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Tarkwa Municipal Hospital improves neonatal health

Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, (left) presenting the award to Ms Arthur at the ceremony. Mr Duker (second left) applauding

A Senior Nursing Officer (SNO) at the Tarkwa Municipal Government Hospital in the Western Region, Ms Selina Arthur, says complications have reduced and survival rate of new born babies improved at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Hospital.

The success, she attributed to the adoption of what she called a ‘family meeting’ with other critical units like the maternity and doctors, to discuss the reduction of complications to improve the survival rate of neo-natal babies.

Ms Arthur gave the encouraging news in an interview with The Spectator after she received the MPs Special Award at the third Duker Teachers and Health Workers awards held at Tarkwa, last Friday.

She received a plaque, a chest freezer, GH¢10,000 and a motorcyle.

The event is an initiative of the Member of Parliament for Tarkwa- Nsuaem, Mr George Mireku Duker, and held on the theme: ‘Championing learning and wellness in our communities.’

36 other persons including health workers, also received various awards.

Sharing her thoughts with The Spectator, Ms Arthur, a paediatric nurse at NICU of the Tarkwa Municipal Hospital said, working at the unit comes with passion and self- motivation, saying, “the neonatal babies required special attention.”

“Every NICU nurse needs to ensure that new babies (day old babies) were spared of any complications, and survived, to transfer to the nursery.”

Ms Arthur, with about 30 years’ experience, told The Spectator that other units like the Maternity and Labour wards also need to ensure that neo-natal babies were safe and survived operations along the delivery chain.

Moreover, she underlined that working within the NICU environment came with challenges, but, the unit was encouraged to ensure survival of patients, hoping that, “if we have the equipment, most of them will survive.”

Ms Arthur further encouraged health professionals, especially nurses, to be self- motivated, dedicated and show passion to save lives of new born babies.

These professional attributes, she said, would help improve health delivery in the communities they practiced.

Mr Alex Otoo, a tutor at the NMTC, also an awardee, also told The Spectator that nurses needed to be imbued with passion and care for patients even if it’s time for closing.

Mr Duker elaborated that last year, he promised to honour health professionals who worked hard and tirelessly to provide effective healthcare services to save lives.

From Clement Adzei Boye, Tarkwa

News

Committee probing petitions against Chief Justice to begin hearings tomorrow

The Committee set up by President John Dramani Mahama to inquire into three petitions filec against the Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, will commence hearings tomorrow, Thursday May 15, 2025.

The five-member Committee chaired by Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang of the Supreme Court, was set up by the President in accordance with Article 146(6) of the 1992 constitution and in consultation with the Council of State, following a determination of a prima facie case against the Chief Justice.

The committee will sit three times a week and present their recommendations to the President upon completion of their work.

It would be recalled that President John Dramani Mahama recently suspended Chief Justice following the establishment of a prima facie case in response to three separate petitions seeking her removal from office.

News

38-year-old man gets life imprisonment for killing Assemblies of God pastor in 2018

After close to seven years of trial, a seven-member jury on Wednesday, May 14, returned a guilty verdict in the murder case involving the killing of the Senior Pastor of the Central Assemblies of God church at Tema in 2018.

The convict, Francis Nabegmado, a relative of the deceased, inflicted a fatal knife wound on Rev. Dr. David Nabegmado on December 30, 2018, after alleging that the senior pastor was a false preacher who engaged in idol worship and human sacrifices.

After an hour of summing up by the judge, Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh, the jury retired briefly and returned with a unanimous guilty verdict.

Based on the unanimous verdict of the jurors who had previously studied the statements of the five witnesses called by the prosecution, and listened to the summing up process, the judge sentenced the 38-year-old to life imprisonment.

When he was offered an opportunity to comment on the verdict, the convict told the judge that he wanted to go home to meet his family.

“My Lady, I want to see my family, and I want to be taken to Yendi”.

When the judge told him she couldn’t make such an order for him to go and see his family in Yendi, the convict forcefully said, “I insist”.

Francis, who will now spend the rest of his life at the Nsawam medium security prison, had told the court throughout the trial that the decision to attack his uncle, Rev. Nebegmado, was driven by insanity, but that did not save him from receiving a life sentence.

Speaking briefly after the sentencing, Senior Pastor of the Assemblies of God church at Tema Community 4, Rev. Emmanuel Kwesi Ofori, said the church has been waiting for this closure for the past seven years and will soon issue an official statement.

Source: Myjoyonline.com