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Influx of fake dentist …Dental Association caution public
The Ghana Dental Association (GDA) is concerned about the invasion of fake dentists in the country practicing in barber and hairdressing salons.
Dr (Dent.) Cecilia Kakrabah Quarshie, President of the Association, said the development was becoming alarming, stressing the need for a collaboration between the association and security agencies arrest the quack dentists.
This came to light at the 33rd Annual General Congress (AGC) of the GDA in Kumasi, Ashanti Region.
It was under the theme, ‘Strengthening the GDA: An All Inclusive Membership for Tomorrow’s Success.’
According to Dr Quarshie, it was a development every member of the public must be concerned about because of the dangers these fake doctors pose to life and health.
“Dentistry is a noble profession deeply rooted and steep in medicine and science and should not be trivialised as mere fashion statement because implications of these unregulated practices are alarming,” she said.
According to her, efforts were being made to end the practice and asked the members of the public to deal with qualified dentist in order to avoid any health implications.
In attendance at the AGC was the Minister of Health, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, who stressed the need for teaching hospitals to collaborate with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to allow consultants at the hospitals to do clinicals at rural or peri-urban areas periodically.
He said it should be possible for specialists to extend their services to other areas of the country that lacked their expertise.
On his part, the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof. Ellis Owusu-Dabo, in a statement read on his behalf, expressed worry about the exodus of health workers which he said could have repercussions on the provision of health care in the country.
In 2023, he said about 4,000 nurses left the country to Europe and America in search of better opportunities.
He said, already, there was an unequal distribution of health workers, particularly specialist medical staff in the country, and that the current situation would exacerbate the plight of those already at a disadvantage.
“It is estimated that about 70 to 80 per cent of dentists are clustered in the southern part of the country, mainly Accra and Kumasi, while the remaining 20 per cent are distributed across the northern sector.
“This leaves thousands of people without access to professional care services, especially in rural and peri-urban Ghana,” he added. As of 2022, there were a total of 570 dentists for a population of 31 million people – a ratio of one dentist to 58,400 people.
This, he said, falls below the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of a dentist for every 7,500 people.
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
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Traders, ‘Okada’ riders take over Circle pavement
• Korle-Bu CEO with staff of Nivaansh MediQas
Activities of traders and drug addicts are contributing to make the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange (Circle) area very uncomfortable and unsafe for commuters.
Day in and out, pedestrians are ‘ejected’ from the pavement created for their safety as traders preferred to sell their wares on that space.
That hinders the free movement of the pedestrians.
The small space left for the pedestrians are also shared with ‘Okada’ riders.
As if these woes are not enough for a commuter on a single day, they also have to navigate carefully to avoid clashes with drug addicts and the mentally challenged.
These people have turned the pavements into their places of abode, covering every inch of space with their wares.
Our photographer, Lizzy Okai, captures some of the unfriendly scenes the authorities must try and deal with to restore sanity to the area.
By Lizzy Okai
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NDC outlines demands before committing to Peace Pact
The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has set forth specific conditions that the party insists must be met before considering signing the Peace Pact advocated by the National Peace Council in anticipation of the December 7 elections.
Mr. Nketia expressed scepticism about the effectiveness of past Peace Pacts, highlighting that they had not achieved their intended outcomes, particularly referencing the 2020 elections, during which eight NDC members were allegedly killed by national security operatives without accountability.
During an August 20 meeting with the National Peace Council at the NDC headquarters, Mr. Nketia detailed the certain conditions for the NDC’s participation in the Peace Pact.
The NDC is demanding that the recommendations from the investigation into the violence during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election be fully implemented.
They also want those responsible for election-related violence in the last election to be prosecuted, stressing the importance of justice and prevention.
The party is calling for accountability regarding irregularities in the printing of ballot papers and insists that visible measures be taken to prevent such issues from happening again.
They are also pushing for a thorough investigation into the missing IT equipment from the Electoral Commission’s (EC) warehouse, expressing concerns about the integrity of the EC’s systems and the potential bias of its staff.
Furthermore, the NDC is urging the President to publicly commit to respecting the results of the 2024 elections. Lastly, the party insists that the Peace Pact should be signed by key figures, including the Inspector General of Police, the Chief Justice, the Attorney-General, and the National Security Coordinator, before they will consider signing it themselves.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
