Editorial
Put your faith and prayer into action (Part 1)
Many people in Ghana are very religious, and this means they may either be Christians, Muslims, believers in traditional religions, or other faith.
Believing in a certain kind of faith usually influences people to pray in a certain way and conduct themselves in a way that reflects their faith. It is good for anyone to believe in God, even if their religious practices are different from those of other religious groups.
The Spectator, therefore, expects all believers to exercise their faith in a practical way to help society, particularly the poor.
There are many religious people who are very rich and can help the poor in society improve their conditions in life. Based on one’s financial status, a person can provide food items to the poor around him or her. Rich people can also buy clothes and give them to the needy.
Such gestures can go a long way toward helping the poor and reassuring them of God’s love for humankind.
We, therefore, expect all religious groups and bodies to accept this change and help the poor and needy in their communities. If this is carried out regularly, it will put a smile on the faces of the needy.
Similarly, children of the poor and needy can be sponsored in schools so that they will grow up to become responsible citizens. This is an important duty that must be carried.
This is not to say that all religious people have not been helpful to society. Many of them have been responsible for making life better for the poor and needy.
A display of wealth by the rich who are unwilling to help the poor will be meaningless to God as far as our faith in God is concerned. This explains why The Spectator is advocating support for the poor by religious people all over this country.
As the Bible says, “faith without works is meaningless”. The Bible again makes it clear that if you do not help the sick, the needy, or those who are hungry, it will mean that you have not done any of these things for God.
One day, God will ask you why you did not feed Him when He was hungry or clothe Him when He was naked, and here people will wonder where they saw God and denied Him His needs.
All religious people—Christians, Muslims and other believers—are hereby entreated to live up to their faith by seeing it as a necessity and an obligation to help the poor and the needy in society.
This is what God expects from all believers on this earth.
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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