Editorial
Stay away from hard drugs
Ghana, like many other countries, is faced with a number of social problems including drug addiction among segments of its people.
Even though drug addiction is often identified with the youth, it is a social problem that can be traced to both the young and the old. It is a social problem that needs to be tackled and eliminated from our society.
People normally keep to the use of drugs when they face certain problems in their lives. Some of the problems are breakages in marriage, leaving the children uncared for, lack of parental control, peer pressure and so on.
When young people are faced with problems in society, they tend to make use of drugs as a way of making them forget about such problems. Unfortunately, the drugs are not able to eliminate the problems and in the process, they tend to go for more of the drugs when they feel that they are now disillusioned.
Some of the hard drugs used are cannabis (wee), cocaine, heroine and many others. In the process, they become used to the drugs in such a way that they now find it difficult to keep away from them.
When this happens, we say that they have reached addiction level.
The effects of these drugs are that they distort the lifestyles of those who use them, making them become violent even in situations where they could have remained calm. This is a dangerous effect that must be eliminated from society.
Among the youth who are addicted to hard drugs, the future is bleak because whatever they do is based on fantasy and excitement but not on their real selves. As a result, many of them keep to social vices such as stealing or armed robbery, rape and general misbehaviour in society.
To solve this problem, parents will have to be more responsible and start the training of these children right from infancy until they reach adulthood. It is also important for parents to keep away from drugs, so as not to tempt their children to go into that negative practice.
We must do our best as a nation to guide the youth to become responsible in behaviour, so that negative peer pressure from any quarters cannot emerge to influence the young ones.
In all, society as a whole must be very vigilant so that we can put an end to this canker in the country. Our youth should not allow drug addiction to sap their energy and ruin their future.
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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