News
Pedestrians violate road safety rules in Tamale
Pedestrians along the Tamale-Bolgatanga interchange are persistently violating road safety regulations, despite several interventions by the Urban Road and Road Safety Authority.
Following the March 2022 inauguration of the interchange, the Road Safety Authority and the Urban Roads Department identified wrongful crossing points of the road by some pedestrian near the interchange, prompting the installation of a concrete barricade.
But The Ghanaian Times’ has observed that the measure has not curbed the menace.
In interviews, some of the pedestrians cited the distance to the nearest crossing point as a reason for disregarding the barricade.
Some of them conveyed a lack of awareness regarding the significance or intended purpose of the barricade.
Nevertheless, they acknowledged the danger of crossing to the opposite side due to the potential risk of collisions with vehicles using the interchange.
The Northern Regional Director of the Department of Urban Roads, Ing. Kwasi A. Darku, in an interview with The Spectator, said the instalment of the barricade was mainly to stop motorists and pedestrians from using the authorised ways, but they are still ignoring it.
He said several pedestrians have been knocked down by cars leading to death, but people were still ignoring the danger.
“We have provided appropriate route for pedestrians to use, but they still refuse to cross the busy high way,” he said.
Ing. Darku appealed to the Metropolitan Assembly and other authorities in charge to initiate an awareness campaign to educate road users on road regulations to protect themselves from crashes.
The Northern Regional Director of the National Road Safety Authority, Alhaji Abdulai Bawa Ghamsah, also said, the authority after several reports initiated the use of the concrete barricade.
The Director of the Road Safety Authority also said, the department is leading a road safety campaign dubbed “Stay Alive!”
He stated that the department would intensify educational campaigns and engage stakeholders concerning road safety.
From Geoffrey Butah & Paul Mwapouri, Tamale
News
Know sickle cell status before marriage
Marriage decisions can be the key to reducing Ghana’s alarming sickle cell disease rates, according to Professor Alex Osei Akoto, Principal Investigator of the Patient-centred Approaches to Care and Treatment of Sickle Cell Disease (PACTS) in sub-Saharan Africa.
He has, therefore, urged the youth to strive to know their sickle cell status before getting married, given the fact that 2 per cent of all newborns in Ghana are diagnosed with sickle cell disease.
“When two individuals with the sickle cell trait (AS) marry, they face a 25 per cent chance of having a child with the full disease (SS) with each pregnancy. When people are aware of their status, they can make informed decisions about their partners. This isn’t about restricting people’s choices but empowering them with knowledge that can affect generations to come,” Prof. Akoto explained.
He spoke to The Spectator during a stakeholder meeting to discuss a study conducted across six hospitals in the Kumasi metropolitan area on how best to treat and manage the disease.
Prof. Akoto noted that people in sub-Saharan Africa were the largest carriers of the disease as “the gene emanates from black Africa.”
But early detection, he stressed, was key for interventions and reiterated the call for all to know their status.
Prof. Akoto urged clinicians to stick to protocols in the treatment of the disease, stressing the importance “to adhere strictly to established guidelines to ensure optimal care for sickle cell patients.”
The study conducted at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), KNUST, Manhyia, Asokwa, Kumasi South, and Kumasi Metro Hospitals, found that some clinicians were not following standard care protocol.
Dr Lawrence Osei-Tutu, a pediatrician and specialist in sickle cell treatment associated with the project, highlighted their innovative approach.
“We are using a unique approach of harnessing the involvement of both patients, families, community, and clinicians to look at how best to treat and manage the disease,” said Dr Osei-Tutu.
He further indicated that one of the most promising developments during the study involved pharmaceutical adaptations for younger patients/children.
Dr Osei-Tutu also emphasised that the interventions depended critically on early detection. Without timely diagnosis, even the most innovative treatments lose much of their efficacy.
“We’re trying to improve the lives of patients by improving what we do at the hospitals. This improvement extends beyond medical procedures to encompass family support systems, community awareness, and patient education,” explained Dr Osei-Tutu.
The project recently brought together key stakeholders from across the healthcare spectrum to deliberate on optimising treatment protocols.
This collaborative approach represents a shift in how genetic diseases are managed in Ghana, moving from a purely medical model to a more integrated social-medical framework.
Despite these promising developments, significant challenges remain in Ghana’s fight against sickle cell disease.
Limited resources, geographical barriers to healthcare access, stigmatisation, and low awareness continue to hamper efforts to reduce the disease burden.
As Ghana continues to address the high prevalence of sickle cell disease, experts emphasised that knowledge remains the most powerful tool in this fight.
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
News
Ghanaian nurse Naomi Oti vies for global nursing prize to support health delivery
An oncology nurse specialist and Head of Nursing at the National Radiotherapy Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, has been named one of the top 10 finalists in the prestigious ‘Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award’ out of over 100,000 entries worldwide.
Naomi Oyoe Ohene Oti, is one of only two Africans to make the final shortlist, and now needs public votes to bring home a historic win for Ghana and Africa.
This was contained in a statement copied to The Spectator in Accra on Tuesday.
According to the statement, currently, the oncology nurse specialist is vying for a cash prize of $250,000 together with other competitors across the world to enable her expand her work in cancer education, mentorship, and care across Africa.
At the National Radiotherapy Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Center, the statement said, she has championed equity in cancer outcomes, pioneered specialist nurse training, and transformed patient care.
“Under her leadership, over 70 oncology and breast care nurses have been trained,” it added.
It mentioned that, Naomi has worked with leading global institutions including the Cross Cancer Institute (Canada) to bring high-quality oncology education to Ghanaian nurses.
According to the statement, she had played a key role in developing the country’s postgraduate oncology nursing curriculum and has mentored more than 48 nurses across Africa.
“Her commitment to building capacity is helping to raise a new generation of empowered African oncology nurse leaders’’.
“Her influence reaches the international stage through her work with the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care (ISNCC), and ASCO’s global faculty’’.
The statement said Ms Oti co-leads research initiatives and policy development efforts that integrate African perspectives into global oncology practices.
It further mentioned that the Nurse Specialist’s groundbreaking research on breast cancer risks among African women has reshaped early detection strategies adding that “her contributions to clinical trial protocols have enhanced patient engagement and data integrity across multiple international studies.”
Ms Oti has received numerous national accolades, including the Ghana Ministry of Health Excellence Award and the Dr Dorcia Kisseh International Award from the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association.
Ghanaians have been urged to vote for Ms Oti through https://apply.asterguardians.com/voting
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
