Editorial
Passionate appeal to Russia to call-off war with Ukraine
Dear Editor,
War, in which ever form it takes, be it between people of two tribes, between two communities, two Nations or between allies of Super Powers in the world; is in my opinion, not only destructive but also demonic. It must not be supported or welcome by any decent minded person living anywhere in the world, under the sun.
War is devastating, it traumatises people, leads to misery and derails the progress of humanity. In modern time, it is highly considered barbaric for a group of people to take up arms to wage war against fellow humans, no matter what might have caused their action.
Just as people admire little good things done to them by others, on the contrary, trivial things we may do, or say to others without being so careful, can lead to offences which nevertheless, could spark serious misunderstanding and eventually lead to war.
Sometime ago in Ghana, misunderstanding between two women over the inability of a customer to afford the price of a guinea fowl at the market place sparked war between two neighbouring tribes. Because the seller’s remark to the customer was considered highly insulting and was not kindly entertained.
The loss of lives and properties that followed the war was so much appalling and disturbing. The cost incurred by Government’s intervention in that tribal war was so huge that the money could have been directed for development of a deprived community elsewhere in the country.
Now, let us consider the Russia and Ukraine issue that has become recipe for war.
Ukraine, a close associate of Russia intended to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) of Europe. But Russia is not comfortable with the idea. Russia considers that by so doing, Ukraine’s action would undermine the strength of Russia and its allies in the Eastern block of the world. On the other hand, Ukraine authorities are of opinion that Ukraine is a sovereign state and they are free to make a choice and so Russia should stop any attempt to intimidate them.
The world has now become a global “Village” and so nations have become inter-dependent. Almost every nation of the world is a member of the United Nations Organisation (UNO) whose principal aim is to avoid a third world war so that humanity can live in absolute peace and stability everywhere in the world.
The destruction of lives and properties in Ukraine by Russian rockets or arsenals as of now is too disheartening, callous and inhuman. It is therefore to use this medium to humbly and passionately appeal to the powers that be in the UNO, not to be sitting on the fence but to do everything possible within their power to bring the war to a HALT and to call the warring countries to the conference table for jaw to jaw discussions to ensure amicable resolution of the empasse. This is very crucial and necessary because usually, when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. President Putin of Russia, please, at least, for the sake of the ordinary suffering people of Ukraine, tamper justice with mercy and allow peace to triumph over war, soonest. We need peace, stability and progress everywhere in the world but never, never, and never war.…
CONCERNED CITIZEN OF THE WORLD
(J. K. TETTEH – KPODJIE)
c/o EBENEZER PRESBY CHURCH,
P. O. BOX 10, SOMANYA E/R
PHONE: 050557672086
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
