as “a tail of two cities”.
Explaining, Dr Abbey said Ghana was caught in between two forces, in that whilst developed nations increased their spending to stimulate the economy, Ghana’s government reduced spending significantly to stabilise its economy.
From the labour front, Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho reports that the Deputy Secretary General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Yaw Baah, has commended the government for some bold initiatives that it had taken since it took office.
One of such initiative is the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS), which, according to Dr Baah, would help bring relief to most workers especially teachers in terms of they getting fair wages which would be commensurate to their work.
He also commended the government for the implementation of the Three Tier Pension Scheme, which, according to him, would enable most workers to go on pension with some dignity.
Dr Yaw Baah, however, expressed some reservations including the existing high taxes which public service workers had to pay and the current employment situation in the country.
However, they conceded that a lot more needed to be done in the areas of consolidating peace, promoting business, providing infrastructure and improving the general conditions of workers.
A security analyst, Mr Emmanuel Bombande, noted that the first year of the Mills administration witnessed a remarkable improvement in the fight against violent crimes, but not in the search for peace, reports Kofi Yeboah.
In an interview, Mr Bombande stressed the need for the police and other security agencies to upscale their strategy in order to sustain the gains made and called for a more proactive approach to improve on peace interventions.
"Peace and security are mutually influential and are truly integrated, and yet, they are not the same thing," he remarked, as he shared some thoughts with the Daily Graphic on the performance of the Mills administration regarding national security in 2009.
Mr Bombande said although security could not be put in a time frame, there had been a remarkable improvement and progress in combating violent crime, such as armed robbery.
He said the achievement was due to the more proactive approach adopted by the police and the military, an improvement on their capacity for rapid deployment and the reward package instituted by the police, among other factors.
Although he admitted that there had been a few instances of violent crime of very disturbing proportions in the course of the year, he pointed out that, in terms of figures, those incidents were less than what pertained the previous year.
Mr Bombande, however, indicated that the issue was not just about statistics but the psychological barrier that made people to feel safe or unsafe.
He said the challenge was how to sustain the gains made and even improve on them to ensure that the incidents of violent crime were reduced to the barest minimum.
On peace, Mr Bombande observed that peacekeeping in the country had been reduced to the level of firefighting without any initiative to promote dialogue among the factions.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) feels that some achievements were made in the area of education, reports Emmanuel Bonney.
The association said the interventions such as the provision of free exercise books, free uniforms and the 50 per cent increase in the Capitation Grant from GH¢3 to GH¢4.50 pesewas, to attract and retain pupils in school were laudable.
A Deputy General Secretary of GNAT, Mr John Nyoagbe, told the Daily Graphic that the interventions by the government would help address inequality in the system.
He said such initiatives should not be a nine-day wonder but should be sustained, adding that the real targets of the interventions should be identified for them to derive maximum benefit.
"The increase in the Capitation Grant by 50 per cent is worthy of commendation. But the issue is the time of delivering the resource is the most important thing. If the Capitation Grant comes early enough then school heads would use it to plan and implement the programme, but if it comes in the middle of the term or towards the end, then one can now guess what the money would be used for," he said.
Mr Nyoagbe said teachers and their welfare issues especially teacher shortage and how to attract and retain teachers in deprived communities, needed to be given a very serious thought.
He said the 20 per cent allowance for teachers in rural areas announced by the government should not be a platform talk but must be translated into reality else the imbalance in education delivery would remain.
On the Government's decision to revert to the three-year senior high school education, he said once the government had decided to do that it should endeavour to motivate teachers and provide the needed facilities that would enhance teaching and learning.
On the health sector, a former Director-General (D-G) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, said it was premature for any serious assessment to be done on a government’s performance within one year, reports Lucy Adoma Yeboah.
He went further to point out that it would be a bit easier if the health sector had had one minister to head the ministry for the year but not under the current situation where the ministry had two ministers within that short period.
Professor Akosa explained that if Dr George Sipah-Adjah Yankey who was first assigned the responsibility of the ministry had been given the opportunity to work for the whole year, one would have been in a better position to, at least, look at some of the policies he might have introduced.
He said unfortunately, Dr Yankey did not keep long at the Ministry of Health and also the new minister, Dr Benjamin Kunbour, had just taken over as the substantive sector minister and, therefore, no proper assessment could be done on that ministry.
Matilda Attram & Henrietta Brocke report that a section of the traders at the Agbogbloshie market raised concerns about the economy in the first year of the Mills administration, which came into office on January 7, 2009.
A provision shop owner, Mr Fred Addo, said although the economy had not been better than expected, it was manageable.
Comparing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) era to that of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), he stated that the difference in the increase in fuel prices and goods was not that much.
“During NPP era a carton of milk was 16 cedis and now it is 20 cedis due to inflation,” he said.
He expressed the hope that Ghanaians would co-operate with the government to improve on the economy for the benefit of all.
For his part, the Executive Director at the Centre for Policy Analysis (CEPA), Dr J. L. S. Abbey, urged the government to strive towards reducing its expenditure in order to close its deficit gap currently pegged at 10.5 per cent, reports Naa Lamiley Bentil.
Last year, the government envisaged a reduction of its deficit to 9.4 per cent but it was unable to achieve that target at the end of year 2009 and that, according to Dr Abbey, could be attributed to the backlog of expenditure in the year 2008 during the electioneering.
To reverse the trend however, and set the economic on a path of recovery, Dr Abbey stated that the government must remain focus and insist on value for money in its expenditure whilst ensuring that programmes and projects which had stalled were completed to the benefit of the people.
Infrastructure projects such as roads, for instance, must be built to facilitate economic activities.
According to him, 2009 was a very difficult year for even developed economies due to the global recession and described Ghana as “a tail of two cities”.
Explaining, Dr Abbey said Ghana was caught in between two forces, in that whilst developed nations increased their spending to stimulate the economy, Ghana’s government reduced spending significantly to stabilise its economy.
From the labour front, Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho reports that the Deputy Secretary General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Yaw Baah, has commended the government for some bold initiatives that it had taken since it took office.
One of such initiative is the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS), which, according to Dr Baah, would help bring relief to most workers especially teachers in terms of they getting fair wages which would be commensurate to their work.
He also commended the government for the implementation of the Three Tier Pension Scheme, which, according to him, would enable most workers to go on pension with some dignity.
Dr Yaw Baah, however, expressed some reservations including the existing high taxes which public service workers had to pay and the current employment situation in the country.
Japanese grant for two schools in two regions (Back Page)
Two schools — one at Suntreso in the Amansie West District in the Ashanti Region and the other at Mepe in the North Tongu District in the Volta Region — have become beneficiaries of a grant from the Japanese government for the construction of a six-classroom block and a science laboratory.
While the Suntreso Primary School will receive $95,028 for the construction of a six-classroom block and a place of convenience, the St Kizito Senior High School at Mepe will benefit from $94,818 for the construction of a science laboratory.
The science laboratory, when completed, will also cater for the needs of students at the Battor Senior High School and the Aveyime Senior High School, both in the North Tongu District in the Volta Region.
The grant for the project was made possible under the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project (GHSP) scheme initiated by the Japanese Government.
A contract to give effect to the grant was signed between the Japanese Embassy in Ghana and Suntreso Primary School and St Kizito Senior High School in Accra yesterday.
The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Keiichi Katakami, signed for the Japanese government while the District Director of Education for Amansie West, Mr Samuel Kena, and Headmaster of St Kizito Technical School , Mr Emmanuel Kwame Vortuame, initialled for Suntreso Primary School and St Kizito Technical School respectively.
At the signing ceremony, the Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Keiichi Katakami, said the Government of Japan had made basic education projects one of its priorities.
He explained that the Suntreso Primary School block was constructed more that 60 years ago out of mud and the community lacked the resources to build a new one by themselves hence the embassy’s decision to help.
Touching on the science laboratory project to be constructed at the St Kizito Technical School, Mr Katakami said a total of 799 science students were expected to benefit directly once the project was completed.
For his part, the District Director of Education for Amansie West, Mr Kena, promised to ensure that the project, which was slated for the end of September, this year, was completed on schedule.
He, however, pledged not to sacrifice quality but to ensure that good work was done.
In his remarks, the Headmaster of St Kizito Technical School, Mr Vortuame, pointed out that when the authorities of the school recognised the need for a science laboratory they approached the embassy for assistance, which was offered.
He took the opportunity to thank the embassy on behalf of the students and teachers of the school, adding that the community would forever be grateful to the Japanese government.
While the Suntreso Primary School will receive $95,028 for the construction of a six-classroom block and a place of convenience, the St Kizito Senior High School at Mepe will benefit from $94,818 for the construction of a science laboratory.
The science laboratory, when completed, will also cater for the needs of students at the Battor Senior High School and the Aveyime Senior High School, both in the North Tongu District in the Volta Region.
The grant for the project was made possible under the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project (GHSP) scheme initiated by the Japanese Government.
A contract to give effect to the grant was signed between the Japanese Embassy in Ghana and Suntreso Primary School and St Kizito Senior High School in Accra yesterday.
The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Keiichi Katakami, signed for the Japanese government while the District Director of Education for Amansie West, Mr Samuel Kena, and Headmaster of St Kizito Technical School , Mr Emmanuel Kwame Vortuame, initialled for Suntreso Primary School and St Kizito Technical School respectively.
At the signing ceremony, the Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Keiichi Katakami, said the Government of Japan had made basic education projects one of its priorities.
He explained that the Suntreso Primary School block was constructed more that 60 years ago out of mud and the community lacked the resources to build a new one by themselves hence the embassy’s decision to help.
Touching on the science laboratory project to be constructed at the St Kizito Technical School, Mr Katakami said a total of 799 science students were expected to benefit directly once the project was completed.
For his part, the District Director of Education for Amansie West, Mr Kena, promised to ensure that the project, which was slated for the end of September, this year, was completed on schedule.
He, however, pledged not to sacrifice quality but to ensure that good work was done.
In his remarks, the Headmaster of St Kizito Technical School, Mr Vortuame, pointed out that when the authorities of the school recognised the need for a science laboratory they approached the embassy for assistance, which was offered.
He took the opportunity to thank the embassy on behalf of the students and teachers of the school, adding that the community would forever be grateful to the Japanese government.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
GCPP assures members *As Kufuor, PNC mourn its leader
AS the nation mourns the Founder and Leader of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), Mr Dan Lartey, the Executive Committee of the party has assured the party members, followers and sympathisers that the philosophy and ideals of the party still stand.
In a statement signed by the National Chairman of the GCPP, Mr John Thompsom in Accra, it stated that philosophy and ideals of the party established by the late Mr Lartey “will continue to guide the party in its quest to win the 2012 election”.
The statement advised members of the party to be steadfast and calm as the leadership made arrangements to announce the programme of activities and dates for the regional conferences.
In a related developmet, Former President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday consoled the family and friends of the late Mr Lartey describing him as "one of the political stalwarts of our time".
A message released in Accra and carried by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) read: "I have learnt with shock the passing away of Mr Daniel Augustus Lartey, Founder and Leader of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).
"Mr Lartey, or 'Mr Domestication', as he is popularly called, has paid his dues as one of the political stalwarts of our time”.
The statement continued that a man of great conviction, Mr Lartey stood by his ideals and defended what he believed in staunchly.
"The fervour and dynamism he brought to the national political plate at his advanced age were amazing, even to his adversaries.
"As a veteran politician, Mr Lartey had his fair share of the political vicissitudes of this country but he never gave up in his quest to see Ghana shaped in the mould of the vision that he had for it.
"Alas, death has robbed him of achieving that goal. As we mourn the loss of this great son of Ghana, it behoves on those who share in his dream to sustain it and grow the party he founded as memorial to his great works."
The People’s National Convention (PNC) also expressed shock at the death of “Comrade’ Dan Augustus Lartey.
“Comrade has in his life contributed enormously, not only for his family and himself but to the economic and democratic dispensation of the country he so loved,” it said.
A statement signed by the General Secretary of the PNC, Mr Bernard Anbataayela Mornah, said Mr Lartey’s concept of ‘domestication’ added to the economic nomenclature and it had become a household word.
“Many, and for that matter all those who believe that the way of our economic salvation rested on the shoulders of our own resources, see his domestication idea as a policy well grounded. This concept was to ensure that Ghanaians patronised made-in-Ghana produce.
“The Ghanaian business should be provided the needed impetus to grow. This way, we will provide opportunity for employment thus increase levels of income and become food sufficient, thereby reducing the huge import bill of our nation”, it added.
The statement said Uncle Dan’s contribution to national discourse and development had been legendary and exemplary.
It said in politics, he added colour to the multiparty democratic experiment, especially in 2000, when he acted in concert with other citizens to foster political change by standing firm in his opposition to policies and acts that were inimical to national cohesion.
It said Uncle Dan joined forces with other political leaders to oppose the setting up of a procurement authority for the Electoral Commission (EC) and the passage of the Representation of the People’s Amendment Act (ROPAA).
The statement said in 2008, when elections entered a runoff, Uncle Dan and his party, the GCPP, took a brave decision by opting for ‘Change’.
“The PNC send our sympathies to the Lartey Family, the GCPP in the hope that they would be fortified to continue from where Uncle Dan left. We are convinced that the greatest tribute for Dan Lartey will be a continuation of the things he stood for”.
The statement also said for his contribution to the nation, it was the hope of the PNC that the government would accord this statesman the honour he deserved.
Family sources said Mr Lartey passed away on Monday evening in Accra.
In a statement signed by the National Chairman of the GCPP, Mr John Thompsom in Accra, it stated that philosophy and ideals of the party established by the late Mr Lartey “will continue to guide the party in its quest to win the 2012 election”.
The statement advised members of the party to be steadfast and calm as the leadership made arrangements to announce the programme of activities and dates for the regional conferences.
In a related developmet, Former President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday consoled the family and friends of the late Mr Lartey describing him as "one of the political stalwarts of our time".
A message released in Accra and carried by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) read: "I have learnt with shock the passing away of Mr Daniel Augustus Lartey, Founder and Leader of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).
"Mr Lartey, or 'Mr Domestication', as he is popularly called, has paid his dues as one of the political stalwarts of our time”.
The statement continued that a man of great conviction, Mr Lartey stood by his ideals and defended what he believed in staunchly.
"The fervour and dynamism he brought to the national political plate at his advanced age were amazing, even to his adversaries.
"As a veteran politician, Mr Lartey had his fair share of the political vicissitudes of this country but he never gave up in his quest to see Ghana shaped in the mould of the vision that he had for it.
"Alas, death has robbed him of achieving that goal. As we mourn the loss of this great son of Ghana, it behoves on those who share in his dream to sustain it and grow the party he founded as memorial to his great works."
The People’s National Convention (PNC) also expressed shock at the death of “Comrade’ Dan Augustus Lartey.
“Comrade has in his life contributed enormously, not only for his family and himself but to the economic and democratic dispensation of the country he so loved,” it said.
A statement signed by the General Secretary of the PNC, Mr Bernard Anbataayela Mornah, said Mr Lartey’s concept of ‘domestication’ added to the economic nomenclature and it had become a household word.
“Many, and for that matter all those who believe that the way of our economic salvation rested on the shoulders of our own resources, see his domestication idea as a policy well grounded. This concept was to ensure that Ghanaians patronised made-in-Ghana produce.
“The Ghanaian business should be provided the needed impetus to grow. This way, we will provide opportunity for employment thus increase levels of income and become food sufficient, thereby reducing the huge import bill of our nation”, it added.
The statement said Uncle Dan’s contribution to national discourse and development had been legendary and exemplary.
It said in politics, he added colour to the multiparty democratic experiment, especially in 2000, when he acted in concert with other citizens to foster political change by standing firm in his opposition to policies and acts that were inimical to national cohesion.
It said Uncle Dan joined forces with other political leaders to oppose the setting up of a procurement authority for the Electoral Commission (EC) and the passage of the Representation of the People’s Amendment Act (ROPAA).
The statement said in 2008, when elections entered a runoff, Uncle Dan and his party, the GCPP, took a brave decision by opting for ‘Change’.
“The PNC send our sympathies to the Lartey Family, the GCPP in the hope that they would be fortified to continue from where Uncle Dan left. We are convinced that the greatest tribute for Dan Lartey will be a continuation of the things he stood for”.
The statement also said for his contribution to the nation, it was the hope of the PNC that the government would accord this statesman the honour he deserved.
Family sources said Mr Lartey passed away on Monday evening in Accra.
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