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Some parents, guardians engaging in ‘mercy killing’ of children with special needs?
Aid children with special needs
Parents and guardians of children with special needs have been advised to stop molesting and engaging in ‘mercy killing’ of these unfortunate children.
The Unit Headmistress of Ofori Panin Primary Special Needs School at Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region, Mrs Charity Yaa Otu, in an interview, hinted that some parents and guardians were abusing and allegedly killing these children who had disability in their intellectual abilities — such as those with cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, autism, hydrocephalus among other intellectual and developmental disabilities.
She revealed that as headmistress of the school, she had received reports from some parents about their in-laws, family and community members impressing on them (parents) to allegedly kill or abuse these children.
“In some of our cultural settings they describe these children as spirit children or children from the gods and some people feel they should not be made to live and kill them or treat them badly by abusing them,” she said.
She further alleged that some guardians and parents intentionally take them for shopping to win their trust and later mix poisonous concoctions for them to drink and die.
“Because these special needs children may be difficult to live with some parents abuse them in their homes at the slightest provocation,” she added.
She disclosed that some of the children received harsh treatment from some community members who again physically assaulted or raped them.
Mrs Yaa Otu revealed that recently one of her students, Yaw Manteh aged 20 years who had cerebral palsy was physically abused by some unknown persons in his area, recalling that the school management together with some teachers had to contribute about GH¢3,000 to take the boy to the Kukurantumi Community Hospital, where they were later referred to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for laboratory tests.
The headmistress noted that such domestic and societal abuse as well as alleged killing were unfortunate, adding that it was high time society changed their negative perception about special needs children and rather showed them the needed love and care they deserved.
“These children even though challenged, have capabilities which if positively harnessed can empower them to be self-reliant and will be able to contribute their quota to the development of their households, their communities and the nation as a whole.”
She advised parents of children with special needs to report to the police if anyone including family and community members pressured them to mistreat their children or kill them.
She hinted that the school was the only special school in the area catering for about 50 pupils and prayed that Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Philanthropists, among others will come to our aid.”
She mentioned some key stakeholders such as the Municipal Education Director, Mrs Abena Gyamerah and MP for Abuakwa North, Mrs Gifty Twum Ampofo who have been helpful but added that more help was needed to properly train the children.
Speaking to the Eastern Regional Secretary of the Ghana Federation for Persons with Disability, Ms Felicity Amponsem Kyere, on the issue, she confirmed that her attention had been drawn to issues of similar nature.
She said there was the need for a revision of cultural norms to change the negative perception towards such children.
She, therefore, called on government and stakeholders in the disability sector to come to the aid of these special children.
She called on the Municipal and District Assemblies to give the PWDS the needed three and half per cent of the common fund due them to organise disability days to educate the public on disability and their rights.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Kukurantumi
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NHIA set to boost its cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), in partnership with a leading private cybersecurity solutions provider in Ghana, CyberHawk Limited, is advancing the Authority’s digital infrastructure to ensure seamless operations.
This is to safeguard the Authority’s digital technologies and maintain the trust of active members of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
In this context, the NHIA Management Information System (MIS) Directorate in the Head Office, on February 11, 2024, launched a three-day brainstorming session on the organization’s cybersecurity enhancement agenda.
The MIS Directorate Ag. Director, Mr. Daniel Blankson explained that the collaborative meeting aimed to scrutinize the NHIA’s Information Technology architecture, identifying potential risks and gapsto enhance its cybersecurity posture.
“By leveraging CyberHawk Limited’s expertise, the NHIA seeks to fortify its defenses against cyber threats, protecting sensitive information and maintaining the trust of its members.”
Mr. Blankson applauded the synergy between the two organizations and underscored the Authority’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to drive its mission forward.
The Head of Information Security and Standards Unit, in the MIS Directorate, Mr. Ebenezer Hooper, highlighted the Authority’s significant milestone on the digital transformation journey.
According to him, the NHIA is actively engaged in fully adopting and implementing modern digital systems to improve its operations.
He said, “The three-day brainstorming meeting will culminate in the development of a robust IT infrastructure, as well as strategic plans to translate security implementations into tangible IT cost savings for the organization.”
“There is the need to form a steering committee or IT advisory committee, operated under the Board, so that they can pay more attention in protecting the huge IT investment while ensuring cyber security-related policies are well protected,” he added.
The Project Manager of CyberHawk Limited, Mr. Chetan Narayana Murthy, lauded the collaboration and anticipated that it would empower the NHIA to implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures.
According to him, “This is a huge project that will greatly benefit the NHIA by implementing robust cybersecurity measures, safeguarding their systems, and ultimately protecting the sensitive information of NHIA members and healthcare providers.”
A Senior Manager of IT infrastructure, Mr. David Asare Addo, and his colleague, a Senior Manager of Applications, Mr. Enock Afanyi, with the MIS Directorate, gave an overview of the NHIA’s current technological landscape.
Present at the meeting were representatives from the Claims, Membership and Regional Operations (MRO), Research, Policy, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RPME), Corporate Affairs, the Audit, Administration, and Human Resource Directorates.
Story By : Vivian Arthur
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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal
Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
