News
Obuasi Central gets new health facility
Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah joined by MCE Elijah Adansi
Bonah for commissioning.
A GH¢1.6m two-storey health centre in the Obuasi Central of Ashanti has been commissioned.
It is to replace the defunct Jemima Maternity Home which provided healthcare services to traders in the Obuasi Central business district and neighbouring areas.
It has an out-patient department, two consulting rooms, pharmacy, store, female, male and maternity wards, washrooms, laboratory, counselling unit, an office and a bedroom flat nurses accommodation, etc.
The project was constructed by the Obuasi Municipal Assembly with funds from the mineral royalties.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Simon Osei Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister, commended the Obuasi Municipal Assembly for putting its share of the mineral royalties into productive use.
He said prior to 2017, the Ashanti Region was rated low in the pecking order in terms of national health infrastructure but due to the efforts of the government, the region has witnessed a significant improvement in health facilities.
The Minister mentioned that the government has so far completed a number of health facilities it inherited. These include the Konongo, Tepa, Bekwai, Fomena, Kumawu and Sawua hospitals.
Mr Mensah listed plethora of health facilities the government has initiated and completed, including the Amansie West, Drobonso and Suame Municipal Polyclinics as well as the Twedie and Ahafo Ano South, East hospitals.
He said the government, through various interventions in the health centre, has demonstrated its willingness to support the health care needs of the people to have a healthy society.
According to the Chief Executive of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly, Elijah Adansi-Bonah, the construction of the health facility lends credence to the Assembly’s judicious use of mineral royalties contrary to reports issued by the Centre for Democratic Development on the impact of gold mining royalties on development projects in some mining districts.
Mr Adansi-Bonah mentioned the Kokoteasua Experimental School building and Sanso nurses quarters as other projects that were funded through the Assembly’s share of the mineral royalties.
Mr Martin Safo Osei, the Municipal Health Director, lauded the efforts of the Assembly in putting up the facility furnished with quality equipment which would further enhance effective health care delivery in the Obuasi Municipality.
From Kingsley E.Hope, Obuasi
The family of Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, a distinguished statesman and diplomat, has paid a courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama. They officially informed him of his passing.
The delegation, representing the Gbeho family, noted that it was culturally and diplomatically important to formally notify the President of the loss before making a public announcement of his death.
Ambassador Gbeho was a towering figure in Ghanaian and international politics. He served in many diplomatic missions, including New York. He was Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, a Member of Parliament for the Anlo constituency, and President (formerly Executive Secretary) of the ECOWAS Commission.
He was widely respected for his role in regional integration and his contributions to global diplomacy at the United Nations.
President Mahama expressed his condolences and shared reflections on Ambassador Gbeho’s contributions to the country, West Africa and the world.
Funeral details will be announced later.
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has revoked all firearm permits in Ghana with immediate effect and announced a new registration process for all gun owners.
The minister made the announcement on Tuesday, June 23, at the information service department saying all individuals who currently hold licences to own firearms or sidearms must undergo a fresh registration process.
“From this afternoon, all permits that have been granted to any individual that you are holding a sidearm or firearm is hereby revoked,” Mr Muntaka said.
He explained that the government had identified gaps in the country’s firearm registration system and needed to introduce stricter measures to improve public safety.
“We are opening the window where everyone will have to come forward again to register or re-register the gun because we’ve changed the procedure,” he stated.
According to him, the government decided not to wait until the end of the year to make the changes because lives could still be saved within the next six months.
The Interior Minister said one of the new requirements would be mandatory mental health screening for applicants seeking firearm licences.
“We’ve seen that people with mental health have already gone through and have the sidearm. Now we are introducing mental health. Before we give you the sidearm, we have to be sure that you have the mental stability to hold the firearms,” he said.
Mr Muntaka also announced that applicants would be required to undergo drug tests before being granted licences.
“We’ve also realised that people who are on drugs are also holding their arms and they are legitimate because it’s been registered. Now you have to go through drug tests to be sure that you are not on drugs before you can hold sidearms,” he added.
The minister said the new measures form part of efforts by the government to tighten firearm control and prevent legally registered weapons from falling into the wrong hands.
He urged all firearm owners to cooperate with the new registration process once details of the exercise are announced.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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