Editorial
Prioritise saving lives in emergency situations over taking photos, videos
In the past, people were prepared to act quickly in dire circumstances, like breaking up fights, and lives were saved as a result.
However, in this day and age when everything is trending on social media onlookers concentrate on taking photos or videos rather than intervening to save the lives of people in distress.
Traditional media outlets and social media users compete with one another to be the first to report on a story.
Instead of acting swiftly to remedy the situation, viewers’ attention is diverted by the impulse to document a moment of injustice or danger. It is currently a widespread practice that requires comprehensive attention.
In numerous instances, the individuals who took pictures and shared them on social media had the opportunity to save lives. When you have the ability to save the life of someone who is about to die, why must you record them?
Our culture now prioritises being viral over lending a hand to others. Sometimes people witness emergencies, but they would rather wait for someone else to take action.
One typical example is a video of two students fighting that went viral on social media lately. Surprisingly, their friends were videoing the fight until something unexpected happened. Similar circumstances have resulted in fatalities in the past.
The Spectator disapproves of this behaviour because life is more valuable than images and videos and that the people who took the photos and videos could have saved a life if they had acted sooner.
Even while some might contend that images and videos can be used as proof in investigations into an incident, there are times when saving a life is more important than videoing, particularly when there is a risk to life and the only person present is the one taking the photo or recording.
Since saving a life has a significant impact on the person, their family, and the community, it is thought to be the most morally just thing to do.
The Spectator believes that while images and videos are useful and can be used to swiftly convey important information to others, the time, effort, and tools required to capture images or videos could be employed to save lives in an emergency.
When a life-threatening situation arises, we should first contact for assistance from the police or ambulance service, or if we are able, provide prompt assistance before anything else happens.
In an emergency, let us be Good Samaritans and put saving lives ahead of snapping photos and videos.
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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