News
COVID-19 cases drain cases of Effia Nkwanta Hospital
The Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital in the Western Region is using its internally generated funds (IGF) to monitor COVID-19 patients who are quarantined or self-isolated in their respective homes.
This move has resulted in a big drain in the hospital’s coffers.
The Medical Director, Dr. Joseph Yambil disclosed this to our reporter who visisted the hospital to find out some of the challenges confronting the staff who are the frontline workers in the fight against the deadly Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19), and the number of cases so far recorded.
He said the fuelling of vehicles at the health facility to enable the nurse to travel and check on the patients was becoming too much because the Regional Hospital depended on its internally generated funds (IGF) to monitor these patients.
The Medical Director has ,therefore, appealed to benevolent institutions, Non- Governmental Organisations into health and the COVID-19 Fund to assist ENRH to continue to fight the pandemic.
He said that the hospital last year had to refer very severe cases to Accra but managed the less severe cases at home.
He lauded GIZ, a German organisation which came to assist the hospital at the Communicable Disease Unit (CDU) referred to as Intensive Care Unit (ICU) which made it possible for the hospital to admit COVID-19 cases in the later part of 2020.
Dr. Tambil disclosed that the OPD from January to March this year recorded 314 COVID-19 cases out of a total of 372 cases reported at the hospital.
He gave the breakdown as follows : January 136 cases, February 102 and March 76 cases at the OPD.
He said the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where COVID-19 patients were admitted also recorded 22 cases in January, February 20 and March 16 cases thus bringing the total COVID-19 cases recorded between January and March to 372.
He said the OPD cases were people on self-isolation or those who had quarantined themselves at their various homes but were religiously monitored by the health officials
He said the second wave saw the numbers going up in early January 2021 where the CDU admitted 22 patients, lost three and discharged 19 while 20 patients were recorded at the ICU and five lost their lives.
He said as of March 22, 2021, 16 patients were admitted and two died adding “no case has been referred to Accra this time round except a corporate client whose company requested for a transfer to South Africa where the mother company is”.
Dr Tambil said the hospital’s biggest challenge was how to get enough resources to manage the ICU as patients had to be fed well round the clock and that since they started admitting COVID-19 patients no pesewa had been given to support the fight against the disease.
The Medical Director said the internally generated funds and other finances were far stretched as such corporate institutions should support the health facility in terms of PPEs, consumables and other medications.
Photo 0071 shows Dr Joseph Tambil, Medical Director of Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital.
From Peter Gbambila, Effia Nkwanta
The Northern Regional Police Command has arrested three men believed to be part of a kidnapping syndicate responsible for abducting a 42-year-old man in Wapuli, a community in the Yendi District.
The suspects, Haruna Seidu, Amidu Bandi and Osman Bandi allegedly kidnapped the victim and demanded GH¢100,000 from his family for his release.
According to a police statement, officers from the Regional Police Intelligence Directorate were deployed to Wapuli after the incident was reported.
The team conducted surveillance and launched a rescue operation.
On Friday, December 5, 2025, police successfully rescued the victim and arrested the suspects after what was described as an intense exchange of gunfire.
The suspects were later taken into custody and are expected to be arraigned before court.
The Police said the a fourth suspect, who is believed to have sustained gunshot wounds during the operation, is currently on the run.
They urged the public to provide any information that may lead to his arrest.
By: Jacob Aggrey
News
Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong advocates Bold educational reforms at the UK House of Lords during Global Education Summit.
On November 27 2025, global development leaders, policymakers, education experts and civil society organisations gathered at the UK Parliament’s House of Lords for the Global Education Summit hosted by The Baroness Verma of Leicester and organised by the African British Business Forum.
The high-level event focused on the global rise in out-of-school children and the urgent reforms required to deliver equitable, quality education for all.
Among the distinguished Speakers was Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong, Founder & President of Women in Sustainability Africa (WiSA) and General Manager of the EIB Network, who delivered a compelling address on the theme “Breaking Barriers: Empowering Out-of-School Children Through Education.”
In her remarks, Nana Yaa who is currently celebrating 26years of Service in the Media, emphasized that education must be viewed as essential national infrastructure, not charity.
Borrowing experiences from her 18 years of empowering women and young people, she presented a strong case on how Africa’s poor educational systems tie into the poor state of its Gender Equality gap.
According to her, unlocking access to education is one of the most effective ways to strengthen economies, empower women and young girls, build resilient communities and drive sustainable development.
She highlighted that each child excluded from learning represents deferred innovation, delayed opportunity and a weakened society.
Nana Yaa noted that the barriers keeping millions of children out of school are complex and interconnected—ranging from poverty and cultural norms to geographical isolation and digital exclusion.
Addressing these challenges, she argued, requires solutions that are equally comprehensive and multi-layered.
Nana Yaa stressed that girls remain disproportionately affected, and investing in girls’ education has a transformative impact across several Sustainable Development Goals, including gender equality, poverty reduction, health outcomes and climate resilience.
Nana Yaa advocated for the expansion of flexible, inclusive and community-responsive educational models, such as mobile classrooms for remote and nomadic communities, community learning hubs, after-hours programmes for working children, radio-based instruction for low-tech areas and digital platforms designed to reach learners regardless of connectivity challenges.
She warned that without deliberate action, the digital divide would continue to widen, pushing already vulnerable children further to the margins.
During her presentation, she introduced three major reforms WiSA is seeking Partners for, aimed at reshaping educational access across Africa and beyond.
These are the Digital Bridge for Out-of-School Children (DBOC), the Community Education Stewardship Hubs (CESH) involving local women educators and youth volunteers and the Teen-focused Global Skills Accelerator for Out-of-School Teens (GSA-OT).
She also underscored the need for education systems that support instruction, inclusivity and healing, particularly for children experiencing autism, trauma, displacement or conflict.
Nana Yaa emphasised that emotional and psychological support must be integrated into educational frameworks in order to restore confidence, stability and long-term learning capacity.
The summit concluded with strong commitments from stakeholders to adopt sustainable financing models, strengthen data-driven policies and expand cross-sector partnerships.
The African British Business Forum reaffirmed its commitment to championing innovative, scalable solutions to educational inclusion across the UK, Africa and the wider global community.
