Editorial
Monitoring activities in all sectors is important
It is essential for all ongoing activities in the various sectors of the economy to be closely monitored, so that the expected results are achieved.
Many a time, such activities are not well monitored, resulting in situations where the main purpose for which the activities took place are not realised. This practice is unfortunate and must be made to end immediately.
It takes resources to undertake various activities in the country whether in health, agriculture, education, trade, industry or others. If such activities are, therefore, not closely monitored, the end result may be waste of time and effort.
Monitoring is undertaken for various purposes. In the first place, monitoring helps us find out whether the objectives of a programme are attainable or not. If no monitoring takes place, this will not be known.
Secondly, monitoring is undertaken to ensure that resources are judiciously utilised. If the resources are not utilised in the right way, it will be a waste for the nation.
Thirdly, monitoring is necessary to ensure that right from the beginning, a programme being implemented has not changed its course or direction.
Another reason monitoring is important is that it helps us to know whether things have gone wrong after initial implementation. If things go wrong then, corrective measures can be taken, so that the right steps are brought on board and implemented to achieve the desired results.
It is for all these reasons that monitoring as an activity is important for all sectors of the economy.
Unfortunately, many activities that take place in the various sectors are not closely monitored, resulting in non-achievement of objectives.
Once the objectives are not achieved, it also means that the programme concerned has become a failure. We need to avoid such failures and maximise the use of our limited resources, so that the best results can always be achieved for the country.
Resources are always limited no matter how plentiful they may seem. Let us, therefore, put them to the best use through active monitoring.
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
