Editorial
Suspension of illegal mining in forest reserves appropriate
The new Minister of Lands and Mineral Resources, Hon. Samuel Abu Jinapor, has indicated his preparedness to fight illegal mining in line with the vision of President Akufo-Addo.
Towards this end, he has gone round certain parts of the country to see the devastation carried out by illegal small-scale mining otherwise known as ‘galamsey’
So passionate is he that he is collaborating with various agencies to ensure that the battle is won.
One important step he has taken is the suspension of such activities in forest reserves.
The suspension has become necessary because of the abuse usually encountered in such forest reserves.
Prospective miners always apply for licences that enable them to undertake prospective exploration. Such a licence does not allow them to mine the resources.
They are only required to explore the area given them and find out the availability of precious minerals in the area.
It is when the exploration is done and their report made available to the authority concerned that they are given another licence to actually mine an area of mineral resources indicated to them.
Many of these mining organisations, upon receiving the licence for exploration, actually begin to mine the precious minerals in the reserves.
The Spectator views this as an abuse of the law which must not be entertained. The suspension of the activities in the forest reserves must, therefore, be enforced until some level of decency is arrived at.
The suspension must be closely monitored to find out whether it is being obeyed in line with the directive.
A system must also be put in place to ensure that, those monitoring the activities in the forest reserves are in turn closely monitored by others, so that the dishonest ones amongst them will be found out and punished.
The destruction of the environment by illegal mining is an eyesore and needs to be stopped immediately.
As Ghana joins more than 143 other countries to mark the World Environment Day today, the occasion should boost our awareness and action for the protection of the environment.
The young minister is determined to fight this canker and it is incumbent on well-meaning Ghanaians to help sanitise the sector.
This paper wishes him well in his crusade.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
