Editorial
Observing the protocols to bring COVID-19 under control
All over the world, countries are struggling to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic in order to save the lives of their people even though this has not been easy.
Ghana is among the countries that have worked so hard to bring the pandemic under control.
The world has praised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his team for a job well done in spite of the challenges facing the country.
Unfortunately, some Ghanaians have become complacent and are no longer observing the COVID-19 protocols as was advised by the President and his team of medical professionals.
So, it came as no surprise when the Ghana Health Service announced the recording of a deadly variant, known as Delta, in the country on the second day of this month. The first Delta case was identified in December 2020, and the strain spread rapidly, soon becoming the dominant strain of the virus in both India and the United Kingdom.
In fact, researchers have said that the Delta variant, a SARS-CoV-2 mutation, is about 50 per cent more contagious than the Alpha variant, which was first identified in the United Kingdom. Alpha was already 50 per cent more contagious than the original coronavirus first identified in China in 2019.
This means that people need to rigidly adhere to the wearing of nose masks and wash their hands regularly with running water. Furthermore, people must sanitise their hands with alcohol-based sanitiser to keep them away from possible infection.
The issue of social distancing is also quite important. During funerals, wedding and naming ceremonies in various parts of the country, the observance of COVID-19 protocols must be strictly adhered to.
The same principle of observance applies to schools, churches and mosques whenever they congregate for learning or for worship. These are realities that we cannot run away from.
The COVID-19 pandemic can only be eliminated or pushed away from society if we consistently keep to the protocols.
If Ghanaians do not lower down their guard, as has been pointed out by President Akufo-Addo, more progress can be made, so the earlier we keep to the observance of the COVID-19 protocols the better it will be for all.
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
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
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