News
Obuasi Central gets new health facility
Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah joined by MCE Elijah Adansi
Bonah for commissioning.
A GH¢1.6m two-storey health centre in the Obuasi Central of Ashanti has been commissioned.
It is to replace the defunct Jemima Maternity Home which provided healthcare services to traders in the Obuasi Central business district and neighbouring areas.
It has an out-patient department, two consulting rooms, pharmacy, store, female, male and maternity wards, washrooms, laboratory, counselling unit, an office and a bedroom flat nurses accommodation, etc.
The project was constructed by the Obuasi Municipal Assembly with funds from the mineral royalties.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Simon Osei Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister, commended the Obuasi Municipal Assembly for putting its share of the mineral royalties into productive use.
He said prior to 2017, the Ashanti Region was rated low in the pecking order in terms of national health infrastructure but due to the efforts of the government, the region has witnessed a significant improvement in health facilities.
The Minister mentioned that the government has so far completed a number of health facilities it inherited. These include the Konongo, Tepa, Bekwai, Fomena, Kumawu and Sawua hospitals.
Mr Mensah listed plethora of health facilities the government has initiated and completed, including the Amansie West, Drobonso and Suame Municipal Polyclinics as well as the Twedie and Ahafo Ano South, East hospitals.
He said the government, through various interventions in the health centre, has demonstrated its willingness to support the health care needs of the people to have a healthy society.
According to the Chief Executive of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly, Elijah Adansi-Bonah, the construction of the health facility lends credence to the Assembly’s judicious use of mineral royalties contrary to reports issued by the Centre for Democratic Development on the impact of gold mining royalties on development projects in some mining districts.
Mr Adansi-Bonah mentioned the Kokoteasua Experimental School building and Sanso nurses quarters as other projects that were funded through the Assembly’s share of the mineral royalties.
Mr Martin Safo Osei, the Municipal Health Director, lauded the efforts of the Assembly in putting up the facility furnished with quality equipment which would further enhance effective health care delivery in the Obuasi Municipality.
From Kingsley E.Hope, Obuasi
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
