News
Misuse of pain killers among health professionals disturbing
Dr. Dairus Osei, Technical Advisor to the Ministry being assisted to cut the ribbon and launch the documents
The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has expressed concern about what it describes as “disturbing rise in incidence of misuse and abuse of opioids even among healthcare professionals.”
Opioids are a class of drugs that are commonly used to treat pain, but they can also be highly addictive and dangerous.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KATH, Professor Otchere Addai-Mensah, who expressed the concern, intimated, “opioid misuse within the healthcare sector poses health risks.”
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop on the rational use of drugs in Kumasi, he said the “rational use of drugs is of paramount importance in any health care setting as it is a proven indicator of the quality of clinical services rendered by health facilities.”
He urged medical officers, including pharmacists to prescribe and administer pain killers, popularly referred to as opioids, with caution because, in their bid to help patients deal with pain “there is a temptation to prescribe medications that could jeopardise the state and health conditions of patients.”
According to him, pain was one of the most common medical complaints on earth and could adversely impact on the physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing of sufferers, resulting in a number of debilitations including sleeplessness, immobility, poor appetite and general reduction in the quality of life.
However, he noted that many chronic sufferers did not have access to effective pain management for a variety of reasons, including limited access, restrictions, personal and cultural biases and misconceptions about the use of opioids.
He indicated that the widespread use of opioids in contemporary pain management practices has become one of the most complex and globally challenging topics in medical care.
“But as health workers, daily experiences in the use of opioids for pain management has not only brought to the fore of the critical role they play in alleviating unbearable suffering among patients but the distinct challenges that come with them,” he lamented.
These challenges, he reiterated, included clinical access issues, regulatory pressures and, “currently, the disturbing rise in the incidence of their misuse and abuse even among healthcare professionals.”
On her part, Madam Olivia Agyekumwaah Boateng, a Director at the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), asked medical practitioners to take interest in opioids prescribed by pharmacists to their patients.
She noted that currently, the International Narcotics Control Authority, having realised the wanton use of opioids by some unscrupulous people has worked on regulating the supply of same to nations across the world.
The workshop is aimed at sensitising the KATH’S core health care professionals involved in the prescription, dispensing and administration of medications on the contemporary practices in the rational use of medicines.
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
News
‘Nipahiamoa’ residents cry for basic social amenities
Residents of a farming community in the Nkoranza North District of the Bono East Region are living under conditions that directly reflect or connote the name of the township, Nipahiamoa.
The name of the town, Nipahiamoa, when translated directly means ‘humans need help.’
Despite the contribution in ensuring there is sufficient food in not only the region but the country at large, Nipahiamoa lacks basic social amenities to make life enjoyable after their farming activities.
water for the people of Nipahiamoa
According to some of the members of the community that The Spectator spoke to during a visit to the area, they lacked basic needs such as potable water, health post, among others.
This, they claimed, was impacting negatively on their general wellbeing and appealed to authorities to come to their aid.
The Unit Committee chairman of Nipahiamoa, Mr James Najohnbo, told this paper on Thursday that successive governments have neglected the town over the years.
“It is the reason we are where we are today in this era of development. Some people poke fun that our condition is a reflection of the name of the town but I don’t believe that. We have been neglected by governments over the years. There are no government initiatives here,” he explained.
The community, inhabited by over one thousand people, mostly settlers, is located on the Techiman-Kintampo stretch of the Trans-ECOWAS highway which connect from Tema to Mali.
Mr Najohnbo, who conducted this reporter around, revealed that a borehole constructed for the community by the former Member of Parliament for Nkoranza North, Major Derrick Oduro, had since broke down, compelling the people to turn to the Bono manso waterfalls which they trek several kilometres for their source of water.
Mr Najohnbo stated that their children are not left out in this challenges as they had to trek to either Manso or Dweneho, about two kilometres to access healthcare and education.
He added that a wooden structure constructed in 1994 currently serves as the only primary school for the community.
“Our kids had to trek several kilometres to Manso to attend school which come at cost to most parents.”
A 30-year old hairdresser, Rebecca Dibenpong, also appealed to authorities to come up with income generating activities to boost economic lives of the people.
She alleged that politicians often claimed they don’t have enough numbers to attract development, hence such initiatives were directed to bigger communities.
Like the name suggest, Nipahiamoa, the community needs urgent attention to make life meaningful for the people who contribute to the national economy by way of their farming activities.
From Daniel Dzirasah, Nipahiamoa
News
Maternal mortality rate increases in Ashanti Region
The Ghana Health Service has revealed a staggering statistic of 1,000 women losing their lives during childbirth in the Ashanti Region between 2020 and 2024.
This alarming number, according to the Regional Health Director, Dr Frank Adomanko Boateng, highlights the persistent challenge of maternal mortality in Ghana, despite efforts to improve maternal healthcare.
Dr Adomanko Boateng, therefore emphasized on an urgent need for stronger interventions to curb the high rate of maternal deaths.
Speaking at the 2024 Regional Health Forum, he indicated that “Ghana is struggling to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of reducing maternal mortality to 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.”
Dr Boateng stressed that time was of the essence, saying, “The clock is ticking, and we must double our efforts.”
He called for intensified measures over the next six years to bridge the gap and prevent further loss of lives.
Ghana’s maternal mortality ratio, he noted, has been declining from 760 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 310 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2017.
However, “the country still faces significant challenges in reducing maternal mortality, particularly in regions like Ashanti.”
To address the issue, he said, Ghana has been working to improve maternal healthcare through various initiatives, including the Network for Improving Quality of Care for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.
The country aims to reduce maternal mortality by strengthening healthcare systems, improving access to quality care, and enhancing community engagement
From Kingsley E. Hope,
Kumasi
