Editorial
Ayekoo, Hasaacas Ladies!
Ghana is a football nation and no matter how one looks at it, the country has the potential to organise itself into a formidable force in both men and women football tournaments.
The splendid performance of Hasaacas Ladies in the just-ended 2021 CAF Women’s Champions League in Cairo, Egypt, is a case in point.
Even though many people trusted Hasaacas Ladies in the CAF competition, this hope became generally higher, though not as high as it is today, after the competition and also their second-place position in the tournament.
In spite of this, Hasaacas Ladies proved that they were a force to reckon with. After the impressive performance at the group stages, confidence in them soared and after going through the semi-final stage, people now believed that the team was capable of bringing the maiden trophy home.
Unfortunately, this was not so as their South African counterparts, proving to be a better side, won the trophy and showed that they were worthy champions.
This should be understandable since no matter how good or ambitious any competitor might be only one champion will emerge. Thus, even though many Ghanaian lovers of women football were disappointed, they took it in good faith and hoped for better luck next time.
The lessons here are that, first of all, women football has come of age in Ghana and ought to be supported by everyone in terms of sponsorship. This means that corporate bodies, individuals and government should be prepared to support women football in this regard.
It is equally important for Ghana Football Association to pay great attention not only to the organisation of male football league in the country, but also to the female versions in any part of the country irrespective of the level or status of the women football, whether in the premier league, first, second or third division or at any other level.
At the same time, people in Ghana should also go to the football fields to cheer up and watch our female players or ladies as a way of encouraging them in their choice of game. If we all help and give our support in this way the sky will be the limit as far as women football is concerned.
The aim of the nation should be to lift women football to the highest level, whether at the continental level or in the world as a whole. Achieving this is possible but we need to organise ourselves better than we are doing now.
If we do this many of our football ladies can get opportunities to play football and earn foreign exchange to support their families and the nation as a whole. If players in our male clubs are able to do this, then players in the female teams can do same, so the time to move in this direction is now.
Again, winning bonuses paid to the female teams should be respectably pegged at high levels and made reasonable to make our women feel appropriately valued by the entire nation.
The insurance companies in the country can also come on board to support both men and women football in the country. The good thing about insurance here is that in times of injuries and other casualties funds can be provided to cover them, thereby encouraging them to give of their best during football competitions.
In addition, individuals can also be organised on regional basis to generate the raising of funds to support women football in the country. This can be done on competitive basis to stimulate more people and rope them into such competitive fund-raising ventures.
Ghana today has come of age so its women football ought to be fully supported by everyone and made complete and highly successful at all fronts and also at all levels.
Football is the passion of the nation, so every effort must be made to unite the people of Ghana, bring down tensions where necessary, make everyone happy and urge us on for the attainment of national goals and development.
The point to note in all this is that women football in Ghana has come of age and need to be supported by all and sundry to make women football in the country more result-oriented at the African and global levels.
This is a positive and remarkable agenda that cannot be allowed to slip but be fully supported to succeed at all cost and help place Ghana in the world map of football.
Congratulations, Hasaacas Ladies. Ghanaians are proud of you.
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
