Features
ECG outages: Paying for destroyed appliances through the ‘nostrils’
The ‘proper dumsor years’ are gone. And during those ‘debilitating years’, power outages ‘engineered’ by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), somersaulted straight to the ‘dogs’.
And the ‘dogs’ ‘ensnared’ by consistent darkness and restlessness, barked consistently, to apparently ‘scare’ ‘dumsor’ but ‘dumsor’ was not perturbed at all.
‘Dumsor’ kept on wreak horror and havoc on humans, homes, houses, schools, companies, factories and many other businesses in the Republic of Ghana.
Eventually, when ‘dumsor’ was ‘arrested’, it was unable to fulfill the ‘difficult’ bail conditions, so it was kept at the Ankaful Maximum Security Prison.
And occasionally, when ‘dumsor’ is provoked ‘by the powers that be’, ‘dumsor’ will break jail and rush into ‘selected towns and cities’ of the country , to continue its action on any ‘innocent’ thing that stands in its way; including expensive electrical appliances.
And so it came to pass that, just recently, ‘dumsor’ escaped again from the Ankaful Maximum Security Prison and ‘rushed’ to the Ashanti Region, with ‘fury’.
And without any regard to His Majesty, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, ‘dumsor’ ‘nakedly’ ‘stormed’ the Manhyia Royal Palace and turned it upside-down; destroying all the expensive electrical appliances of the Great Asante King.
Apparently having ‘researched’ into ‘Ashanti war-history’, ‘dumsor’ first conquered the ‘vassal states’ of Ashanti before eventually ‘laying siege’ on Manhyia Royal Palace, thus, ‘attacking’ and ‘wrecking’ Otumfuo’s expensive electrical appliances with ‘venom’ and ‘vengeance’.
Indeed, Otumfuo has not been a happy man at all. He has expressed his dissatisfaction about the recent power outages in his kingdom.
Speaking during a recent courtesy call on him by the Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Asantehene announced that the intermittent power outages had destroyed his electrical appliances.
“I have been experiencing power outages recently. The light goes off and comes back without caution” , Otumfuo told the Energy Minister, stressing that, “all my appliances have been damaged because of the outages.”
Responding, Dr Prempeh attributed the recent power outages in the region to a fallen telecommunication mast that destroyed two towers belonging to the Ghana Grid Company earlier in November.
He, however, assured residents that the Energy Ministry was working hard to resolve the problem.
Apart from the Ashanti Region, there have been power outages in some parts of the country, too. They included the Central and the Greater Accra regions. And the outages affected many companies and residential homes.
Reportedly, the effects of the ‘dumsor war’ on Ashanti , were remarkably ‘devastating’, as indigenes and residents in the region also complained loudly.
Akwasi Boadi, 45, a resident of Suame in the vicinity of Kumasi says: “It is not only the Asantehene whose electrical appliances are damaged by the ‘dumsor’ that hit the Ashanti Region.
“I, myself, and many others have lost a lot. All the sophisticated electrical equipment I recently received from my brother based in Sweden, have been damaged by the ‘dumsor’.
“And the ECG is not telling us anything. They keep on destroying our things without paying for them. And such things are very expensive to repair.”
Sixty-two-year-old Mercy Konadu and a resident of Asafo in Kumasi also says all the electrical appliances in her entire household are damaged by the ‘dumsor’.
According to Mercy Konadu: “I hear the ECG has compensated the Asantehene for the damage caused by the ‘dumsor’ to his properties.
“If that is true, then for once, they have been a very responsible institution in Ghana. Always, ECG allows ‘dumsor’ to destroy our things without paying for them.
“People like us, who are nobodies, how can ECG or Ministry of Energy identify us, so as pay us compensation for the damage caused by ‘dumsor’ to our properties? “
Mercy Konadu says, ‘dumsor’ has been inflicting hardship on her household, “because anytime it happens, we have to pay through our nostrils to repair some of our gadgets, as we throw away the others, that cannot be repaired.”
Eugene Opoku Mensah is 52 years old. He is a resident of Bantama in Kumasi now. He says he has lived in Germany for over 20 years and during his stay there, no part of Germany experienced ‘dumsor’ for even one day.
“So, in Ghana, what are the real causes of ‘dumsor’ ? And for God’s sake, for how long can this preventable situation be resolved once and for all?
“And what pains me is that ‘dumsor’ destroys people’s properties and ECG and the Ministry of Energy pretend that they are deaf and dumb.”
Opoku Mensah asks:”And so, ECG and Ministry of Energy; if it is true that you have compensated the Asantehene, what should the others do to claim their compensation?”
Contact email/ WhatsApp of author: asmahfrankg@gmail.com (0505556179)
BY G. FRANK ASMAH
Features
The global challenge of medical malpractice
Introduction
Medical malpractice is a significant concern worldwide, with far-reaching consequences for patients, healthcare providers, and the overall healthcare system.
It is defined as a deviation from the standard of care that results in patient harm, and can take many forms, including misdiagnosis, surgical errors, medication mistakes, and inadequate patient care.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the issues surrounding medical malpractice, its consequences, and potential solutions.
The prevalence of
medical malpractice.
Medical malpractice is a widespread problem that affects patients in many countries. According to a study published in the Journal of Patient Safety, medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States, resulting in an estimated 251,000 deaths per year. Similarly, a study published in the British Medical Journal found that medical errors are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the UK.
Types of medical
malpractice
Medical malpractice can take many forms, including:
1. Misdiagnosis: Failure to accurately diagnose a patient’s condition, leading to delayed or inappropriate treatment.
2. Surgical errors: Mistakes made during surgery, such as operating on the wrong body part or leaving instruments inside a patient.
3. Medication errors: Prescribing or administering the wrong medication, dose, or route of administration.
4. Inadequate patient care: Failure to provide adequate care, including neglecting to monitor patients, provide necessary treatment, or respond to patient concerns.
Consequences of medical malpractice:
Medical malpractice can have severe consequences for patients, including:
1. Physical harm: Patients may experience pain, suffering, and long-term health consequences.
2. Emotional trauma: Patients and their families may experience anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
3. Financial burden: Patients may incur significant medical expenses, lost wages, and other costs.
Solutions to medical malpractice:
To address the issue of medical malpractice, many countries have implemented reforms aimed at reducing the number of claims and improving patient safety. Some potential solutions include:
1. Tort reform: Limiting the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice cases.
2. Alternative dispute resolution: Using mediation or arbitration to resolve disputes outside of court.
3. Communication and Resolution Programs (CRPs): Encouraging open communication between healthcare providers and patients, and providing fair compensation for injuries.
Conclusion
Medical malpractice is a complex issue that requires a multifaceted approach to address.
By understanding the prevalence, types, and consequences of medical malpractice, we can work towards creating a safer and more compassionate healthcare system.
Potential solutions, such as tort reform, alternative dispute resolution, and CRPs, offer promising approaches to reducing medical malpractice claims and improving patient safety.
References:
[1] Makary, M. A., & Daniel, M. (2016). Medical error—the third leading cause of death in the US. BMJ, 353, i2139.
[2] Vincent, C., Neale, G., & Woloshynowych, M. (2001). Adverse events in British hospitals: preliminary retrospective record review. BMJ, 322(7285), 517-519.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
Features
Life is like a quiz competition
I watched a quiz show on TV last Sunday, between two schools, Okuapeman and I think University Practice. After the first round, University Practice was leading with about 30 points and Okuapeman had nothing.
Then comes the second round of the intended four rounds of competition and at the end of the round, surprise, surprise, Okuapeman had 60 points and University Practice had either zero or 10.
In the final analysis, Okuapeman won the competition with 95 points to University Practice’s 90 or 93 points. Such is life and the mysteries of life, are difficult to fathom.
There are classmates that we thought could not amount to much in life and yet we become pleasantly surprised as time passed, about the vast improvement in their lives.
There were other mates who were obviously destined for the top, based on their academic prowess but became complete failures later on in life.
When I was in the primary school, there was a classmate who most of the time came first in the end of term exams. He was very brilliant and so he going further up the academic ladder through Secondary school, Sixth form and ending up at the University was a forgone conclusion.
However, life’s mystery set in and he ended up as a teacher in a technical school owned by his brother-in-law. He did not amount to much, became an alcoholic and eventually passed away.
The day I heard that he had passed away and his general circumstances, I felt so sad. Such is life and sometimes it is like the quiz competition I witnessed, full of uncertainties.
There was another senior in Middle School, who also was very brilliant. In fact he got a score of 254 out of 300 in the Common Entrance Examination. Many years later, in my early years at the University, I met this guy at the Tarkwa Train Station and got the shock of my life. This guy was wearing a dirty, loosely fitting singlet and his state was pitiful.
Naturally after expressing pleasantries, I asked him what he was doing in Tarkwa after telling him that I was a student at the university. He then narrated how he was dismissed from the most prestigious Secondary School in the Kwahu area after some smoking and going out without exeat issue.
He further indicated that as a result, he was then hustling and doing Galamsey to make ends meet. I would have had a hard time believing that he was doing Galamsey and not working in a reputable organisation or institution if it was told me by someone. Indeed life can sometimes be like a quiz competition, if God is not involved.
Since we are not God and therefore do not have knowledge of what the future holds, we need to treat people who come across our paths well because you never know.
When I went for the funeral of one of my aunties, on my father side, with my SUV many years ago, a lot of my relatives were surprised because they never imagined that.
When it comes to say wealth, it has nothing to do with one’s academic qualifications. We have some of the wealthiest people who were school dropouts and so we need to be careful how we treat people, because life is like a quiz competition and you never know until the competition comes to an end.
I have seen someone who was not that nice looking, the nose being flat and all, and then 12 years later, such a huge natural transformation; so never write anybody off, because life is like a quiz competition. God bless.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
