Editorial
Christmas is here with us again
So soon, the Christmas season is here with us again, and it is difficult to believe that the year 2022 has travelled over 12 months within this short time.
The season is a period of joy because during this time, people are expected to celebrate the Saviour of the World and share gifts with friends and loved ones. It is an occasion during which everyone is expected to share in this joy and make us happy.
This explains why we tend to wish one another the best of luck and happiness. This warm season must be shared by all, irrespective of whether those we share it with happen to be our friends or not.
It is equally important to share the peace and love of the season with all political actors. We may belong to different political parties, but we need to respect one another irrespective of differences in political views and beliefs.
At the same time, we need to ensure that vicious attacks are avoided as much as possible. This is because clean politics requires that decent language be used whenever we are expressing our views. The situation in which vicious attacks are launched on political opponents in order to destroy them must be avoided.
What is more, the use of social media to mount attacks on our political leaders as well as parliamentarians must be avoided. Hiding on social media to attack people we perceive as political enemies is the most unfortunate thing to do at this point in time.
Rather, we should show respect to one another and offer constructive criticism so that together we can build our country into a great nation. This is what we need to do at all times.
Christmas is a period of love, which must be extended to all people in this country and outside, irrespective of their status in society.
Showing love to one another means sharing our gifts with those around us. It is true that economic conditions have made life unbearable.
In spite of this, we must show love to everybody and stand firm so that we can have one united front against our common enemy, which is poverty and squalor. We need to come together and make every effort to overcome all the difficulties we are facing in this country and the rest of the world.
We must always remember that “where there is life, there is hope.”
Merry Christmas to all our readers!
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
