Editorial
Effects of climate change on fishing sector
Dear Editor,
Climate change has been a pressing issue as it reshapes our oceans and threatens marine life and coastal communities who rely on it.
Climate change, which results from human activities such as burning fossil fuels, leads to global warming. Nonetheless, the rising sea temperature and ocean acidification, which are some effects of climate change, have had a great impact on fish.
The warming of the ocean and the increased acidity of its waters have disturbed the habitat of marine ecosystems and had an impact on their population.
This has caused alterations in the way fish migrate, the availability of their food, and their overall productivity.
Fish populations, a primary protein source for billions, are migrating to cooler waters for survival, leaving traditional fishing grounds barren and fishermen’s nets empty.
This imposes economic hardship on coastal communities as well as the local economy as it contributes to about some percentage.
In Ghana, fisheries contribute 4.5 per cent to the annual gross domestic product (GDP) and indirectly support the livelihoods of 2.2 million people in Ghana.
This speaks volumes of the effect this global phenomenon is having on people who feed directly on this sector and their dependents.
It has affected fish stock. The little they get is not enough to support their families.
Interacting with a section of these fisher folks, they all appear to be facing the same issues of smaller harvest and catching fingerlings more than the matured ones.
On the market, people find them unattractive and costly. As a result, they end up selling them at low prices, leading to substantial losses.
Some children have dropped out of school because their parents are unable to pay their school fees because of this development.
Clearly, climate change has cast a huge shadow over marine life and coastal communities, altering their way of life.
This is the time for us to see positive outcomes from the many international meetings and workshops trying to find a solution to this.
Gloria Tettey
gloriatettey808@gmail.com
UNIMAC-IJ (Faculty 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
