Editorial

Need to control family size

Published

4 years ago

January 29, 2022

National development greatly depends on the size of population we have in the country. If the rate of population growth is higher than economic development, the standard of living is likely to fall.

On the other hand, if economic development rises higher than population growth, standard of living will improve.

This explains why in every country including Ghana, efforts must be made to ensure that population is brought under acceptable control so that families and government can provide adequately for the people they have to cater for.

Day in day out we yearn for schools, good drinking water, good roads, hospitals and so on.

It is good to ensure that these items are provided adequately for the people. Therefore, if the supply of these items are inadequate, many of our people will not be happy and will have to live miserably in society.

Every family is free to produce the number of people it can cater for. However, it is not a particular family that will cater for all the needs of its members. For example, every family cannot build its own school, hospitals, roads, etc for all the members born into it. What happens is that individuals in society tend to depend on the state for their respective socioeconomic development.

Thus, individuals with small family members will have to be competing with those who have very large family members over facilities like roads, water, healthcare and so on. It is for this reason that people must understand issues relating to national population policies. The resources available in a state are meant for everyone, so if each individual gives birth to a small number of people, the country will be able to make lives better by bringing more socioeconomic facilities for people to enjoy.

Many poor people with very little or no income live in rickety structures which they consider as houses. Their standard of living in these areas is very poor but in contrast we have some very rich people who live in two or three bedroom houses with family sizes of about three or four people.

These people tend to enjoy better lives because they have access to good water, electricity, good roads and many other facilities which large families may not have. It is in the light of all these reasons that The Spectator may like to appeal to all Ghanaians to come up with family members they can adequately cater for. If this is done, the nation can easily develop more facilities for its people so that individuals and family members can enjoy higher standard of living.

It is expected that every Ghanaian will adhere to this piece of advice, so that life can be made better for each and everyone of us. We should note that the social amenities needed to make life better for each of us greatly depend on our own selves so we need to control population in our own way so that things can be made better for us all.

This way, life can be made more meaningful as expected.

Editorial

Would there ever be beds?

Published

6 days ago

February 28, 2026

WeeklySpectator

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

Editorial

Ending the ‘No Bed’ syndrome

Published

6 days ago

February 28, 2026

WeeklySpectator

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