Editorial
Let’s all support victims of Akosombo and Kpong floods
Last week, angry residents in Kasoa blocked the highway to express their disapproval of the poor quality of the roads and to call on the authorities to address the issues as soon as possible.
The demonstration caused heavy traffic on the Kasoa-Accra highway with majority of passengers alighting from their vehicles to walk to their destinations.
The demonstrators claim that despite years of heavy motor traffic on a stretch of the highway between Old Barrier and the Kasoa Toll Booth because of the frequent floods, nothing has been done to improve the situation.
Other areas include Atala, Tuuba, Amanfron, Osiadan, SCC, Broadcasting among others.
The protesters bemoaned the deteriorating state of the road and the amount of floodwaters covering it anytime it rains causing silt from the hillside to wash over the road and making driving across it difficult.
Although the road is a significant one that connects to the Central and Western Regions as well as some West African countries, there are many potholes and gullies along it, making the situation extremely dangerous and halting economic activity.
Heavy traffic has been an everyday occurrence for commuters travelling between Accra and Kasoa for business purposes, costing them a lot of time.
Travelling on that stretch of road is extremely difficult due to the unendurable traffic, which is especially bad during peak hours and on Saturdays when people drive to attend funerals, visit their children in school, or attend other events.
In addition, there is constant traffic jam in the Budumburam portion due to market activities along the wayside, which is caused by commercial activity on that stretch of road.
It is time to find a lasting solution to this to allow cars to drive freely.
The Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) needs to act quickly to alleviate the extreme traffic congestion on the Accra-Kasoa road in order to save the lives of those who use it.
Resolving these road and traffic congestion problems can help to reduce traffic, boost the economy, facilitate travel, and offer respite to residents and commuters.
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
