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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Mrs Patience Antonio, a Child and Family Development Advocate, has called for a national campaign to reduce the growing reliance on breast milk substitutes among nursing mothers in Ghana.
According to Mrs Antonio, scientific evidence shows that breastfeeding improves a child’s emotional stability, boosts intelligence, strengthens the immune system, and provides long-term health benefits. She made these remarks in an interview with The Spectator in Accra last week, emphasizing the importance of breastfeeding for a child’s overall development.
She explained that breastfeeding is not just a biological act of feeding but a key emotional and developmental bridge between mother and child. She also highlighted the need for the recommended six-month maternity leave period to ease the pressure on mothers to return to work prematurely.
“Breastfeeding creates intimacy and trust. It assures the baby of love and security, which becomes the foundation for their emotional health,” Mrs Antonio noted, warning that abandoning exclusive breastfeeding could have long-term implications on children’s social and emotional wellbeing.
Consequently, she called for a minimum of five months of fully paid maternity leave for Ghanaian mothers to enable effective breastfeeding, bonding, and healthier child development. She also urged workplaces to implement family-friendly policies, including private spaces for breastfeeding, flexible working arrangements for nursing mothers, and stronger support systems for new parents.
Mrs Antonio further encouraged families and society to actively support mothers during breastfeeding, stressing that many women struggle due to lack of assistance at home or the pressure to return to work too soon. She emphasized, “If we want a healthier, emotionally stable generation, then we must make breastfeeding a priority and support mothers to do it without stress.”
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Spectator
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The Nanvili Community School in the Mion District of the Northern Region is facing severe infrastructural challenges, affecting teaching and learning for pupils in the area.
The school, which serves five surrounding communities with a total of 58 pupils, has deteriorated to the extent that many children have stopped attending classes. Poor classroom conditions and the lack of desks have made teaching and learning difficult. During a visit to the school, the gate-free classrooms were found filled with goat and sheep droppings.
During the rainy season, both teachers and pupils are often cut off from the school due to bad roads and flooding. Teaching activities are frequently suspended for weeks, negatively affecting academic performance.
The Assemblyman for the area, Mr. Dawuni Mutawakil, expressed concern, noting that the situation is worrying since these pupils are expected to compete with their counterparts in urban areas who have access to better facilities. He added that due to limited space, classes have been merged, with pupils from Primary One and Two, Three and Four, and Five and Six sharing the same classrooms.
The Chief of Nanvili, Abu Kassim, also appealed to the government and non-governmental organisations to come to the aid of the community. He emphasized that the current state of the school discourages children from nearby communities from attending.
Both the Chief and Assemblyman have called for urgent intervention to improve infrastructure and provide furniture for the pupils to ensure quality education for children in the Nanvili area.
By Geoffrey Buta, Nanvili, Northern Region
Spectator
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