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LADIES IN MINING AND ALLIED PROFESSIONS HOLD INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY.
Ladies in Mining and Allied Professions in Ghana (LiMAP-Gh) in collaboration with the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), AngloGold Ashanti (Iduapriem) Limited and Abosso Goldfields Limited at Damang has held the 3rd International Women’s Day 2022 at Tarkwa in the Western Region.
The theme for the one-day celebration was “BREAKTHEBIAS-GENDER EQUALITY TODAY FOR A SUSTAINABLE TOMORROW”.
The President of LiMAP-Gh, Prof. Grace Ofori-Sarpong said the organisation was formed to build the capacities of its members and beyond and to leave a legacy wherever it worked.
She said the international organisation was formed in 1910 but they decided to come together to form one within the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality of the Western Region to break the biases by equipping themselves adequately at the workplace and transforming their generation by bringing valuable changes in society.
The Paramount Queen of Wassa Fiase Traditional Area, Nana Abena Kunadjoa 11 also said she did not want to believe that women were their own enemies because this belief would not bring any progress and promotion to the women wherever they found themselves.
She said time had come for women who were more than men to rally behind any woman who sought to stand for any public office with their money, love, energy and other resources in order to change the face of the world.
She advised those in school never to think that completing the Junior High School was the best for them to rush into marriage because statistics showed women were occupying very high positions and these came as a result of determination and hard work.
The Municipal Chief Executive of Tarkwa-Nsuaem, Mr. Benjamin Kesse said the assembly was considering giving about 70 per cent of the government appointees to women if the performance of women became very low in the next assembly elections.
He said this idea was to allow women in the assembly and communities contribute to the developmental agenda of the municipality because women were careful and very good at management.
The Community Relations Officer of Goldfields Ghana at Damang Mines, Mrs. Rahmat Yarig said those biases were being broken because many women were in the mining sector doing what was the preserve of men.
She said young women were operating dumpers, graders, caterpillars and other mining and construction machines which could not be done by women in the past.
She said notwithstanding the numerous challenges, women were up and doing and appealed to men to give them the necessary push and encouragement to go forward for the development of the family, the community and the nation at large.
The chairman of the occasion, Pro Vice Chancellor of UMaT, Prof. Anthony Simons said women were very unique and played very important role in all spheres of life.
He said right from the Old Testament to the New Testament up till date women had always been in very important positions which yielded good results.
He said the recognition of women in the various fields should be seen by their counterparts so that together they could push Ghana’s development forward.
He suggested women should be given more quota in all aspects of life adding “this job is not for women must be a thing of the past because there are many women Engineers, Miners, Pilots in all the male dominated occupations now”.
Girls from selected Senior and Basic Schools around Tarkwa and its environs attended the celebration.
FROM PETER GBAMBILA, TARKWA.
A Professor at the University of Ghana Medical School, Prof. Vincent Boima, has called for a major shift in the treatment and prevention of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Ghana and across Africa, warning that the continent cannot rely on dialysis alone to manage the growing health burden.
Delivering his inaugural lecture at the university’s Great Hall on Thursday, Prof. Boima stated that chronic kidney disease was more common in Africa than in many high income countries, with most patients seeking treatment only when the disease had reached advanced stages.
Speaking on the theme, “From Genes to Mind: Holistic Pathways to Precision Kidney Care for Africa,” he explained that hypertension and diabetes remained the leading causes of kidney disease in Ghana, where many younger and economically active people were being affected.
According to him, the high cost of dialysis, limited transplant facilities and unequal access to treatment raised concerns about whether many cases of kidney failure could have been prevented through earlier interventions.
Prof. Boima proposed what he described as the “Genes–Mind–Community” model, which combines genetics, mental health and community based healthcare approaches to improve kidney care in Africa.
He explained that the “Genes” pillar focused on understanding the role genetics played in kidney disease among Africans, particularly the APOL1 risk variants common in West Africa.
The professor noted that studies in Ghana and other West African countries had shown that many people carried high risk APOL1 genes, which increased the chances of developing non diabetic kidney disease when combined with factors such as infections, hypertension and environmental pollution.
However, he cautioned that genetic information should be used responsibly and ethically, stressing that it should improve treatment decisions without increasing stigma or inequality.
Prof. Boima therefore called for more African led research into kidney disease genetics, affordable testing methods for early detection and stronger health systems to prepare for future gene targeted treatments.
On mental health, he indicated that psychological wellbeing was an important part of kidney care because many patients with hypertension, chronic kidney disease and those on dialysis experienced depression, anxiety and emotional distress.
He explained that financial difficulties, irregular access to medication and weak follow up systems often worsened the mental health burden on patients, affecting their ability to continue treatment.
To address the problem, he proposed routine mental health screening in hypertension and kidney clinics, together with culturally sensitive counselling and support systems.
Prof. Boima stressed that psychological care should become part of chronic disease management rather than being treated as optional.
Touching on the “Community” pillar, he stated that prevention remained the most effective and affordable strategy for reducing kidney failure, stroke and heart disease in Africa.
He disclosed that community studies in Ghana had shown that large scale blood pressure screening programmes could identify many people living with undiagnosed hypertension.
Despite this, he pointed out that many patients struggled to continue treatment because of transport costs, long hospital waiting times, expensive medication and inadequate financial support.
Prof. Boima proposed decentralising healthcare through community based services and primary healthcare centres, while also empowering nurses, pharmacists and other non physician health workers to assist with prevention and treatment.
He further recommended the use of simple technologies such as text message reminders to help patients take medication, reduce salt intake, exercise regularly and attend medical appointments.
The nephrologist also encouraged the use of family and faith based support systems to improve treatment adherence and continuity of care.
Speaking on the state of kidney treatment in Ghana, Prof. Boima explained that dialysis remained the main form of kidney replacement therapy in the country, although treatment was expensive and available mainly in a few locations.
He observed that many patients paid for dialysis from their own pockets, creating serious financial hardship for families, while kidney transplantation services also remained limited.
According to him, these challenges highlighted the need for Ghana to focus more on prevention, primary healthcare and long term chronic disease management instead of depending heavily on dialysis centres.
He called for expanded National Health Insurance coverage for essential medicines and diagnostic services, improved data systems, stronger primary healthcare and policies to support mental health and ethical genetic care.
Prof. Boima concluded by urging African countries to lead a new era of “precision kidney care” that focused on people rather than only treating diseased organs.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, commended Prof. Boima for his work, stating that the lecture had reshaped thinking on kidney healthcare in Africa.
She noted that the presentation highlighted the hidden financial and social costs of kidney disease and reinforced the need for healthier lifestyles, including reducing salt intake, exercising regularly and taking blood pressure checks seriously.
Prof. Appiah Amfo added that Africa must not only participate in precision medicine but should also help shape its future direction.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that passport applications that remain incomplete for more than two months will be automatically cancelled.
According to a public notice issued on May 15, the new directive takes immediate effect and applies to all passport applications from the date they are first submitted.
The Ministry explained that incomplete applications include cases that require further vetting, missing supporting documents, incomplete biometric capture or applications awaiting biometric re capture.
It warned that applicants whose submissions are cancelled will lose the fees already paid because the payments are non refundable.
Affected persons will therefore be required to begin a fresh application process and pay the required fees again.
“The general public is therefore encouraged to complete applications on time to avert cancellations,” the notice stated.
The Ministry also urged applicants to respond quickly whenever they are asked to provide additional documents or update their biometric information to avoid delays.
Officials explained that the policy is aimed at reducing delays and clearing backlogs caused by abandoned and incomplete passport applications in the system.
The Ministry assured the public of its commitment to improving passport service delivery across the country.
Applicants seeking further information have been advised to contact the Ministry’s 24 hour call centre
By: Jacob Aggrey
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