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Editorial

Volta lake tragedy: Let’s not ignore safety precautions

● Travellers on the Volta Lake should be provide enouugh life jackets

● Travellers on the Volta Lake should be provide enouugh life jackets

Dear Editor,

Five people including two fe­males and three children have reportedly lost their lives when a boat conveying passen­gers to a funeral from Azizanya to Azizakpe in the Ada East District of the Greater Accra Region, cap­sised recently on the Volta Lake.

The boat, which was supposed to carry about 40 to 50 passen­gers, according to news reports, was overloaded with almost 100 passengers without life jackets.

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This tragedy, I believe, could have been avoided if safety precautions were taken seriously. The boats have a required number of passengers to carry and that should not have been exceeded under any circumstance.

Although the loss is regret­table, I wonder if some of these unfortunate incidents must occur before we do or take the neces­sary actions.

Life jackets are designed to keep passengers from drowning in case of accidents and I believe no boat or canoe should be made to transport humans without this protective gear on board.

It is commendable that a res­cue team promptly intervened to save lives and we must encourage more basic training in cardiopul­monary restitution (CPR) which is a useful lifesaving technique during emergencies.

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This is not the first time we have recorded a boat disas­ter. In January this year, eight school children out of 220 others drowned on the lake while cross­ing with a canoe from Atigagome to Wayokope District Assembly Primary School.

Considering the recurring nature of these accidents, I plead with the authorities to provide more boats and canoes for resi­dents in these catchment areas. They should also be supplied with adequate life jackets and other protective gears to save lives when the unfortunate happens.

Evelyn Naadu Borquaye,

Nungua, Accra.

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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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