Editorial
Attitudinal change, tough measures can help control filth
A walk or drive through the streets of Accra and other cities would expose one to the state of filth that has engulfed our country.
Over the years we have not been able to properly tackle this menace due to lack of behavioural change, increasing rate of urbanisation, indiscriminate dumping of plastics, among other factors.
But the remedy to poor sanitation cannot rest on the shoulders of one person, department, or organisation. The onus lies on us the citizenry since we are all part of the ‘mess’.
My worry, however, is that there’s little or no sense of civic responsibility on the part of citizens when it comes to proper sanitation. We continue to generate waste and recklessly dispose waste in our various communities.
We litter our surroundings, cut down trees, burn rubbish and anything around us haphazardly. In spite of warnings, some residents continue to build on water ways while others turn open drains into dumping grounds.
Our country continues to face a lot of infrastructure and political challenges but these challenges would linger on if we do not maintain clean and healthy environment.
While I believe we must reinforce the message on attitudinal change, sanitation courts should continue to impose hefty fines on persons who breach sanitation regulations.
The weekly and monthly environment clean up should be reactivated and government must as well put words to action when it comes to banning “harmful” plastics. These and other workable measures, I believe, would go a long way to help control filth in our country.
Matilda Opoku Boabeng,
Student, Ghana Institute of Journalism
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
