Editorial
E-levy must achieve its purpose
Dear Editor,
After the hue and cry, the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-levy) has been implemented and it may stay with us for a long time. I doubt the suit by the Minority in Parliament at the Supreme Court would even change anything.
When it took effect on May, 1, 2022, many of us started feeling the deductions being made on our mobile transactions and we cannot even smile about it.
The Ghana Revenue Authority had said it would take a closer look at the system, following complaints of ‘inconsistency’ in the rates charged per transaction by some members of the public. I look forward to reading their findings.
My concern, however, is whether the country has, indeed, moved from a ‘taxation economy’ to a production/manufacturing economy’ as promised by our political leaders. From all indications, we are far from reaching that target as the government seems to continue identifying ‘taxable avenues’ in order to rake in revenue.
I believe leaders are elected to improve the lives of citizens not make it worse, but that does not seem to be the case in our country. The financial burden on citizens continues to increase each day with no corresponding increase in income. The less we talk about unemployment, the better.
All the same, we have been told that proceeds from E-levy would help address our economic challenges. A lot of people have high expectations and I need not say more. Citizens, including myself, are hoping that whatever income would accrue from the levy must be channelled appropriately for the benefit of all.
Bless Fianko,
Teshie – Agblezaa.
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
