Features
Promoting Ghanaian food for the Finnish/European market
In my last writeup, I discussed how I heard that one could buy the typical Ghanaian Asaanaa drink from a food shop in Finland.
I mentioned how a Ghana “big brother” of mine had bought the Asaanaa drink and told me about it.
I decided to share information about it and to help encourage ideas about food and business/investment opportunities for entrepreneurs and other business-minded people. And today, I continue with this kind of endeavour.
Palmwine and ‘Asaanaa;’ drinks in Finland
My further chats with some Ghanaians in Finland revealed that one could also buy bottled palm-wine (nsaafuo/nsafufuo) from an “African” shop here in Helsinki owned by a Nigerian. I know palm-wine is also popular among Nigerians and I understand they call it “Palmi”. I think the bottled palm-wine drink is imported from Ghana.
This means that it is not only Asaanaa that has found its way into the Finnish market, but also the bottled palm-wine had already been in the shop.
As I said the last time, my interest in all these Ghanaian foods is how Ghanaian Diaspora companies and Ghanaian immigrants in Finland generally could make a business in more Ghanaian food products for the Finnish/European market.
Other potential Ghanaian products
I have already said in my last post that some Ghanaian shea butter body lotion products are making quite an impact in the Finnish market.
I have also sometimes seen pineapples from Ghana in some Finnish grocery shops. Yams and plantains can also be found in almost all African-Asian shops.
I have just remembered that some Ghanaian friends told me some time ago that one could also buy from some Asian-African shops here cow-skin (what we call in Ghana as “coat” or kawuro) as well as stinking fish that looks and almost tastes like our own Ghanaian “opaa momone”. I think these packaged products are imported from Asian countries.
So, my point is that we should think of promoting Ghanaian food products. As someone on a Ghanaian social media platform I belong to rhetorically asked, who says one cannot pack Ghana products like neem tree and prekese for the European market?
As I wrote the last time, other potential products that could attract Finnish and other European markets are our own alata samina (soap), sobolo drink or the flower/hibiscus for making the drink, prekese, kokonte/cassava flour, and many more.
I am sure there would be a big patronage for such Ghanaian products as Ghanaian food is popular among Ghanaians here. Moreover, many Finnish people love African food. Whenever Ghanaian groups participate in food fairs here, many people patronise the jollof rice, “red-red” (fried riped plantain and beans stew), waakye, and ginger drink.
Collaboration
Again, all that is needed is for Ghanaian Diaspora companies and entrepreneurs to find the right kind of collaboration within the community or with Finnish/European companies.
So, over to you those with business minds to take this up.
As I have written here before, the attention of Finnish authorities and business leaders on Ghana and Ghanaian products for business and investment is high.
The COVID-19 situation may have slowed things down but life goes on and so must business thrive, especially so with border restrictions that were imposed in the thick of the pandemic gradually being eased now.
Growing Ghanaian diaspora communities
The Ghanaian diaspora in Finland has been growing as in other places in Europe and elsewhere in the world.
There are more than 1,600 Ghanaian immigrants living in Finland and possibly well over 10,000 in all Scandinavian countries. I am sure Ghanaian products will always find a good market.
The Ghanaian products for the Finnish market and in other European countries will also allow Ghanaian immigrants to have access to their “home country food”, as one of my friends puts it.
There are many Ghanaian immigrant families in which the children very much enjoy “Ghanaian food” when they can have it, even though they have been born here in Finland and have never been to Ghana.
Like I said the last time, that is how most of us living abroad make use of the two worlds we find ourselves in. Thank you.
Features
The global challenge of medical malpractice
Introduction
Medical malpractice is a significant concern worldwide, with far-reaching consequences for patients, healthcare providers, and the overall healthcare system.
It is defined as a deviation from the standard of care that results in patient harm, and can take many forms, including misdiagnosis, surgical errors, medication mistakes, and inadequate patient care.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the issues surrounding medical malpractice, its consequences, and potential solutions.
The prevalence of
medical malpractice.
Medical malpractice is a widespread problem that affects patients in many countries. According to a study published in the Journal of Patient Safety, medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States, resulting in an estimated 251,000 deaths per year. Similarly, a study published in the British Medical Journal found that medical errors are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the UK.
Types of medical
malpractice
Medical malpractice can take many forms, including:
1. Misdiagnosis: Failure to accurately diagnose a patient’s condition, leading to delayed or inappropriate treatment.
2. Surgical errors: Mistakes made during surgery, such as operating on the wrong body part or leaving instruments inside a patient.
3. Medication errors: Prescribing or administering the wrong medication, dose, or route of administration.
4. Inadequate patient care: Failure to provide adequate care, including neglecting to monitor patients, provide necessary treatment, or respond to patient concerns.
Consequences of medical malpractice:
Medical malpractice can have severe consequences for patients, including:
1. Physical harm: Patients may experience pain, suffering, and long-term health consequences.
2. Emotional trauma: Patients and their families may experience anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
3. Financial burden: Patients may incur significant medical expenses, lost wages, and other costs.
Solutions to medical malpractice:
To address the issue of medical malpractice, many countries have implemented reforms aimed at reducing the number of claims and improving patient safety. Some potential solutions include:
1. Tort reform: Limiting the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice cases.
2. Alternative dispute resolution: Using mediation or arbitration to resolve disputes outside of court.
3. Communication and Resolution Programs (CRPs): Encouraging open communication between healthcare providers and patients, and providing fair compensation for injuries.
Conclusion
Medical malpractice is a complex issue that requires a multifaceted approach to address.
By understanding the prevalence, types, and consequences of medical malpractice, we can work towards creating a safer and more compassionate healthcare system.
Potential solutions, such as tort reform, alternative dispute resolution, and CRPs, offer promising approaches to reducing medical malpractice claims and improving patient safety.
References:
[1] Makary, M. A., & Daniel, M. (2016). Medical error—the third leading cause of death in the US. BMJ, 353, i2139.
[2] Vincent, C., Neale, G., & Woloshynowych, M. (2001). Adverse events in British hospitals: preliminary retrospective record review. BMJ, 322(7285), 517-519.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
Features
Life is like a quiz competition
I watched a quiz show on TV last Sunday, between two schools, Okuapeman and I think University Practice. After the first round, University Practice was leading with about 30 points and Okuapeman had nothing.
Then comes the second round of the intended four rounds of competition and at the end of the round, surprise, surprise, Okuapeman had 60 points and University Practice had either zero or 10.
In the final analysis, Okuapeman won the competition with 95 points to University Practice’s 90 or 93 points. Such is life and the mysteries of life, are difficult to fathom.
There are classmates that we thought could not amount to much in life and yet we become pleasantly surprised as time passed, about the vast improvement in their lives.
There were other mates who were obviously destined for the top, based on their academic prowess but became complete failures later on in life.
When I was in the primary school, there was a classmate who most of the time came first in the end of term exams. He was very brilliant and so he going further up the academic ladder through Secondary school, Sixth form and ending up at the University was a forgone conclusion.
However, life’s mystery set in and he ended up as a teacher in a technical school owned by his brother-in-law. He did not amount to much, became an alcoholic and eventually passed away.
The day I heard that he had passed away and his general circumstances, I felt so sad. Such is life and sometimes it is like the quiz competition I witnessed, full of uncertainties.
There was another senior in Middle School, who also was very brilliant. In fact he got a score of 254 out of 300 in the Common Entrance Examination. Many years later, in my early years at the University, I met this guy at the Tarkwa Train Station and got the shock of my life. This guy was wearing a dirty, loosely fitting singlet and his state was pitiful.
Naturally after expressing pleasantries, I asked him what he was doing in Tarkwa after telling him that I was a student at the university. He then narrated how he was dismissed from the most prestigious Secondary School in the Kwahu area after some smoking and going out without exeat issue.
He further indicated that as a result, he was then hustling and doing Galamsey to make ends meet. I would have had a hard time believing that he was doing Galamsey and not working in a reputable organisation or institution if it was told me by someone. Indeed life can sometimes be like a quiz competition, if God is not involved.
Since we are not God and therefore do not have knowledge of what the future holds, we need to treat people who come across our paths well because you never know.
When I went for the funeral of one of my aunties, on my father side, with my SUV many years ago, a lot of my relatives were surprised because they never imagined that.
When it comes to say wealth, it has nothing to do with one’s academic qualifications. We have some of the wealthiest people who were school dropouts and so we need to be careful how we treat people, because life is like a quiz competition and you never know until the competition comes to an end.
I have seen someone who was not that nice looking, the nose being flat and all, and then 12 years later, such a huge natural transformation; so never write anybody off, because life is like a quiz competition. God bless.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
