Editorial
An obvious, lurking danger

A worker cutting a fallen tree to allow traffic to flow
Dear Editor,
Please permit me space in your popular newspaper to bring to the attention of authorities, especially the Department of Parks and Gardens (DPG) as well as the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG) on last week’s storm that hit part of Accra.
At the Cantonment area, a huge tree fell and caused massive destruction to property.
Gladly, there was no life lost and it enjoyed massive media coverage as personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) moved in to cut the huge branches that destroyed vehicles and motorbikes.
There were other places that witnessed similar incident that had little impact but instead of ignoring them, it would be appropriate for the above mentioned authorities to put in place mechanism to avoid such dangers as the rains set in.
At the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) area, there were a few broken trees as a result of the storm.
A few advertising boards were also sited scattered around.
These are signs of what could befall us when it rains heavily accompanied with storm.
Driving around town, one can see a number of these huge trees that also look dry; they are the ones that pose the threat. It is time the DPG take a second look at them.
They should either consider pruning or cut them entirely and plant new ones to replace them. Personally, that would guarantee the safety of unfortunate ones that are caught outside by the rains so that rushing to take shelter do not turn disastrous.
Mike Prempeh,
Accra
Editorial
Kudos to Ho Teaching Hospital staff, but …
Dear Editor,
If there is any group of professionals that get bad-mouthed the most, then you are referring to nurses and medical doctors assigned to public hospitals across the country.
For this particular letter, I want to sing the praises of this same group of professionals that work at the Ho Teaching Hospital, famously known as Trafalgar.
Despite the work load and the mass casualties received at the emergency ward of the hospital, the welcoming nature of the nurses and the professional touch by the doctors can’t be ignored. My personal experience has got me travelling from my base in Accra to seek medical services from these professionals.
Special mention has to be made of the likes of Precious of the Pharmacy Department, Dr Brandon Banor (a maxillofacial resident) of the Dental unit, male nurse Justice assigned to the female surgical ward. Words cannot really do justice to their affable, professional caring nature. A simple thank you is all that I can say.
In the same vein, I can’t but call out the bad attitude of the auxiliary staff and contractors of the hospital.
Chief among them is some of the contracted bank staff that handle the payment section of the hospital and the patient registration section (those that check the status of the patient as to whether they are fee paying patients or NHIS sponsored).
The attitude at times leaves a bad taste in the mouth. One such occurrence was a night staff of the registration section who had her legs on the office table whilst talking to patients.
The CEO of the hospital needs to shine his torch light on this support sections before they erode the awesome performance of the direct medical staff of the hospital.
Thank you for the space.
Kwesi Manu
Accra
Editorial
Develop policies to address disability concerns
Dear Editor,
AT the beginning of the year, when I went to the bank to deposit money into my uncle’s account, I observed a very sad situation where a man in a wheelchair struggled to navigate his way around the facility.
This is because the structure is disability unfriendly.
As I stood and watched how the man struggled to move his wheelchair, I felt sad and wondered if this is how the life of a disabled person should be. It becomes worse if there is no one to offer help.
In Ghana, People With Disabilities (PWDs) are often treated differently and are often subjected to all forms of discrimination.
Most of these people find themselves in such a situation as a result of unfortunate happenings such as accidents and injuries.
It is, therefore, not appropriate for anyone to discriminate against them. Discrimination against such persons take many forms, including how buildings are constructed.
Most of the public structures are not disability friendly and impede their movement.
As a country, we should consider the PWDs in designing our structures. I also think that there should be a national policy that seeks to address this issue.
I have a strong conviction that when such a policy is developed by the government, people with disabilities would feel appreciated and also promote social inclusivity.
Ray,
Kasoa