News
Tarkwa Municipal Hospital improves neonatal health
Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, (left) presenting the award to Ms Arthur at the ceremony. Mr Duker (second left) applauding
A Senior Nursing Officer (SNO) at the Tarkwa Municipal Government Hospital in the Western Region, Ms Selina Arthur, says complications have reduced and survival rate of new born babies improved at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Hospital.
The success, she attributed to the adoption of what she called a ‘family meeting’ with other critical units like the maternity and doctors, to discuss the reduction of complications to improve the survival rate of neo-natal babies.
Ms Arthur gave the encouraging news in an interview with The Spectator after she received the MPs Special Award at the third Duker Teachers and Health Workers awards held at Tarkwa, last Friday.
She received a plaque, a chest freezer, GH¢10,000 and a motorcyle.
The event is an initiative of the Member of Parliament for Tarkwa- Nsuaem, Mr George Mireku Duker, and held on the theme: ‘Championing learning and wellness in our communities.’
36 other persons including health workers, also received various awards.
Sharing her thoughts with The Spectator, Ms Arthur, a paediatric nurse at NICU of the Tarkwa Municipal Hospital said, working at the unit comes with passion and self- motivation, saying, “the neonatal babies required special attention.”
“Every NICU nurse needs to ensure that new babies (day old babies) were spared of any complications, and survived, to transfer to the nursery.”
Ms Arthur, with about 30 years’ experience, told The Spectator that other units like the Maternity and Labour wards also need to ensure that neo-natal babies were safe and survived operations along the delivery chain.
Moreover, she underlined that working within the NICU environment came with challenges, but, the unit was encouraged to ensure survival of patients, hoping that, “if we have the equipment, most of them will survive.”
Ms Arthur further encouraged health professionals, especially nurses, to be self- motivated, dedicated and show passion to save lives of new born babies.
These professional attributes, she said, would help improve health delivery in the communities they practiced.
Mr Alex Otoo, a tutor at the NMTC, also an awardee, also told The Spectator that nurses needed to be imbued with passion and care for patients even if it’s time for closing.
Mr Duker elaborated that last year, he promised to honour health professionals who worked hard and tirelessly to provide effective healthcare services to save lives.
From Clement Adzei Boye, Tarkwa
News
Craze for x’mas shopping: Crowded markets, low patronage
Vendors of food and other wares associated with the Christmas celebration have expressed surprise at the low patronage despite the increased number of visitors to some of the major markets across the capital.
Four days to the celebration(Christmas), the markets are filled with various products ranging from food, clothing, livestock and many other stuff, but according to the vendors, patrons are doing more ‘window’ shopping.
The Spectator on visits to some of the markets in the capital, notably the Odawna, Makola, Accra Central Business District, New Town and others made similar observations as shoppers crowd them but did little in terms of purchases.
The paper also observed that majority of vendors, originally selling other wares have switched to product related to the festive season.
What it means is that there are a lot more clothes, food and vegetables, livestock and poultry, toys, firecrackers, drinks of different types and many others on display.
The markets have also stretched to the pedestrian pavement, leaving very narrow spaces for commuters to move about freely.
That, in addition to a few of the female vendors dressed in coloured attires to reflect the occasion, has heightened the euphoria, leaving the low sales as the only headache for the vendors.
Speaking with this paper, they sounded very optimistic, believing that sales would improve in the last few days to the yuletide.
According to them, there was the opportunity to sell beyond Christmas as the New Year celebration offers similar opportunity to trade the same wares.
They urged patrons to throng the markets to shop since prices were quite moderate and products affordable for all.
News
Retirement service for Elder John Ackom-Asante,3 others
Retired Deputy Editor of The Spectator, Elder John Ackom-Asante, was last Sunday honoured by the Church of Pentecost Windy Hills District in Kasoa in the Central Region, with a retirement thanksgiving service, after serving for 26 year as an Elder of the church.
He was honoured with a citation and certificate of service along with three other elders who served in the capacity for various years.
Elder Ackom-Asante was baptised at the Darkuman Central Assembly in 1979 and ordained as an Elder in 1997.
The citation read “Your selfless service, zeal, willingness to relate wholeheartedly and your desire to effect change has gone a long way to shape the lives of many people in the church and the nation over the 26 years of your dedication to the service of the Lord.”
Elder Ackom- Asante held many positions at the Darkuman Central Assembly, Obuasi in the Ashanti Region and Tema, serving in various capacities as youth and evangelism ministry leader and marriage counsellor.
He was the founding member of the Darkuman Christian Fellowship, a member of the Greater Accra Christian Fellowship; member of Bible Society of Ghana; founding member Obuasi Chapter Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International and founding member of New Times Corporation Christian Fellowship and Chaplain, Methodist University Tema Campus 2009- 2010.
As a professional journalist, Elder Ackom-Asante combined effectively and efficiently his duty as a member and elder of the church and the demands of his profession, with admiration from the church, kith and kin, till his retirement on December
From Alhaji Salifu Abdul-Rahaman, Kasoa
