Editorial
Digital, satellite broadcast: NCA must be proactive
Dear Editor,
Somewhere last year, we heard the story of two teenagers who allegedly murdered a playmate at Kasoa. According to preliminary investigations, a fetish priestess had asked them to bring human parts for money rituals.
When the incident was widely condemned, a section of the public blamed television and radio stations allocating airtime to fetish and occult groups.
The National Communication Authority (NCA) subsequently shut down some unlicensed television stations and others that aired disgusting and misleading content thus bringing some sanity to digital broadcast platforms.
During the Christmas holidays, I scanned channels and noticed stations that were still projecting the activities of ritualists. I spotted at least two channels running commentary on a so-called “brotherhood” and boldly displayed contact numbers to entice viewers.
I do not want to name the channels that are culpable of this practice but I believe the NCA is aware of television stations that continue to breach its broadcast and compliance guidelines.
I, therefore, wish to remind the monitoring unit of the NCA to step up efforts to scrutinise programmes aired on digital platforms and blacklist those that are not up to standard.
Citizens deserve good content and regulatory bodies must ensure that only digital and satellite channels with great content are maintained on our airwaves.
Jones Kamasah,
Tetegu.
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
