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Remove tax onsanitary pads – STMA Director of Edu.
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● Mrs Sally Coleman addressing the participants
“I am advocating the total abolition of any tax imposed on the importation of sanitary pad so that it becomes affordable for parents to buy for their children,” the Metropolitan Director of Education, Sekondi -Takoradi, Mrs Sally Nelly Coleman, has proposed.
She explained that, the new policy would free girls from “hungry” men who exploited them for sex due to poverty.
“My plea is that the government should make it free for them. Because at times you meet the girl and you ask what made you pregnant, she will sadly say I was in need of sanitary pads.” Mrs Coleman added.
She made the suggestion at a meeting with journalists as part of stakeholders engagement on youth -oriented and gender-sensitive topics in line with the Twin Cities in Sustainable Partnership Project (TCSPP), held at Sekondi in the Western Region.
“One worrying aspect nowadays is that, the children who are in their menstrual ages find it very difficult and that some parents don’t even buy their sanitary pads for them. And it will shock you that some unscrupulous men are in the habit of providing just a sanitary pad and take advantage of these innocent children,” she said.
Mrs Coleman indicated that, she was not asking for more if the government could provide sanitary pads free of charge for girls whose parents could not provide any.
She told the journalists that her suggestion was not meant to encourage teenage pregnancy, noting that, “some students have taken it as a yardstick or as a field day and they are doing their own thing.”
The Education Director urged parents and other stakeholders including social workers team -up with the Ghana Education Service, and the Ghana Health Service to help these school children who now carried pregnancy without any bad feeling.
“The Bible tells us that there’s time for everything. Time to study, time to work, time to marry and the time to have your children. But, they shouldn’t use their time to study to get pregnant”.
Mrs Coleman noted that some parents were shirking their responsibilities, resulting in the kind of situation society found itself and pleaded with caregivers “to sit up if the child needs food, please do it.”
“This is what is happening, and, as leaders in society, we must think outside the box to help our school children,” she said.
The GES, she said, had intensified counseling units to help curb teenage pregnancies.
Mrs Coleman stressed “That is why we are here. All of us should put our minds together and see how best we can solve it. We are not here to talk about provision of infrastructure. We’ve spoken about these things for far too long. There is attitude that is eating up academic performance.
“We need to help the children and change such attitude. For, today they are children but tomorrow, they are going to lead this country and what kind of leadership skills are we giving them to run the system?”
The Western Regional Coordinator of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVSSU), Superintendent Setina Aboagye, also indicated that some parents were failing to supply the necessities of life like maintenance and also re-fuse to take care of their children.
From Clement Adzei Boye, Sekondi
General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has filed his nomination to contest the position of General Secretary again as the party begins its rebuilding efforts ahead of the 2028 general elections.
He was accompanied by party stalwarts and supporters who were in high spirits, expressing confidence that he is the right person to hold the position.
Speaking after filing his nomination, Mr Kodua Frimpong assured the rank and file of the party that he would not disappoint them.
“I can assure you that the faith the rank and file of the party have had in me, I will never disappoint them,” he said.
He also pledged to run a clean campaign devoid of personal attacks.
“I can assure you that our internal campaign will be devoid of personal attacks,” he told his fellow contestants and the rank and file of the party as he seeks to retain his position.
His tenure has seen the party through the 2024 general elections, where the NPP lost power to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after eight years in government.
The party is currently in a rebuilding phase, with internal elections scheduled to elect new national executives to lead its reorganization towards the 2028 polls.
The General Secretary position is considered one of the most influential in the party’s administrative structure, responsible for the day-to-day running of the party secretariat and implementation of party decisions.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) has disputed claims made on social media by comedian Michael Blackson concerning the treatment given to his late mother, saying a review found that the allegations did not accurately reflect what happened during her stay at the hospital.
In a statement issued in Accra on August 5, 2026, the management of UGMC expressed condolences to Mr. Blackson and his family over the death of his 83-year-old mother, who died at the facility on July 16, 2026.
The hospital said it had taken the concerns raised by Mr. Blackson seriously and conducted a thorough review in line with its clinical and administrative procedures.
According to the statement, the facts presented by Mr. Blackson on social media contained “numerous inaccuracies” and did not accurately reflect the medical care provided to his mother.
UGMC explained that she was referred to the facility from another hospital and received treatment there from May 27 to July 16, 2026, a period of about eight weeks.
The hospital stated that it would not release details of her diagnosis, treatment, medical records or other aspects of her care because it had a duty to protect patient confidentiality, even after death.
It said the decision was intended to respect the dignity of the deceased and the privacy of her family.
UGMC further stated that all clinical decisions at the facility are made by qualified healthcare professionals based on medical judgment, established standards of care and the best interests of the patient.
The statement added that such decisions are made in consultation with authorised family representatives where necessary and that billing and financial procedures are governed by institutional policies and are separate from clinical decision-making.
The hospital noted that it values feedback from patients and their families and considers both positive and negative comments important for improving the quality of care.
Mr. Blackson had earlier used social media to criticise the care his mother received at UGMC, prompting the hospital’s response.
By: Jacob Aggrey
