News
334 health workers in UWR receive incentive packages
Dr Punguyire speaking at the meeting
Incentive packages to entice staff of the Ghana Health Service to accept postings to deprived areas have been instituted in the Upper West Region (UWR).
In all, a total of 334 staff serving in deprived communities in the UWR have been given study leave to pursue further training in the next academic year.
In addition to this package, some 508 clinical staff serving in various capacities in deprived areas were promoted last year to the next grade ahead of their colleagues in the cities.
The Regional Director for Health Services in the region, Dr. Damien Punguyire, speaking at the annual review meeting of the Regional Health Directorate at Wa, said the incentive systems were to attract more staff to rural areas.
The meeting brought together stakeholders to deliberate on the successes and challenges of the service in the region.
Dr. Punguyire projected that the difficulty in getting people to accept postings to deprived areas would be eliminated if staff were motivated with such incentives to help improve nurse and doctor to population ratios, respectively.
With the posting of 20 more doctors to the region, he noted that the doctor-to-patient ratio stood at one doctor to 9,897 patients and said the increase would boost healthcare delivery in the region.
Touching on the theme for the meeting, the director was upbeat about the number of pregnant women who attended antenatal care and said it had led to a decline in maternal mortalities from 28 in 2021 to 16 last year.
He mentioned that a lot more people were becoming aware of their Human Immuno Virus (HIV) status, and 88 per cent of them were undergoing antiretroviral therapy.
He said data from the region suggested that access to health services is not a problem, but the quality of the services is; hence, the focus should be on access to quality health services.
The Regional Minister, Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih, said that despite the remarkable strides made in reducing maternal and infant mortality, it was sad to know that about 300,000 women the world over died as a result of pregnancy-related problems.
He called for a responsive healthcare delivery system to augment the government’s efforts at providing the necessary human resources and infrastructure to eliminate maternal mortalities.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
The Tema Regional Police Command has arrested a 30-year-old driver, Bismark Kpormeno, for possession of a large quantity of compressed plant materials suspected to be Indian hemp.
The arrest was made on Sunday, 31 May 2026 by officers of the Tema Highway Patrol Unit during an operation along the Tema-Ada road.
According to police, the suspect was driving a Hyundai Mighty I container truck and failed to stop when signaled. He attempted to evade arrest but was pursued and apprehended at Bondase.
A search of the vehicle revealed twelve 12 sacks and eighty 80 parcels of compressed plant materials concealed in a container and wrapped in sellotape.
Preliminary investigations show the narcotics were allegedly loaded at Kpeve in the Volta Region and were being transported to Ada.
The suspect is currently in police custody assisting with investigations. The truck and exhibits have been impounded for evidential purposes.
The Tema Regional Police Command says it remains committed to combating drug trafficking and other criminal activities.
They also urged the public to support law enforcement by providing timely and credible information on suspicious activities.
Firefighters from the Peki Fire Station of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) responded swiftly to a fatal head-on collision involving a Mercedes-Benz container truck (WR 1553-C) travelling from Nkwanta to Accra and a Mercedes-Benz passenger bus (GR 3215-E) travelling from Battor to Kabiti in the Oti Region.
The crash occurred at Peki-Tsame near Peki Senior High School in the early hours of Tuesday, 2nd June 2026.
A total of forty (40) persons were involved, comprising twenty-one (21) males, fifteen (15) females, and four (4) children.
Through a coordinated rescue operation, firefighters extricated 25 injured casualties, including 23 adults and two children.
Sadly, 15 persons lost their lives, made up of nine males and 6 females.
The injured were conveyed to the Peki Government Hospital for treatment, while the deceased were handed over to the Police, who conveyed them to the hospital mortuary for preservation and further investigation. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
The Ghana National Fire Service has extended its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and urges all motorists to observe road traffic regulations, avoid dangerous driving practices, and exercise maximum caution on the roads to help prevent accidents and save lives.
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