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Queen mother leads mobilisation in UWR
Queen mother (right) comissions healthcare facility in UWR
With support from USAID Office of Transitions Initiative (USAID/OTI), the Queen mother of Duong in the Nadowli-Kaleo District of the Upper West Region, Pognaa Rosemary Bangzie on Thursday commissioned and handed over a facility to the Duong community to support healthcare delivery.
The facility comprised two-bedroom nurses’ apartment, adolescent health centre with consulting room, a store room and washrooms which were constructed with 80 percent of support from USAID/OTI and 20 percent support from the community and other benevolent individuals
She indicated that due to the problem, the delivery room at the only Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound in the community was converted into accommodation for a live-in midwife to enable her attend to emergency cases, especially at night.
She said the issue of staff accommodation came up at community meetings in January and she decided to take up the initiative of mobilising the community members and lobbying other benevolent individuals for support.
“I came out with the anthem “one bag of cement from every Duongbie” (natives of Duong) residing or outside the community strategy to start this project and was surprised to get more than 130 bags of cement in less than one week of appeal”, she stated.
She noted however that when the building was raised to lentil, there was no hope of getting support to complete the project until she met the USAID/OTI team and presented her proposal to them for assistance.
“Duong Community will forever remember the USAID/ OTI team for the great support; the total contribution of USAID/OTI to this project amounted to GH¢360,000.00 which is about 80 percent of the total cost of the entire project”, she highlighted.
As the Regional Focal Person for Adolescent Health, the Queen mother said her passion for adolescent health and girl-child empowerment led her to include an Adolescent Health Centre to provide privacy to teenagers seeking reproductive health services and guidance.
“As the saying goes “charity begins at home”, I want to start in my traditional area to help reduce teenage pregnancies by providing a platform for young people to seek education, counselling and the needed information for a healthy life”, she said.
Pognaa Bangzie appealed for additional support to furnish the facility, provide a kitchen and to also renovate the CHPS compound.
She reiterated her resolve to continue working with the community to lobby for support to help develop the community and also charged the nurses and community to take good care of the facility.
The handing over ceremony was attended by the Regional Minister, Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, representatives from USAID/ OTI and some traditional authorities.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Duong
News
Sam George authorises dismissal of about 100 Ghana Post staff over irregular recruitment
Communications Minister, Sam George, has authorised the dismissal of nearly 100 staff of the Ghana Post Limited, citing an irregular recruitment process.
The affected staff members were employed after the December 7, 2024, election, a period during which the minister says proper procedures were not followed.
Speaking about the decision, Sam George expressed his commitment to clearing the ministry of individuals whose recruitment was not in line with the established protocols.
He stated that as the head of the ministry, he could not work with staff members whose employment was marred by irregularities.
“If you are a minister and you take over a ministry that has 3,117 staff in the ministry and its agencies and 600 were recruited after December 7, you cannot expect me to come and inherit such a mess, and so the rationalisation is ongoing,” he told the press on Tuesday.
He added, “Today, I have authorised a termination of a few more at Ghana Post, almost 100 that were done post-election.”
The Communications Minister explained that the irregular recruitment had created a situation where positions were filled without following due process, leading to inefficiencies within the department.
The Ningo-Prampram legislator emphasised that he is on a mission to “Clean up the ministry to make sure that it is lean and efficient and carries out its works.”
The government has been reverting many post-election employment in the public sector, which it says was done without following the laid down procedures in various sectors of the economy.
Source: myjoyonline.com
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High Commissioner of Barbados to Ghana pays courtesy call on Minister of Health
The High Commissioner of Barbados to Ghana, Juliette Byone-Sutherland, paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, to discuss key issues in the health sector.
During the meeting, Mr.Akandoh highlighted the need for increased funding to ensure the effective implementation of healthcare processes.
To address the challenges faced by health workers in rural areas, the Minister mentioned a proposed package of incentives, including an additional 20% of their basic salaries, quicker promotions, and scholarships for further training.
He also emphasised the importance of providing steady leave with pay to encourage health workers to remain in these areas.
Mr.Akandoh stressed the need for six additional hospitals to cater to the new regions created in Ghana. He also discussed plans to upgrade regional and teaching hospitals to attract more skilled health workers.
In response, High Commissioner Byone-Sutherland expressed her appreciation for the Minister and the government’s efforts to improve the health sector.
She also suggested that nurses from Barbados could benefit from health training programmes in Ghana, gaining practical experience in the field.
This courtesy call highlights the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing between countries to improve healthcare outcomes.
The Ministry of Health remains committed to addressing the challenges faced by health workers and ensuring that Ghanaians receive quality healthcare services.
