News
Philanthropist supports 700 people to get NHIS card
A philanthropist, Mr Mickydary Yakubu has financed over 700 Ghanaians to obtain the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card at a total cost of GHC 28.320.00.
The cost included the registration fee, transportation fare from their localities to where the NHIS cards were issued, and hotel accommodation.
The beneficiaries are from Jamasi in the Ashanti Region, Zaagum, Yuga, Yakura, in the North East Region, and Douri in the Upper East Region respectively.
Mr Mickydary Yakubu who is also the Founder of Maloa Foundation, Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), which assisted the poor people during the COVID-19 lock down, said he was moved to go to the aid of people who were living in poverty and could not afford the cost involved to obtain the NHIS card.
He said despite its immense benefits, there were many people who could not afford the means to obtain the NHIS card.
Mr Yakubu explained that since the NHIS issuing centres were not located in the towns where the beneficiaries lived, it became difficult for these people who were mostly peasant farmers to obtain the card from their own resources.
He said, ” I always want to put smiles on the faces of people who naturally would not have the means to repay for the services received.”
Mr Yakubu said there was nothing more refreshing than to reach out to the less privileged in society.
He said people should not be self-centered, but try to think about the welfare of others in dire need of vital support to make life more meaningful.
Mr Yakubu said he started the project to prepare NHIS cards for people in 2016 and was still poised to continue to lend his support to the vulnerable.
He intimated that he had planned a mammoth blood donation exercise to be held at Hohoe in the Volta Region to support the National Blood Bank.
Mr Yakubu said his objective was to help cultivate the habit in the citizens to willingly donate blood to save lives.
By Raymond Kyekye
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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