MAZA health transportation saves lives

 

Transportation of patients to health facilities is vital to healthcare delivery in every country.

Timely transportation of patients in dire need of healthcare to health facilities is a necessity.  However, transportation of patients in critical conditions to health facilities, from mostly remote areas in Ghana is still inadequate.

Over the years, government’s commitment through the National Ambulance Service and efforts of mostly mission health facilities operating in remote areas of the country as well as the work of some NGOs to provide quick means of transportation of patients to health facilities is commendable but which still needs more work to close the transportation gap of patients in need of healthcare in the rural areas to health facilities.     

The presentation of 13 improvised tricycle ambulances by MAZA to help improve healthcare delivery in the Chereponi District of the Northern Region has come as an answer to the yawning gap of providing patients with fast, timely and reliable transportation to health facilities.    

*One of the 13 tricycle ambulance at the launch. 

Access to Urgent Health Care

In most rural areas of Ghana, studies indicate that sick people trying to urgently get to hospitals or health facilities, face obstacles such as long distances of about 30 kilometres or more that takes over four hours to cross. Some of these routes and paths, which are impassable roads, with few motorized vehicles and unreliable transportation service, come at a high price.

Often time, the lack of money to pay for appropriate scares transportation, further compounds the conditions of the patient and delays the time by which they get to the health facilities.

According to health experts the phenomenon is one of the most crucial root causes of the disparity of urban-rural premature deaths in Ghana, especially for the most vulnerable members of the population including pregnant women and infants.

Thus MAZA’s initiative, which seeks to reduce the incidence of such preventable deaths by providing an innovative social enterprise transportation solution at the community level that is safe, accessible, affordable and reliable, has come as an answered prayer to the many rural dwellers.

What is MAZA?

MAZA is a Hausa word which means quickly. The initiative basically focuses on establishing a transportation network for urgent health care needs in remote areas of Ghana, while creating income-generating opportunities for drivers, traders and farmers.

With the commencement of operation of motorized passenger tricycles in Chereponi District to serve the health needs of most of the 53,000 population size of the district, MAZA has a vision and prospect to scale up to cover more communities in the next few years, and extend its services to other rural districts in Ghana.

The 13 tricycle ambulances, worth GH¢104,000, will no doubt help bridge the gap between patients urgently in need of healthcare and healthcare providers trying to provide life-saving care to patients in time.

The vehicles are multi-purpose by design to meet the immense transportation needs of the rural communities and ensure reliability of the health transportation service through mobile technology and a roster system for drivers.

* A pictorial steps of how the Ambulance will operate 

According to Dr. Nana A. Y. Twum-Danso, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MAZA the introduction of the tricycle ambulances, to transport patients in remote rural communities would make it possible for people to access health care at the health posts in the district on time.

She explained that the operation of the ambulances which would be based at the community level would complement the work of the National Ambulance Service (NAS) by positioning its vehicles in the communities.

Dr. Twum-Danso, bemoaned the burden sick people trying to access health facilities in remote areas faced, in covering long distances, using impassable roads, few motorised vehicles, unreliable transportation services and lack of money to pay for appropriate transportation. These challenges sometimes cause avoidable complications and deaths, if patients in these areas received timely means of transport to the health facilities.

Hajia Mary Nakobu, Chereponi District Chief Executive, said most of the maternal and infant mortalities in the district occurred as a result of lack of transportation to get the expectant mothers and infants to the health centres.

She expressed the hope that the MAZA ambulances would help improve the health needs of the people in the district, particularly those living in communities far from the district capital.

The Chereponi District Health Director, Dr Stephen Dadia, commended MAZA for the initiative and expressed optimism that would contribute greatly to reducing infant and maternal deaths in the district.

Dr. Anita Appiah, who represented the National Catholic Health Service also commended efforts of MAZA to reduce avoidable deaths (including maternal and infants death) and bring healthcare to the door steps of the people.   

To achieve its vision, Maza continues to partner with the Ghana Health Service, Chereponi District Health Administration and the District Assembly, National Ambulance Service and National Catholic Health Service, as well as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection. Others include development partners, local chiefs, opinion leaders, and other community members.

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‘SDGs Implementation requires collective responsibility’

To ensure the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Mr. Samuel Zan Akologo, Executive Secretary of Caritas Ghana, has reiterated the need for more stakeholder responsibility toward collective actions to attain the SDGs.

He said the “overwhelming endorsement of the Declaration and the 17 SDGs by the UN was an indication of the responsibility to act! Implementation is at the heart of the responsibility to act which must be manifest in concrete initiatives and allocation of resources”.

The Executive Secretary said these recently in a keynote address in Luxembourg at the climax of the European Year for Development and Luxembourg Presidency of the European Union Commission in 2015.

Mr. Akologo called for effective engagement in innovative partnership to implement the SDGs, noting that the imperative of partnerships that underpinned the unprecedented collective action and agreement of all the diverse International Financial Institutions (IFIs), comprising the global and regional development Funds and Banks, projection that the Post-2015 financing for Development will rise from Billions to Trillions, should characterise further deliberations leading to the implementation and attainment of the SDGs.

“This was a great innovation of partnership which further imposes a responsibility to act in the spirit of togetherness and to deliver the financial resources they projected for the implementation of the SDGs” he added.

To show commitment to the collective partnership in implementing the SDGs, Mr. Akologo expressed the need for the respective principal shareholders of the IFIs to begin defining a common purpose of financing for a people-centred development that will contribute to ending extreme poverty by 2030 in ways that will ‘leave no one behind’.

He also entreated Civil Society Organisations to engage the IFIs through effective and innovative advocacy actions, underpinned by dialogue to ensure that the responsibility to act by these IFIs on the development agenda remain paramount.

With the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) as the outcome for the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in July 2015, which the United Nations Agenda 2030 recognised as the principal means of implementing the SDGs; Mr. Akologo also tasked major stakeholders at the UN Sustainable Development process   and Financing for Development to critically act together in partnership in all actions necessary and desirable to the implementation of the SDGs.

He observed that, another dimension of understanding the framework for the implementation of the SDGs is the inter-relationship with the just ended climate change conference in Paris.

“The Sustainable Development Goals were the principal reason and thus constitute the content of the Special United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in September this year 2015,” said Mr. Akologo, who added that the outcome document – Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development expresses global commitment to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, were adopted on 25^th September, 2015 by world leaders from 193 countries.

He said another dimension of understanding the framework for the implementation of the SDGs was the inter-relationship with the just ended climate change conference in Paris, and reiterated Pope Francis’ call on world leaders that Economic Justice, Care for our common home (the Earth) and Social Development can no longer be issues of separable concern.

The Executive Secretary therefore entreated civil society organisations and those in corporate business as well, to accept as a common ground and normative value for dialogue and partnership to work to advance economic justice, care for the environment and social development.

He suggested that stakeholders focused more clearly in defining and developing innovative partnerships around these five critical issues in goal 17 of SDG Framework.

Even though the Group of 77 and China have sponsored a resolution for the consideration of the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly on issues of implementation of the post-2015 development agenda, “we in civil society and other stakeholders need to make sure that the spirit of this resolution is consistent with principles of participation and partnership as defined by the SDG Framework” he added.

At the event were Ministers, Commissioners of the European Union and delegations from other countries, as well as a good representation from Caritas Europa and other civil society organisation.

*Mr. Zan Akologo, delivering his address.  

Media charged to improve accountability in Forestry

Professionals in the media industry have been urged to improve accountability in forest governance in Ghana to save the country from the loss of industry.

Mrs. Linda Ofori-Kwafo, Executive Secretary, Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, in a recent presentation at Koforidua, charged the media to be abreast with the areas of corruption in forestry and collaborate with other mandated institutions and organisations to fight the canker.

She observed that illegal logging and other forms of corruption in the forestry industry was causing the state to lose huge chunks of revenue, and tasked Journalists to go and uncover those shady deals and save the country from further losses.

The Executive Secretary who took the participant through strategies of whistleblowing and ways of fighting corruption, urged them to work in a team, study the legal provisions and be abreast with the various constitutional provisions for forestry governance in order to effectively go about their work.

She charged the media to be the change they want to see, to conduct thorough investigations, become effective in the area of their facilitation and put pressure on the state institutions to deliver. “In doing this make sure you don‘t get corrupted yourself” she added.

Similarly, Dr.  Emmanuel Marfo, Lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, bemoaned the low media coverage given to forest governance issues, and noted the responsibility of the media to ensure greater accountability and transparency in the sector.

He said the media should for instance investigate whether communities in which concession were granted for companies for timber logging were benefiting from the Social Responsibility Agreement.

Stating that there was nothing like Special Permit in our laws, the Lecturer said “if we can stop the issuance of special permit, we will stop the illegalities in the industry”.

He therefore called for accountability and urged that the provisions in the statute books be made known to the stakeholders and public alike.

Dr. Marfo noted that under the current regime of sharing benefits of revenue generated from the forest resources, the farmer, who often tenders the trees and on whose farm the trees were felled receives nothing; and called for efforts to address the anomaly.    

Mr. Nehemiah Tettey Odjer-Bio, EU-SCIPFLEG Project Field Coordinator.
Friends of the Earth-Ghana, said it was important to help curtail illegal forestry activities in the country, adding that although the Non-Government Organisations were doing their part and urged the media to complement these efforts to ensure there was greater transparency and accountability in the management of our forest or suffer the consequence of our forest being wiped out in the country.

To make much impact, he entreated stakeholders under the Voluntary Partnership Arrangement (VPA) and the Forest Law Enforcement in Governance, to effectively play their roles to ensure accountability and transparency.

Participants at the end of the programme, pledged to build a vibrant network, work assiduously to unearth the ills and commend the good efforts in advanced in areas of forest governance.  

Steer the new path of Ghana’s progress

Journalists and Media Practitioners in Ghana have been charged to build lasting brands of themselves in order to offer quality professional services and steer the path of Ghana’s progress.

Dr. Nana Oppong, President of Distinguish Scholars of Africa (DINTSA), made the remarks when he led a training workshop for Journalists in the International Standards Journalism (ISJ) Certification Programme at the Accra International Conference.

The programme, the first of its kind in Ghana, seeks to train Journalists in the country to become top-notch professional who would champion excellence in Journalism and demand accountability and transparency in the socio-politico- economic development of the country.

It was organised by the DINTSA and Data Link Institute.

With the phenomenon of having an NDC and NPP nations, and several ethnic states in Ghana, Dr. Oppong bemoaned our weak allegiance to the country, arguing that “we need people who love Ghana; we need dedicated people in Ghana.”

He observed that we have to change the way we conduct politics in Ghana, and charged Journalist to be at the forefront to steer the path of new progress in the country.

Describing the programme as signifying the Birth of a new chapter in Ghana’s Journalism, Dr Oppong, tasked Journalists to do something new and nationalistic that would rekindle the spirit of nationalism and patriotism among Ghanaians, and inspire a new sense of ‘Ghanaianess’ among our people.

To effectively perform this role, he urged Journalists to sharpen their skills, acquire requisite knowledge and build their competence in order to deliver.

The main Facilitator, who took participants through five critical areas of applied knowledge and democratic governance: economics, law, intelligence, politics and society (E-LIPS), stated that understanding these basic areas was vital to making them excel in their careers.

Dr. Opong, touched on the poor conditions of service of journalists in the country, and observed that it was about time Media Processionals in Ghana received good professional fees, adding that the ‘soli’ or honorarium paid them was woefully inadequate.

“Create a product or service, add a different touch to your journalism and start charging for your services,” he noted, and advocated for standard payment for journalists.  

He advised media professional to build effective networks that will help them champion their professional course.

Hon. David Yeboah, MP, said that people become remarkable when they believe in themselves go far, adding that it takes courage for someone to run this programme. He commended the good works and efforts of Dr. Oppong.

Similarly, Hon. Owusu Boateng, MP for Akyem Akroso Constituency, expressed worry about monetisation in politics and highlighted the need for Ghanaians to be selfless and work for the common good. He said education was key in the answer to the mired challenges in our country but urged the educated to give back to the society.

He said “you need education and skills to rise,” entreating media practitioners to keep on learning and use their intelligence to better serve society.

The ISJ is informed by relevant competence in five critical areas of applied knowledge and democratic governance in E-LIPS.  

The Distinguished Scholars of Africa and Data Link Institute have developed a scientific, strategic, comprehensive and yet fast-tracked ISJ programme for journalists and would-be-journalists, which promises to enhance competence leading to national, international competitiveness and professionalism, prestige as well as employment and networking opportunities for participants.

The certification in international standards journalism is part of the learned heart programme of the Distinguished Scholars of Africa and Data Link Institute for strategic capacity-building of journalism and support for enhanced democracy in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Participants at the programme, pledged to further the excellence in the profession and make journalism the bastion of change in Ghana and Africa.  

‘Do the right thing’-Bishop Afoakwah charges Ghanaians

*Bishop Afoakwah with concelebrating Priests and some Seminarians.

Most Rev. John Yaw Afoakwah, Catholic Bishop of Obuasi, has tasked Christians and Ghanaians

to do the right things at all times, to ensure greater discipline and development of the country.

As people destine for glory, he said Christians should not relent in their efforts when faced with challenges, but should always strive in hope and persevere in their works and prayers to attain the glory.

Bishop Afoakwah said this in a homily when he recently presided over a Mass at the St. Peter’s Regional Seminary at Pedu, for the Admission to Candidacy for Ordination and the Institution of Acolytes at the Seminary for some seminarians.

In spite of the many problems and persecution that they may suffer, the prelate entreated Christians never to forget they were destined for glory and should therefore look up to Christ Jesus as their ideal in their lives.

The Bishop, quoting from chapter 12 of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, cautioned the seminarians and Christians at large not to conform to the dictates of the contemporary world but to model their lives unto Christ Jesus and let the renewal of their minds transform them to always discern the will of God.

“Blessed are the rich and powerful for they shall have their way at all times” he ridiculed, to portray the sad state of affairs in our country, and decried the instance where Jesus Christ’s Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12), which forms the basis of righteousness were being revised and rewritten to suit our social comfort.

He therefore called for radical Christianity that would help transform our society and spread the good news everywhere. 

“Dare to be different in living your faith” said the Bishop, who noted that we are all children of God and small saints on earth, required to lead worthy lives and be steadfast in prayers.

In all, 46 candidates who were Admitted to Candidacy for Ordination were vested in white cassocks which the Bishop blessed, while the 56 candidates who were Instituted as Acolytes (Extra-Ordinary Ministers of the Holy Communion) were also presented with the Chalice.

Bishop Afoakwah, urged the seminarians to let their lives must inspire sanctity every time.   

In a welcome, Very Rev. Robert Charles Snyper, Acting Rector of the Seminary, highlighted the essence of the Mass in the formation of the Seminarians and thanked Bishop Afoakwah for his time.

Very Fr. Christopher Vordzorgbe, Senior Lecturer, in an interview, urged the faithful to continuously support the Seminarians with prayers and words of encouragement, as well as contribute financially to their welfare all the time.

Present at the Mass were relatives, friends and well-wishers of the seminarians as well as Priests, Religious, Societies and Confraternities from the various Churches the Seminarians were coming.