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Physicians trained on principles of safe care for children
The participants
A three-day course which aims to provide physicians with refresher training in the essentials of paediatric and anaesthesia to deliver safe care to patients has taken off here.
The course emphasises the principles of safe care for children, in particular, assessment, vigilance and competence in essential skills.
About 40 physicians were selected from Ghana,The Gambia, Nigeria and Liberia.
It was organised by the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthetists(WFSA) in collaboration with Smile Train,world’s largest cleft foundation, Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland(AAGBI).
Dr. Adele Elizabeth King,Course Coordinator, in an interview, mentioned the importance of upholding International Standards for safe practices of anesthesia and paediatrics towards promoting patient safety.
According to the Consultant Paediatric Anaesthetist, the International Standards had been developed on behalf of WFSA, and adherence to that would go a long way to ensure proper management of even emergency cases.
She said the training aimed at equipping participants with the essential skills and knowledge to deliver safe care to their patients, even in low-resource settings.
The participants,she said, were expected to train their colleagues in their various countries to ensure best practices in conformity with international standards.
“We want to make this training or education sustainable to ensure that the local people are able to deliver to save the local population…it is all about safe care for children”, she said.
Mrs. Nkeiruka Obi, Vice President and Regional Director,A frica of Smile Train, noted that children’s cases were bit complicated and there was the need for adequate and special care for them.
She said the course was very important because the participants would be in a better position to provide safe care for children in their various countries.
She appealed to the participants to do everything possible to train their colleagues in their respective countries.
She mentioned that by six months time, the first ever Centre of Excellence for Surgery of children with cleft lip and palate would be ready for use.
The six-storey Centre, constructed at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, would be the first of its kind in the whole of Africa to provide corrective surgery for children with cleft lip and palate.
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
News
One Direction singer Liam Payne dead after falling from Buenos Aires hotel balcony
Liam Payne, who shot to global fame with boy band One Direction, was found dead after he fell from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, triggering an outpouring of tributes from fans.
As news emerged of the 31-year-old English singer’s death, fans of one of the world’s biggest-selling boy bands gathered outside the hotel in the Argentinian capital’s leafy Palermo neighbourhood to sing his songs and celebrate his life.
Police said in a statement they had been called to the CasaSur hotel after being notified of an “aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol”.
When they arrived, the hotel manager reported he had heard a loud noise from the inner courtyard and the police found that a man had fallen from the balcony of his room, the statement said.
In audio obtained from the Buenos Aires security ministry, a worker can be heard asking for police help.
“When he is conscious he is destroying the entire room and we need you to send someone,” the worker said, adding that the guest’s life was at risk because the room had a balcony.
One Direction found global success after Simon Cowell brought together Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson on Britain’s X Factor talent show in 2010.
They went on to sell 70 million records, with six top 10 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100, including “What Makes You Beautiful”, “Story of My Life” and “Live While We’re Young”. Payne’s co-writing credits included “Story of My Life” and “Night Changes”.
The band announced an “indefinite hiatus” in 2016, leaving its members to pursue solo careers. Payne’s last single was “Teardrop”, released in March this year.
Payne’s family said they were “heartbroken”.
“Liam will live forever in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul,” they said in a statement.
While details surrounding his death remained unclear, Payne had spoken publicly about his struggles with mental health and using alcohol to cope with the pressures of fame.
“Doing a show to however many thousands of people, then being stuck by yourself in a country where you can’t go out anywhere – what else are you going to do? The minibar is always there,” he told the Guardian newspaper in 2019.
Source: Reuters.com
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Position on Free SHS and Galamsey: Akufo-Addo is not listening or sleeping – Mahama
The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has jabbed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo regarding the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
President Akufo-Addo had previously challenged Mahama to clarify his stance on key national issues, including the Free SHS policy.
Against this backdrop, the former president, during an address of supporters of the party in Ningo Prampram on Thursday, October 17,2024, has taken a swipe at the president, stating that he had repeatedly expressed his views on the Free SHS policy and the galamsey (illegal mining) crisis.
According to John Mahama the president was either not listening or deliberately ignoring his positions on these crucial matters, which were already well-known and publicized.
Addressing his party supporters, John Mahama said, “He (Akufo-Addo) is not in this country, or he has been sleeping because I have made it clear that there are implementational problems with the Free SHS. One, there is no dedicated funding.”
He continued to add that “Two, parents are also not happy with the double track system. Three, the quality of food the children are being given is not good, and so I have said that the NDC is going to come and fix these three things.”
