Editorial
Make Mother’s Day special
Mother’s Day is commemorated worldwide tomorrow. It is a wonderful day to honour mothers everywhere for the special role they have played in our lives over the years.
We must endeavour to make a mother happy on this special day, whether she is your biological mother, aunt, stepmother, grandmother, or another mother figure.
Mothers are the backbone of society; they start in the home and extend across communities and the nation.
Many are the struggles that mothers go through as they raise their children with unwavering love, cherishing, educating, training, and disciplining them so they become responsible adults.
Being a mother is unique and undoubtedly no mean achievement. It is time to honour mothers for their unwavering devotion and affection, which have greatly influenced how our lives have turned out.
Some mothers have raised and mothered children from all walks of life in addition to their biological children. Many orphans have benefited from their mother figures’ selfless affection.
When giving birth, mothers experience a great deal of suffering; some survive, but some pass away, leaving their children and other family members in excruciating misery.
After losing their spouses, some mothers experienced a great deal of suffering, rejection, insomnia, and other difficulties. These women then became single mothers and raised their children to become responsible people on their own.
Mothers sacrifice a great deal for their family, and in some cases, even when their spouses are still alive, they are the primary breadwinners.
Some mothers engage in menial jobs such as sweeping the streets, going from house to house washing people’s clothes, and completing cleaning tasks in order to make ends meet and guarantee that their children have enough.
The Spectator urges all to plan a treat for a mother tomorrow, if you can, take her out for lunch or supper; otherwise, spend time together at home eating special meal, drinking, and having fun.
You still have the option to surprise your mother with something lovely. Buy your mother a card, fragrant soap, flowers, perfume, clothes, food items such as provisions, jewelry, even a phone, or other gifts if you can afford.
What matters most is not the cost but the thought and love behind whatever you decide to give her. Or you could find out what she likes and buy it for her.
As mothers play diverse and unending roles, let us celebrate and honour them tomorrow for their commitment, love, and care.
Dear Editor,
I WRITE to condemn the circumstances under which an accident victim died recently after three major hospitals reportedly turned him away due to what has earned a place in our local parlance as ‘no bed syndrome.’
Reports suggested that this motor rider who got knocked by a vehicle was taken to three major hospitals – Police Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital), and the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital – but they all claimed they had no beds.
But one may ask, would there ever be beds?
Such is the treatment Ghanaians endure every now and then when one visits our hospitals, especially the public ones which are run with the taxpayers’ money. Many a time when one visits the hospitals, the sight of patients admitted and lying on benches, and some sitting on chairs while receiving care, is visible to all; making one wonder why this particular motor rider was not admitted at any of the facilities, looking at his condition.
This leads to the reason for this letter, which is to bring out a perceived apathy against these motor riders, the majority of whom are referred to as ‘Okada’ riders.
Due to their recklessness on the roads and the inconvenience caused to commuters, people always speak ill about them; drivers equally have no regard for them. Every user of public transport would attest to this. These riders are blamed for every offence, even when it is obvious drivers may be at fault sometimes.
Motor riders have become like orphans on the road; people care less about them, and when they are unfortunately knocked down, no one cares about them.
This is the mischief our authorities and agencies, including the police, must seek to cure to make the road safe for all users.
These are young folks that want to make a living for themselves, and with no skill or education, ‘Okada’ rides have become their source of livelihood. They need the protection accorded drivers and commuters as well.
In other countries, some facilities have been provided to make their work safer, but in Ghana, we lack them, leaving them with no alternative than to share the available space with the cars.
What has happened should serve as a wake-up call on our authorities to aim to take a second look at the ‘Okada’ menace. With the numbers increasing, there should be a way to regulate them because no government would have the guts to ban it totally.
Drivers should be made to accept the reality that they are sharing the roads with them, and therefore the need for patience and tolerance.
For some of our hospitals, I suggest the Ministry of Health conduct their own investigations to see what patients go through in accessing medicare, which is even not for free.
Thank you, Editor, for the space.
F. Morgan, Kokrobite
Dear Editor,
THE heartbreaking death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah in a hit-and-run accident has exposed once again the failures in our health system.
Even more painful is the fact that his father had previously donated beds to some hospitals, yet when his son needed urgent care, he was moved from one facility to another because there were ‘no beds.’
This is not only tragic but unacceptable. How can a country lose its bright young citizens simply because hospitals cannot provide emergency treatment? The ‘no bed syndrome’ has become a national disgrace, and Charles’ death is a reminder that reforms cannot wait.
Our hospitals must be equipped to handle emergencies, and accountability must be enforced. If donations are made to improve facilities, then those facilities must serve the people when it matters most. Ghana cannot afford to keep losing lives to negligence and poor infrastructure.
Charles Amissah’s death should be the turning point. Let us honor his memory by fixing the system so that no family would suffer this kind of preventable loss again.
Princess Wonovi
Accra
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