NAVRONGO HOSPITAL APPEALS FOR RESOURCES (PAGE 40)

THE Medical Superintendent of the Navrongo War Memorial Hospital, Dr William Gudu, has appealed to the Government and other stakeholders to help the hospital with resources to enable it to provide quality health care to the public.
He said the facility, which served the people of Kassena-Nankana East and Kassena-Nankana West districts, lacked such modern facilities as laboratory and operating theatre.
According to him, inadequate supply of water and erratic electricity power supply had seriously affected health care at the hospital.
Dr Gudu made the appeal when the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, toured the facility to familiarise himself with some of the challenges facing the hospital, with a view to finding solutions to the problems.
The visit to the hospital coincided with the inauguration of the mortuary facility which broke down five years ago. The mortuary was rehabilitated at a conservative cost of GH¢9,000 from the hospital’s internally generated funds.
According to the regional minister, prior to the rehabilitation of the facility, families from the two districts who relied on it had to travel to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital to preserve dead bodies.
He tasked the management of the hospital to enter into maintenance agreements with the repairers of the mortuary to service it at regular intervals.
Briefing the regional minister on the challenges of the hospital, the medical superintendent said the hospital, which was established in the colonial era, lacked modern toilet facilities and patients had no option but to stick to KVIPs outside the hospital.
He also expressed concern about inadequate beds and dilapidated physical structures of the facility, and appealed to the Government for support.
Responding to the appeal, Mr Woyongo said the Government placed premium on the health of the people and would do all in its power to address the numerous challenges facing the hospital.
On the poor water supply to the facility, Mr Woyongo tasked the District Chief Executive for Kassena-Nankana East, Mr Emmanuel Andema, to liaise with the Ghana Water Company to ensure that water was pumped to the hospital’s overhead tanks, at least once a week, while efforts were made to address the problem permanently.
Mr Woyongo also promised to co-ordinate with the offices of the Volta River Authority (VRA) to examine the possibility of supplying the hospital with a separate transformer to curtail frequent power fluctuations.
On personnel, the regional minister promised to explore the possibility of partnering the Ministry of Health to put in place a package that would see to a team of specialist doctors conducting clinics at least once every month.
He gave the assurance that the necessary support would be provided for the success of the programme.
While commending the medical staff for their dedication to work, Mr Woyongo appealed to them not to embark on strikes.
“Already, our people are suffering and the health facilities are not the best. Our people cannot afford to travel outside to access health care, so please bear with us,” Mr Woyongo stressed.
He gave the assurance that the Government was very sensitive to the plight of health workers and would do all it could to meet their requests for better remuneration.
“Once the economic conditions improve, obviously, we will address the issues of salaries of every worker in this country,” Mr Woyongo stated.

13 STUDENTS SUSPENDED OVER CLASHES (BACK PAGE)

THIRTEEN students of the Bawku Senior High School (BSHS) and the Bawku Technical Institute (BTI) have been suspended for their alleged involvement in clashes between the two schools on April 4 and 5, this year.
A White Paper issued by the Upper East Regional Co-ordinating Council last Tuesday, said the decision was arrived at following recommendations of a six-member committee of enquiry set up by the Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the disturbances.
Five students out of the 12 from the BTI were suspended for one year for their active role in fuelling the clashes, while the remaining eight including one female, all of BSHS, were suspended for one month each. They would also be de-boardinised after serving the period of their suspension.
This, according to the RCC, would serve as a deterrent to others in the future.
Those suspended for one year are Maurice Kaguah, Foster Ayamga, Edward Kodabalogo, Kadiri Osman and Rashid Bukari, all of BTI.
The rest, who are under a month’s suspension, are Abdul-Saamed Mahama, Dennis Ayamga, Awinaba Sulemana Abdul-Ganim, Sampson, John Badiwomehit Yizanbazor and Simon Zong, all of BSHS.
Veronica Oladokun of BSHS and Raymond Nsoh of BTI were suspended for one month each and de-boardinised for sitting together at a common market at an ungodly hour.
The Senior Prefect of BSHS, Master Asaki Zackariah Seidu, is also to pay for the cost of uniform of one Raymond Nsoh of BTl after which he is to be stripped of his post for being irresponsible.
It would be recalled that following a clash between students of both schools in April, this year, which resulted in injury to some students and destruction of property worth GH¢10,020.98, the Upper East Regional Minister set up a six-member committee of enquiry to investigate the disturbances and come out with recommendations.
The committee was under the chairmanship of Mr Luke Abugri, Principal of the Gbewaa Training College.
Among other things, the committee recommended that entertainment programmes of the two schools in future should close at the same time to avoid problems. It also recommended that school rules and regulations should be adhered to in the two schools particularly at night.
The committee also recommended that more interactive activities should be encouraged between the two schools, particularly during the day time, to foster unity between the two institutions.
The committee also recommended that the school authorities should draw the attention of the security agencies anytime there was rumour of imminent threat of attack on each other.
It was also recommended that tutors who were scheduled to be on duty from March 29 to April 4, 2009 should be reprimanded for negligence of duty.
However, the committee said one Mr Joseph Azuntaba of Bawku Senior High School should be commended for his dedication to duty during the period.

IMPLEMENT SINGLE-SPINE SALARY WITH DISPATCH (Monday, June 1,2009. PAGE 3)

TEACHERS in the Ashanti and Upper East regions have called on the government to act with dispatch in the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS).While the Ashanti Regional branch of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) cautioned the government against hiding behind threats by the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) to drag its feet over the implementation of the SSSS, the Upper East Regional branch of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) said it was displeased with the slow pace of implementation of the SSSS.Speaking at the inauguration of the Ashanti regional chapter of the women’s wing of NAGRAT otherwise known as “Women of Excellence”, the regional chairman of NAGRAT, Mr Daniel Boama Duku, said it appeared the government was being forced by the doctors’ rejection of the SSSS to delay the implementation of the new salary scheme against the wishes of other groups of workers.“Our patience is running out and if we don’t see any road map with regards to the implementation within the shortest possible time, we will advise ourselves,” Mr Duku said.He noted that “times are hard and government cannot continue to play with our lives” and advised against aggravating confusion in the educational front.Mr Duku maintained that it was only when teachers were motivated that they could offer their best.The Regional Co-ordinator of the women’s wing, Mrs Adelaide Biyaa-Powers, pledged that the association would play its role effectively in the fight against child labour, teenage pregnancy and other vices that threatened the lives of the youth.The Headmistress of St Louis Senior High School, Mrs Theresa Addai, who chaired the function, said the female graduate teacher could do a lot to bring sanity into the educational system.

At a teachers forum in Bolgatanga, the Regional Secretary of GNAT, Mr Linus Cofie Attey, announced that teachers had decided to put on red bands to work to express their frustration at what they termed the foot dragging on the part of the government in the implementation of the scheme.
Mr Attey said any further delay in solving the salary issue would lead to another action that was yet to be determined. “Our plight has been made worse by rising inflation and high cost of utilities, rent and other consumables are whittling away the real values of earnings,” he added.
He said it had been the hope of teachers that by January 2009 each of them would have been enjoying a fairer salary structure devoid of distortions and disparity that would motivate them in their work, but this had not been the case.
“Our patience all this while is now turning into frustrations,” he said, adding that “the same ap plies to the national pension Act, Act 766 which is also suffering undue delay”.
He announced that based on this delay, the teachers in the region had decided to wear red bands to work as a warning to the government to expedite action on the implementation of the SSSS.
He, however, cautioned teachers in the region that the wearing of red band should not be misconstrued as a strike action and, therefore, advised them to go about their normal duties while they waited for a response from the government.

POLICE OUTLINE BAWKU PEACEKEEPING CHALLENGES (PAGE 31)

POLICEMEN on peacekeeping mission in Bawku have complained that lack of accommodation and logistics is hampering their efforts at maintaining law and order in the area.
They complained of inadequate rations and the lack of the required security equipment, namely as bullet proof vests and crash helmets among others.
This was during an interaction between the personnel on the ground and the Director General in Charge of Operations, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) John Kudalor at Bawku on Wednesday.
DCOP Kudalor was in Bawku at the instance of the Inspector General of Police to assess the logistical challenges confronting the police service in the discharge of their mandate in Bawku.
The police service has come under severe criticisms with a disclosure by the Upper East Regional Minister that morale among the policemen on the ground had sunk very low.
During the meeting, the policemen appealed for an increase in their rations to GH¢ 4.00. They also appealed for the services of professional medical personnel on the ground to attend to their medical needs.
The policemen also called on the police administration to ensure that their living quarters be fumigated to save them from rodents and insects.
They also complained that their toilet and bathroom facilities were in bad conditions.
Responding, DCOP Kudalor said the Police Administration had taken note of the conditions on the ground and efforts would be made to improve the conditions under which the men worked.
“The police administration will take immediate steps to address some of the challenges facing the personnel in Bawku,” the DCOP said at a press briefing after the tour.
He conceded that the problems facing the men on the ground were enormous as things appeared to have deteriorated and gave the assurance that the new police administration would work hard to resolve the challenges.
DCOP Kudalor was accompanied on his tour by the outgoing Upper East Regional Police Commander, DCOP Alhaji Hamidu Mahama and DSP Abraham Acquaye, a Staff Officer at the Police Headquarters.
DCOP Mahama disclosed that five out of the 14 persons arrested in connection with the recent violence in Bawku would soon be arraigned, adding that one other person had been arrested in connection with the death of the Bawku Municipal Officer of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr Felix Assibi.
He said a mobile phone found on the suspect turned out to belong to the deceased. He said once the interrogation was over, the suspect would be put before court.
The director general in charge of operations later toured Pusiga and Garu-Tempane to be appraised of the security challenges facing the police in those areas.
At Garu, the District Chief Executive, Mr David Adakudugu, called on the administration to overhaul the police set-up in the district to control activities of thieves, armed robbers and other criminals in the area.
He said houses were raided daily and people attacked and robbed of their motor cycles and other valuables, adding that the frequent criminal activities in and around the area were making life uncomfortable and unsafe.
Mr Adakudugu gave the assurance that the assembly was ready to commit its little resources to support the efforts of the police not only in the Garu-Tempane District but also neighbouring Bawku.
DCOP Kudalor said the concerns raised would be looked into and given the necessary attention.

BAWKU NABA BLAMES POLICE FOR UNENDING CONFLICT (BACK PAGE)

THE Bawku Naba, Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, has deplored the behaviour of some police personnel on peacekeeping operations in the area and blamed them for the unending conflict.
He alleged that some of the officers on the ground had compromised their neutrality, thereby frustrating attempts to bring lasting peace to the area.
Naba Azoka made the comments when members of the Upper East Regional Security Council (REGSEC) and the Bawku Municipal Security Council called on him at his palace in the wake of the recent shooting incident in the town.
He questioned why some persons were allowed to hold what he termed illegal public events while the police stood by and watched and expressed his frustration at the constant release of suspected troublemakers soon after their arrest by the police.
The Bawku Naba said the only way that the conflict in Bawku could be solved was for the government to speed up action and come out clear with a ruling on the reports submitted by the two factions to the dispute.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, urged the Bawku Naba to continue to advise his subjects to exercise restraint as the government worked to find a lasting and amicable solution to the problem.
He said the REGSEC and the police administration would critically assess the concerns of the chief with regard to the conduct of the police officers and where necessary ensure that the right thing was done.
Briefing the media earlier, Mr Woyongo disclosed that 14 persons arrested in the shooting incident were being screened.
He said one AK 47 rifle and a G3 rifle were also retrieved from the combatants in addition to some rounds of ammunition.
Mr Woyongo disclosed that four vehicles were burnt at Pulmakom. In addition, the Ghana Immigration Service office at Pulmakom, a border town, was also burnt.
Mr Woyongo said from all indications, the opinion leaders had lost control over the youth and disclosed that henceforth, REGSEC would target youth leaders and educate them on the need to maintain peace.
He appealed to the media, especially those without correspondents in the conflict area, to exercise a little circumspection in their reportage of the situation in Bawku, since some of their reports inflamed passions in the area.

REVIEW POLICY ON STUDENT INTAKE TO TRAINING INSTITUTIONS (PAGE 11)

THE Principal of the Saint John Bosco’s College of Education, Mr Alfred Abugre Ndego, has appealed to the government to review the policy on student intake to training institutions as the current policy limits the number that can be admitted.
He said the irony of such a policy in the face of inadequate teachers in the system, was that over 24,000 classrooms in Ghana had no teachers, while the situation in the three northern regions was worse. Every year, he noted, heads of teacher training colleges had a painful experience of turning away candidates who qualified but could not be admitted to train as teachers because each college was restricted to a quota which they had to comply with.
Speaking at the fourth matriculation ceremony to formally admit fresh teacher trainees to the college, Mr Ndego said out of the 1,200 applications received from prospective candidates wanting to be trained as teachers, the number was reduced to 280 after careful scrutiny.
But, according to Mr Ndego, the Saint John Bosco’s College like other northern colleges of education, had the potential to admit more than the 280 quota adopted and, therefore, proposed an amendment to the policy.
Touching on other issues confronting the colleges, Mr Ndego noted that gender parity for colleges of education would remain a mirage unless conscious efforts were made to enhance girls’ education in Ghana especially in the northern part of the country.
He made a passionate appeal to the government to invest more resources in basic and senior high schools for the teaching of Science, Mathematics and Technical Skills.
Mr Ndego also proposed that science colleges, in particular, should be given concession to mount special bridging courses for candidates who obtain minimal grades in Science, Mathematics, Technical Skills and English language. That, he explained, would prepare the candidates to get the required standards for admission to the colleges.
He reminded the newly admitted students that discipline was the trump card for all the numerous successes the college had chalked up in the past and therefore urged them to effectively apply themselves to the rules and regulations of the college to ensure order and a peaceful environment for sound academic and professional work.
Mr Ndego said some of the greatest challenges facing the college was the lack of water supply, massive encroachment on the college lands and the lack of accommodation for the 52-member teaching staff and appealed to the government to come to its aid.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, noted that the teacher was central to every educational reform process and teacher education and satisfaction should therefore be of utmost concern to policy makers, education providers and all stakeholders in education.
He said the government of the NDC was committed to making the teaching profession very lucrative to attract professionals in other fields and students into the teaching field.
Mr Woyongo said in pursuit of this agenda, the government would improve the general conditions of teachers through the payment of competitive salaries, provision of decent accommodation, enhanced retirement benefits and the payment of hardship allowances to teachers in deprived areas in the country.
He assured the authorities of the college that the numerous challenges of the college would be addressed to make teaching and learning very effective.

ONE KILLED IN BAWKU (Monday, June 1,2009. PAGE 3)

ONE person was reported to have been shot dead in Bawku yesterday triggering another bout of sporadic shooting in the town.
The deceased, identified as Sulemana Ibrahim, aged between 30 and 35 is alleged to have been shot several times in the chest and hands.
Following the incident, residents have deserted the streets and people have gone indoors.
The Upper East Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Hamidu Mahama told the Daily Graphic on phone that some arrests have been made and the military and police have intensified their patrols to halt the firing.
Last Friday, barely 24 hours after President John Evans Atta Mills had met with opinion leaders from both sides in the Bawku conflict, sporadic gunshots were heard at Bawku at about 11 p.m on and continued into the early hours of Saturday, May 30, 2009.
It was not clear what might have precipitated the shooting incident, but a number of people interviewed on the streets of Bawku at the time said the incident was either a jubilation or protest to the alleged granting of bail to some persons connected to an arson incident that occurred in the area in January, this year.
Upon a visit to Bawku on Saturday, which was also a market day, this reporter found that calm had been restored but the briskness associated with trading activities at the market was absent.
The Upper East Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Hamidu Mahama, condemned the incident and dismissed the assertion that the latest incident was a renewal of the ethnic clashes between the feuding factions.
He said once the sporadic shooting incident started, the joint military and police team on operational duties were deployed to quell the action, adding that so far no arrest had been made while no casualty had been reported.
According to DCOP Mahama, calm had been restored to the area and the joint military and police personnel had intensified their patrols in the area.
He said the security agencies, especially the police, had the mandate of the newly appointed Inspector General of Police to deal ruthlessly with anyone who perpetrated crime in the area and warned the people to refrain from lawless acts.
The Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, also condemned the shooting incident.
He said it was the expectation of all that with the intervention of the President during his two-day visit to the region and having met all the opinion leaders of Bawku, it was about time the people gave peace a chance.
He reiterated the fact that the most important ingredient for development was peace and appealed to the people of Bawku to abide by the peace process initiated to help bring permanent peace to the area.