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‘Protect human rights of Mentally Challenged Persons’
● Mr Dan Taylor
The Executive Secretary of MindFreedom Ghana, non-governmental organisation, Mr Dan Taylor, has called for concerted efforts to protect Mentally Challenged Persons (MCPs) across the country against increasing human rights violations.
At an event to commemorate this year’s Mental Health Day in Accra on Tuesday, he described the incidences of human rights violations as a ‘crisis’ despite provisions within the Mental Health Act 846, 2012 which guarantees the rights and freedoms of mentally ill persons.
“Human rights violations unfortunately continue to negatively impact mental health. Abuses including shackling, flogging, forced fasting, chaining and detaining people in obscure places continue to affect treatment of persons with mental health conditions in Ghana and has come under intense international scrutiny.
Having good mental health is a universal human right and everyone deserves to live in an environment where mental health is protected to ensure a healthier and more inclusive world for everyone,” he urged.
On the theme; “Mental Health is a Universal Human Right”, this year’s WMHD provides an opportunity for people and communities to unite in improving knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.
Mr Taylor noted that having a mental health condition should in no way deprive a person of their human rights or to exclude them from decisions about their own health.
He called for increased sensitisation and advocacy among all stakeholders to change ill attitudes and raise awareness on the rights of people with mental health conditions across the country.
“People with mental health conditions should be able to file complaints in cases of human rights violations. There is no gainsaying that mental health services need to be linked to services and support in the community, enabling people living with mental health conditions to access educational, employment, social service and housing opportunities on an equal basis with others.”
The promotion of human rights in mental health, according to the Executive Secretary further called for increased investment in mental health at the national level.
“The depth of neglect of mental health over the years means that the government needs to dedicate more of the health budget to mental health and establish the mental health levy in line with the mental health policy.
Government should also place modern psychotropic medicines on the Essential Medicines List and place it under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) while making sure that mental health workforce at each level of the health care system were developed and trained to ensure that all people have access to good quality mental health services that promote recovery and respect for human rights,” he advocated.
By Abigail Annoh
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NHIA set to boost its cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), in partnership with a leading private cybersecurity solutions provider in Ghana, CyberHawk Limited, is advancing the Authority’s digital infrastructure to ensure seamless operations.
This is to safeguard the Authority’s digital technologies and maintain the trust of active members of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
In this context, the NHIA Management Information System (MIS) Directorate in the Head Office, on February 11, 2024, launched a three-day brainstorming session on the organization’s cybersecurity enhancement agenda.
The MIS Directorate Ag. Director, Mr. Daniel Blankson explained that the collaborative meeting aimed to scrutinize the NHIA’s Information Technology architecture, identifying potential risks and gapsto enhance its cybersecurity posture.
“By leveraging CyberHawk Limited’s expertise, the NHIA seeks to fortify its defenses against cyber threats, protecting sensitive information and maintaining the trust of its members.”
Mr. Blankson applauded the synergy between the two organizations and underscored the Authority’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to drive its mission forward.
The Head of Information Security and Standards Unit, in the MIS Directorate, Mr. Ebenezer Hooper, highlighted the Authority’s significant milestone on the digital transformation journey.
According to him, the NHIA is actively engaged in fully adopting and implementing modern digital systems to improve its operations.
He said, “The three-day brainstorming meeting will culminate in the development of a robust IT infrastructure, as well as strategic plans to translate security implementations into tangible IT cost savings for the organization.”
“There is the need to form a steering committee or IT advisory committee, operated under the Board, so that they can pay more attention in protecting the huge IT investment while ensuring cyber security-related policies are well protected,” he added.
The Project Manager of CyberHawk Limited, Mr. Chetan Narayana Murthy, lauded the collaboration and anticipated that it would empower the NHIA to implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures.
According to him, “This is a huge project that will greatly benefit the NHIA by implementing robust cybersecurity measures, safeguarding their systems, and ultimately protecting the sensitive information of NHIA members and healthcare providers.”
A Senior Manager of IT infrastructure, Mr. David Asare Addo, and his colleague, a Senior Manager of Applications, Mr. Enock Afanyi, with the MIS Directorate, gave an overview of the NHIA’s current technological landscape.
Present at the meeting were representatives from the Claims, Membership and Regional Operations (MRO), Research, Policy, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RPME), Corporate Affairs, the Audit, Administration, and Human Resource Directorates.
Story By : Vivian Arthur
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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal
Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
