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Editorial

Set price ceiling on sachet water

Reduce the price!

Dear Editor,

A bag of sachet water (pure water) is now selling at GH 5.00 in Accra and I am trying to find the justification for the arbitrary increase in price by some vendors.

Somewhere last year, the vendors threatened to increase the unit price to 0.30 pesewas but were compelled to maintain it at 0.20 pesewas following resistance from the public.

But with the recent increment, the vendors say they have no choice but sell at previous price the public had resisted. Considering the increasing rate at which prices keep escalating, I fear price per bag could reach GHC 10.00 sometime soon.

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I believe pricing of basic commodities such as water should not be left to the discretion of individual traders. I learnt from my limited economics that the government could introduce price control measures (price ceiling) when prices of certain goods and services seem to be increasing at an alarming rate.

Price ceiling is explained as the mandated maximum amount a seller is allowed to charge for a product or service. With the galloping inflation we are witnessing currently, I believe it is time the government stepped in to set a price ceiling on sachet water and other commodities that are becoming expensive every other day.

In the meantime, the water vendors association should be lobbied once again so they revert to the old prices. Whatever be the concern, I strongly believe that the vendors can still make profit when the old prices are maintained or even when it is reduced further.

Mark Omane Sarpong,

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Ashaiman-Lebanon.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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