Junior Doctors in TTH on sit down strike over unpaid fuel allowances

Dr. Ken Sagoe, CEO TTH

Junior Doctors of the Tamale Teaching Hospital are on a sit down action over unpaid fuel allowances for over 3 years.

The doctors who could not withstand the pressure upon frantic efforts yield unsuccessful results decided to speak the language authorities of the hospital understand.

 The Junior Doctors says they are not going to rescind their decision until all fuel allowances due them are dully paid.

The situation if not look at with the needed urgency is likely to affect health care delivery in the only referral center in the three regions of the North.

The Public relation officer of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Nii-Otu Ankra in an earlier interview was worried the impact the strike will cause on health care delivery in the hospital, hospital that there will fruitful discussion when they reconvene for a meeting.

Meanwhile earlier meeting with the leadership of the junior doctors this afternoon according to the PRO did not yield the needed results.

Veteran Journalist suggests Northern journalists to blacklist Gushegu district

A veteran Journalist and Former President of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) in the Northern region for four consecutive times has indicated that the media in the Northern region can decide to blacklist the Gushegu district for what he described as unfortunate detainment of journalist in the area.

Mr. Alhassan Imoro who is now a pensioner, said the affront interference of the professional duties of the media in the country is the highest order of hypocrisy and a stab at championing democracy in the country.

Yesterday four journalists were picked up by Police in Gushegu in the Northern Region when the media were invited to cover a press conference organized by some NDC youth to express their disapproval of government intention to maintain the District Chief Executive for the area.

The four after arriving in the district capital to execute their professional duties were picked up by the police and was allegedly charged as “unlawfully entering into the community”.

The Gushegu and Karaga districts are noted for the detainment of journalist mostly because of their share ignorance about the core role the media play in the dispensation of national development.

In 2011, Isaac Nognya of Metro TV in the northern region and other journalists were detained and their equipments seized in Karaga. 

Speaking during Fiila Day Break News, the veteran Journalist, who had associated with the Ghana Journalist Association for over twenty years, advised the Northern regional branch of the GJA to take the matter up and go to its bottom.

He said the GJA should seek the audience of the Northern regional Police Commander over the matter to express their frustration to him.

Mr. Imoro said the Police in this direction cannot be over vilify because the allegiance goes to the District Chief Executive and probably could be acting base on his directives as Chairman of the District Security Committee.

Detained Journalist release by Police in Gushegu

Police in Gushegu in the Northern Region has release the four  media personnel who had gathered to cover a press conference organized by some NDC youth to express their disapproval of government intention to maintain the District Chief Executive for the area.

The four after arriving in the district capital to execute their professional duty was picked up by the police and was charged as “unlawfully entering into the community”.

The four Journalists are, Edmond Gyebi of TV Africa and Chronicle News Paper, Albert Futukpor, GNA, Samandi Adubakari, Joy TV and Eric Baba of TV Africa. None of the Journalists were tortured or hurt.

MOFA and IITA implement integrated project to increase productivity

farmers on farm

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has implemented an integrated project aimed to help farmers intensify productivity and improve household income and nutrition especially women and children under five.

The 5-year project worth 15 million US dollars is funded by USAID.

The integrated project aims at increasing entire productivity of livestock, crops and vegetable production.

The project is currently implemented in Ghana and Mali within the Sudano-Sahelian Zone of West Africa and other African countries.

In Ghana the project is implemented in the Northern region, Upper West Region and Upper West region geared toward ensuring food security across the country.

The Project Coordinator of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr. Asamoah Larbi speaking at a field day visit on sustainable intensification of key farming systems in the Sudano-Sahelian Zone of West Africa at Tibali in the Savelugu Municipality, revealed that the entire project aims at increasing productivity between 20 to 30 percent at the end of the five year span of the project.

The 5-year project which is in its second year is expected to end in 2016.

Speaking on behalf of the Northern Regional Director of Agriculture, Mr. Kwaku Dei Antwi indicated that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture main priority is to ensure that the country is food secure hence welcomes the project  and pledged the ministry’s commitment to collaborate with donor partners to support in the development of Agriculture.

He therefore used the opportunity to invite more donor agencies to partner with MOFA to improve Agricultural activities in the region since the region is endowed with Agricultural potentials.

FIILA/SA

MTN Ghana Foundation donates infant incubator for Savelugu Hospital

The continuous increase in human population coupled with growing heath care needs of the people in Ghana has given cause to stakeholders to worry hence the need for the provision of adequate infrastructure to support the increasing population.

It is however evidential that the existing government health facilities are over burdened with the task of delivering quality health service with relatively limited resources. 

Government alone cannot resource these facilities across the country which calls for private partnership, as government and various stakeholders in the health sector are determined to achieve MDG4 and 5 by 2015.

In this regard, Ghana’s leading telecommunications company, MTN has donated an infant incubator to the Savelugu             municipal hospital in the Savelugu municipality today.

The donation is, therefore, aimed at providing incubators and ventilators to selected public hospitals which have a need for the facility to improve the survival rate of premature babies.

Abdualah H. Yahaya, Portfolio Advisor for MTN Ghana Foundation, explained that, the statistic available for infant mortality was alarming and requires public private partnership to help improve the situation.

He said donating the essential equipment will relieve the anxiety of the health professionals and parents who have to care for pre-term babies.

Theresa Lardi Bezuo, a Senior Nurse in charge of the Maternal Ward of the hospital receiving the equipment commended MTN Ghana Foundation for the kind gesture saying that the equipment will go a long way to improve quality health care delivery in the hospital.

She added that the equipment will also save more infant lives in the hospital.

 Meanwhile, the maternal ward of the Savelugu municipal hospital is being operated by only five midwives making them overstress on duty.

The situation Madam Theresa Lardi said might hinder quality health care delivery. She therefore called for urgent steps to normalize the situation.                   

Zoom Police Busted For Extorting 300 cedis From An Expatriate

Suspect Salifu Abdul-Rahim (Zoom Police)

A 23 year old Community Protection Police Assistant, Salifu Abdul-Rahim has been busted by the criminal investigation department of the Ghana Police Service for extorting money from a Portuguese expatriate, Daniel Da Silver Duarte.

The suspect apprehended Mr. Duarte for violating traffic regulations, and demanded three hundred Ghana cedis from him. When Mr. Duarte told Salifu that he had no money on him, the suspect insisted and followed him to his hotel for the money.

After giving the money to the suspect, Mr. Duarte who is an employee of GRIDCo proceeded to report the case at the police station.

The issue of extorting money from motorists in Tamale by the Community Protection Police Assistants has become a worry to a lot of residents.

As part of measures to restore the integrity of the Unit, the Northern Regional Commander of the Police MTTU Superintendent Cashman Blewushie has indefinitely suspended all Community Protection Police Assistants from operations in the Tamale Metropolis.

He decried the disgraced the Community Protection Police Assistant popularly known as “Zoom Police” has caused him and his Unit in the Northern Region since its creation by the then National Youth Employment Programme.