News
Provide Facilities for Children with Limb Deformities’
Some concerned parents of children living with limb deformities have called for an increase in trained teachers to enable schools to accommodate children with such disabilities.
They also appealed for the provision of facilities for such children in schools.
According to the concerned parents, despite the children’s eagerness to learn, many are denied admission to schools due to their physical condition.
This came to light during a visit by a team of UK-based orthopaedic doctors and health personnel of the St. Joseph’s Hospital in Koforidua last week.
Mr Daniel Kwame Okyere was one of the parents who shared his struggles with his 11-year-old daughter, who was denied access to school due to her disability condition, with The Spectator.
“My daughter is very brilliant with lots of talents, but she’s not being admitted because of her disability,” he disclosed.
He said it is also difficult and stressful accessing health care for these children with disabilities and appealed to government to establish more specialised orthopaedic hospitals in the country to ease the burden of parents.
According to Mr Okyere, currently parents are forced to travel long distances from towns like Tarkwa, Hohoe, and Takoradi to seek treatment at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Koforidua.
A prominent lady, who spoke on condition of anonymity, talked about the emotional toll on children with deformities and said they are often teased and mocked by their peers.
She indicated that, by the statistics of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), over 90 per cent of children with disabilities in low-income countries do not attend school.
“We are pleading with government for support and recognition to implement policies to prevent discrimination against children with disabilities who are normally referred to as ‘special children,’” she stated.
Dr Paul Ofori-Atta, an Orthopaedic Trauma Consultant and the President of MOTEC LIFE-UK, an NGO, advised parents to seek treatment from hospitals that specialise in specific conditions.
He said research has shown that identifying the right health facilities to seek early treatment helps the victims to live normal lives and reduces the burden on their parents.
The leader of the medical team, Dr Sanyan Adedapo, a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, stated that the team’s primary objective was to enable children with skeletal disorders or limb deformities to walk normally and also enjoy life.
He further revealed that MOTEC LIFE supports the project by raising funds for patient care, and that the medical team sponsors themselves for the exercise.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
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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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