‘Respect dignity of the sick’

Fr. Dzumador blessing a sick person 

Health workers have been urged to accord respect and compassion to the sick who visit their health facilities, and help them receive healing.

Very Rev. Fr. Paul Dzumador, Chancellor of the Keta-Akatsi Diocese, made the appeal to health professionals to uphold the dignity of the sick who access health care at their facilities, during the Diocesan launch of the 25^th World Day of the Sick at Tagadzi-Dorfor, near Juapong.

“The dignity of the human being is important” he stressed, urging Nurses, Doctors and all care givers to treat the sick with respect and promote their welfare. He also entreated the sick to respect the health givers.

Fr. Dzumador, noted that health work is a vocation and not a profession, entreating them to work with a good heart in serving the sick. 

He expressed the need for Christian medics to pray with the sick as part of the process of medication, and charged them to be God fearing and render good services to the sick.

Mr. Christian Akoto-Brown, Executive Director for Health in the Diocese, called on health workers to appreciate the sick and pray for them.

He commended the entire health workers of the six facilities in the Diocese as well as their collaborators, and reminded them about the need to remember the sick and suffering, who are at the centre of their work.

Mr. Akoto-Brown appealed to health professionals to give off their best for the sick, noting that “nobody invites sickness to himself or herself intentionally and nobody knows when they would be taken ill”.

In spite of the challenges they faced in their work, the Executive Secretary admitted that the Lord has done a lot for them in the past year and urged them to continue having faith and conviction in the Lord.

The institution of World Day of the Sick by St. Pope John Paul, 25 years ago seeks to raise awareness of the Christ’s healing ministry, care for the sick and focus on care-giving where the sick would experience the warmth of God’s care and love.

Mr. Akoto-Brown, entreated the health workers to observe the week-long celebration through home visits to bed ridden patients and through provision of support to them.

Togbe Kakrada IV, Chief of Tagadzi-Dorfor, in a remark thanked the Catholic Church for establishing the facility at the area, and commended the Health Workers for the care, their sense of urgency to duty and the dedication they attached to executing their task.

The Chief acknowledged that due to the quality healthcare provision at the facility, a lot of people were coming from far places to seek health care at the Polyclinic, and appealed to the management and staff to keep up the good works.  

In his address, Mr. Evans Ativor, North Tongu District Director for Health, commended the Church for her commitment in healthcare delivery, and assured that the District would continue partnering with the Christian Health Association and do its best to complement the growth of the Polyclinic.

He however called on philanthropist and well-meaning Ghanaians to come to the aid of the Polyclinic, which he said was in need of delivery equipment, medicines, wheelchairs and medical consumables.  

Fr. Dzumador, who officiated the Mass to commemorate the day, read the Popes Message for the occasion on the theme: Amazement of what God has accomplished: The Almighty has done great things for me (Luke 1:49).

He later led the Priests at the function and some medics to visit and pray for the sick at the various wards of the St. Anne’s Polyclinic.      

Con-celebrants at the Mass included, Rev. Frs. Ignatius Attipoe, Parish Priest of St. Francis of Assisi Church at Juapong; Peter Amegashie, Chaplain at the Sacred Heart Hospital Abor; Theodore Agbekudzi, Chaplain at the Comboni Hospital at Sogakope.

Others were Rev. Frs. James Amuzu, and Franklin Adzaho, the Diocesan Bursar and Director of Communications respectively.    

Present at the occasion were staff of the Sacred Heart Hospital at Abor; St. Anthony Hospital at Dodze; the Comboni Hospital at Sogakope, and the Cuniberto Maternity Home at Lume.

The St. Francis of Assisi Parish Choir and the Alafa Cultural troupe graced the occasion  

Scale-up Women’s Annual Cultural ‘DINOMA’ Festival

The Organizers of the Zuarungu-Moshie Women’s Annual Cultural Festival dubbed DINOMA Festival, have been challenged to scale-up the celebration of the festival to cover more communities in the country.

Honorable Matilda Adombiri, Chairperson of this year’s Festival, observed the essence of sustainable development efforts at the community level, and called for active inclusion of women in development programme.

The festival, an annual celebration aimed at empowering women through the promotion of culture, food security and food sovereignty, was started by Mr. Samual Zan Akologo, Executive Secretary of Caritas Ghana in 2005, for the women at Zuarungu-Moshie in the Upper East Region.

The festival, which Mr. Akologo single-handedly funded over the years, is to create a platform for women to celebrate their efforts at promoting community development.

The annual event also provided space for the women in the community to articulate their views, challenges, needs and to make advocacy demands to public duty-bearers for attention. So far, the festival serves as a means of raising awareness of cultural sustainability of traditional food, through the showcasing of some local dishes and how they are prepared.

Hon. Adombiri, who underscored the essence of food security in the Country and in line with the attainment of the SDGs Goals, stated the relevance of the platform for women to advance their economic development, education and unity in the rural areas.

She called for the involvement of young women in the festival in order to learn about these local dishes and how they are prepared.

To make the Festival lively, she suggested the programme be turned into an annual home coming food show, which would be more competitive and held between young and the elderly women in the communities.

“The venue for the programme could also be alternated among communities around Zuarungu and its environs,” she noted.

She however appealed to Corporate organizations and well-meaning people to support the programme to motivate the participants to ensure their full participation in attaining the SDGs through their efforts to ensure food security and development at the community level.

Hon. Adombiri observed that the continuous organization of the festival was good, since it would serve as learning platform for young ladies and the younger generation to learn the different recipes of the local foods and how to prepare them.

Among some of the diet prepared at the festival included Gingilima la bito, Waha, Suma, Gaare, Tikolgo, Tigella, Kinkama gela, Kunkono, Konkogre, and Suma, Zonliga.

In an address, Mr. Akologo, expressed the need to harvest the water from the community stream into a dam for purposes of all-year agricultural production.

He hinted that his family friends in the Netherlands – the Jacobsons, have shown a lot of interest in the Zuarungu-Moshie Dam project and stated that technical feasibility surveys have been completed.

He assured that work would soon begin once the drawing and costing for the necessary resources for the project are mobilized, but expressed the hope that the NPP Government’s policy direction of building dams in communities, would respond timely and to support the Zuarungu-Moshie’s efforts for a dam.

The programme which is held on the first Saturday in January every year, brought together politicians from the Upper East Region, the traditional and opinions leaders in the Zuarungu Traditional area.  

The platform which also supports the socialization of the participants, offers the community an opportunity to address development issues in the area, which was echoed in the theme of the festival: Promoting Sustainable Development Goals at the community level; ensuring that women are not left behind.

Speakers, including the Chief of Zuarungu-Moshie – Naba Adobire and the President of the Community Women’s Association – Madam Azurema Anongtebsim, touch on the need for infrastructure development in the areas of education, community development as well as the need to promote unity.   

Insincere Affair

Political parties do not always serve our collective interest.
Political activities are not necessarily partisan.
Political leadership is supposed to be responsible for our well-being.
But today we know that political actions do always serves our interest.
We know that dancing the political dance in a democratic jamboree does help us all.
We know that the public cannot always question the powers that be.  
We know that most political questions are not always answered.
Politicians do not always represent our collective interest. 
Sometimes, I am lost for words when I watch our words and conduct. 
We need to rethink our political actions and the political system as a people. 
Afrika deserves better, we deserve the best in all.

NCHS trains Pharmacist on minilab

Flashback: Ms. Patinora Manye(R) leading the practicals 

The National Catholic Health Service has organised a five-day training four Pharmacist and Pharmacy technicians on the Minilab protocols to ensure that patients at the various NHCHS health facilities in the country were served with good medication.

To achieve this, participants were taken through the four Minilab of testing procedures, including Visual detection; Disintegration; Colour Reaction Test, and the Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC), to test and detect counterfeit medicines.

This was part of the NCHS efforts to pursue the fight against counterfeit medicines in the health systems.

The trainees, drawn from the St. John of God Clinic at Amrahia in the Accra Archdiocese; St. Joseph Hospital at Effiduase, Koforidua; Sacred Heart Hospital at Abor and the Catholic Hospital at Anfoega in the Keta-Akatsi and Ho Dioceses respectively, commended the NCHS for taking them through the training exercise.

A practical section of the Conference

They observed that the training was an eye opener to them and would help them in their work at their various facilities and to ensure that quality medicines were served patients.

They also appealed to DIFEAM and other partners to provide them with the minilab kits to help them put what they have learnt a lot in practice, would now take critical look at drugs and to ensure that counterfeit ones were prevented from reaching the patients.  

The main facilitator for the programme, Ms. Pattinora Manyi, Pharmacy Technician from the Central Pharmacy of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, expressed satisfaction at the active interest of the trainees throughout the training session.

She expressed optimism that they would become ambassador to fight the counterfeit medicines in the country.

As part of the training, Mr. Frederick Sowah, the other Co-facilitator for the workshop, stated that the participants tested 10 different drugs, in the categories of Anti-Malaria, Anti-Asthmatic, Antibiotic, Antidiabetics and Analgesics (painkillers).

The Minilab project

The Minilab project was conceived and funded by German Institute for Medical Mission (DIFAEM) and its partners to train and equip health personnel to complement efforts of government to counter the influx of counterfeit drugs into the health system.

The Project which is part of the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN), is the Pharmaceutical arm of world Council of Churches in health delivery, which has passion to fight counterfeit medicines from circulation within the health system.

DIFAEM and EPN established the “Minilab Network” to provide a platform for equipped and trained organizations to share information, experiences and provide peer support to each other to enhance best practice.

In November 2016, DIFAEM and EPN in conjunction with NCHS organized the First West African Regional Minilab Workshop at Aburi, at which participant among other points resolved to prioritise on sampling and testing for Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR), as well as Embark on working visits to each other network member.

Flashback: The Participants at the November 2016 Conference

St. Joseph Hospital honours Staf

Rev. Fr. Br. John Opong presenting the award to one of the
longest serving Doctors at the Hospital.

The St. Joseph Hospital at Effiduase in the Koforidua Diocese has honoured 45 members of staff, in recognition of their hard work over the years.

The awards were conferred on the staff at a brief thanksgiving ceremony at the Hospital.

Among the awardees were four staffs, due for retirement, who were presented with certificates and some prizes.

Rev. Msgr. Twum-Barimah, Vicar General of the Koforidua Diocese and the main celebrant at a Mass preceding the presentation of awards, urged the staff to emulate the good works of the awardees to make the hospital the best.

He commended the awardees for their good works, noting that whatever one did in his or her work God sees it, and entreated all to be diligent in their work.        

Preaching the homily at the Mass, Rev. Fr. Richmond Sintim, Chaplain of the Hospital, called on the staff to get on board and effectively play their roles to ensure quality healthcare delivery at the facility.

Fr. Sintim congratulating an awardee

“Let’s work to sustain the growth of the hospital,” he appealed, and charged the staff to stop living on the past glory but work for the progress of the facility.

He urged the staff to give off their best and let their presence be felt through the work they do at the hospital. “Let’s salvage the sinking image of the hospital and fill part of anything that happens here” he added.  

Rev. Br. Bartholomew presenting the
awards to a staff.

Rev. Bro. Bartholomew Camara, Provincial Superior of the St. Augustine Province of the hospitaller Brothers of the St John of God Congregation, expressed appreciation to the awardees for the tireless service they rendered at the facility over the years.

He noted that the feat the awardees chalked hinged on the pillars of team work, perseverance, self-disciplined and a determination to make a difference with their work.

Stating the family spirit that exist and defines the work at the hospital, Bro. Bartholomew stressed the need to begin the new year on the note of reconciliation.

He commended the Hospital Management for holding the fort and successfully steering the affairs of the facility.

Mr. Valentine Bruku handing over the
certificate to a staff

Bro. Bartholomew announced the confirmation of Mr. Valentine Bruku, as the substantive Director of the St. Joseph Hospital and called on the staff to work together to sustain the good works of the facility.

Madam Rosemary Ayivor, on behalf of the awardees thanked the organizers and the management of the hospital for honoring them. She appealed that the awards would be sustained.

Among dignitaries present at the facility included Mr. Victus Kpesese, Executive Secretary of Health in the Koforidua Diocese; Rev. Fr. Bro. John Opong, Chairman of the Management Advisory Board.     

   

‘Exhibit honesty in your work’

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle

The Most Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle, Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, has urged Ghanaians to be more honest in the discharge of their duties to enable the growth of the country.

He entreated citizens to eschew laziness and negative attitudes that was hampering high productivity in the country.

“It is incumbent on Ghanaians to change their attitudes and demonstrate the spirit of hard work and humility in their work” to ensure the country got the necessary development it ought to get.

The Archbishop gave this brief New Year message, after commissioning the Clinic “Holy Bakhita” for the City of God at Old Fadama, Accra, and charged Ghanaians to support projects that would alleviate the plights of the poor and needy in the country.

He stressed the point that Ghanaians have a great responsibility to work hard, exhibit honesty and humility in all their endeavours, especially at a time the country voted for a new President.

City of God gets Clinic

Most Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle, Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, has commissioned the Clinic “Holy Bakhita” for the City of God at Old Fadama, Accra, and entreated Catholics and well-meaning Ghanaians to support the project.

The facility which was donated by Amici Della Clinica in Venice and Gocce D’Amore Universal, Italy, was at a cost of GH ¢25,000.00, which aims at bringing healthcare provision to the doorsteps of inhabitants of Old Fadama.

The Archbishop, who commended the benefactors for their commitment, also urged stakeholders and donors to support the project with little drops of their love to sustain it.

“You don’t need to have much in order to give, but learn to share the little you have” he explained, adding that through their little support, the lives of many people in the area particularly children would be touch.

The Archbishop elucidated that the Catholic Church in establishing the City of God project, wants to change the so called ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’ name given the area, adding that God’s children reside here.

The Second Lady, Mrs. Matilda Amissah-Arthur, who encouraged Medics to support the project, pledged to assist the clinic with some medical equipment.

She advised residents to take care of the facility and regularly clean their environment to avoid contracting diseases.

Rev. Fr. Subash Chittilappilly, MC, Administrator of the City of God Project, expressed gratitude to Amici Della Clinica for the completion of the project, and appealed for a team of Volunteer Medics to run and sustain the project.

“There is need for more volunteer doctors and nurses” he indicated, and added that he was in talks with other stakeholders to ensure the effective running of the Infirmary.      

The Pupils of the School under the project also witnessed the inauguration of the Clinic, amidst signing and poem recital which centred on the need to keep clean environments. 

The Second Lady Mrs. Matilda Amissah-Arthur; Msgr. Renato Kucic, Secretary to the Apostolic Nuncio; Friar Stefano Cavalli, President of the Institute of Ecumenical Studies in Venice, Italy, Dame Mrs. Cicila Koffie, President of DOMOD Ltd., were among dignitaries who graced the occasion.

Others were Mr. Claudio Turina, a benefactor of the project and author of the City of God book; Very Rev. Adrew Campbell, Pastor of the Christ the King Church, Cantonments and some Religious.      

Background

The City of God project, a baby of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra is an effort to evangelise the people living in the area and its surrounding, as well as bring relief to the suffering. It is committed to train the unemployed and empower both young and old to acquire some basic skills or to read and work arithmetic among others.

With the addition of the Clinic, the City of God Project has expanded from offering training and basic education to adults and children, to offering health care to the people in the area.

GNATLAS, others organise peace Walk at Jasikan

Ghana National Association of Teachers Ladies Society (GNATLAS) has organised a peace walk through the principal streets of Jasikan to raise awareness for the electorates and stakeholders to preserve the peace in the area and in the country, before during and after the elections.

They were accompanied by some pupils from some basic schools at Jasikan, who held placards with inscriptions urging people to be peaceful and guard the peace in the country.

Madam Ruth Matogah, Jasikan District GNATLAS Coordinator said the programme was to sensitise people to keep the peace and not allow elections to divide us.

The essence of the peace walk was to re-echo the message that we are people and must keep the peace.

Mr. Christian Gbeve, Jasikan District GNAT Sectary, expressed the view since Ghanaians cannot underestimate the outcome of elections because of the high stakes in it, there was the need intensify peace campaign to maintain the peace.

As a result of this conviction, GNAT has sponsored the GNATLAS peace walk through all the six local areas under GNAT, including East and West Buem, Worowora, Kwamekrom, Abotoase and Nkonya locals, in the Biakoye District.

In a related development, employees of the National Youth Employment programme also took to the street amidst brass band music to preach the essence for peace, stressing the point that we are one people.

Similarly the Police Wives Association at Jasikan were joined by their colleagues from Hohoe, Kadjebi and Worowora to stage a two hour peace walk through the streets of Jasikan.

This was to drive home the urgent need to preserve the peace we have in the country no matter the outcome of the elections.    

Jasikan District on course to Eradicate Open Defecation

“You must have a latrine outside the camp, and go out to this; you must have a trowel in your equipment and, when you squat outside, you must scrape a hole with it, then turn round and cover up your excrement.“ (Det. 23:13-14 NJB)

It was not for fun that Moses in the above quote, asked the Israelite to comply with the directive Yahweh passed on to them. Perhaps it is with same sense of urgency that the Jasikan District is attaching to its quest to end open defecation in the District.

The Environmental Health Unit (EHU) at the commemoration of this year’s World Toilet Day, announced its readiness to vigorously work to reduce the menace of open defecation in nine communities. These communities include Jasikan, Bodada, Okadjakrom, Atonkor, Kudje, Akaa, Guaman, Attakrom and Nsuta.

Performing the launch, Mr Samuel Agbeko Ahiaku, the District Environment Health Officer, last Friday at the District Assembly Hall at Jasikan, stated the commitment of the EHU to work closely with communities and the District Assembly to construct 880 in-house latrines fitted with or without biogas digesters.

With the prospect of the District Assembly procuring a Cesspit Emptier and building a liquid waste treatment plant to treat liquid waste, Mr. Ahiaku noted that his unit would liaise with the private sector to also provide additional 11 backup 12 seater public latrines in the nine communities targeted under the project.     

Biogas technology

Biogas, according experts refer to a mixture of different gases produced by the breakdown of organic of matter in the absence of oxygen.

It is usually produced from raw materials including agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, sewage, green waste or waste food among others.

Sources at the Ministry of Power and the Energy Commission mentioned heat for cooking, lightening, space heating and fuel engine for electricity generation as some benefits of biogas.    

The Jasikan District also stands to benefit from the treatment of organic waste generated as the biogas technology can destroy disease carrying bacteria in the waste generated, which can be a rich source of organic manure with higher nitrogen content. 

With these prospects, the District Environment Health Officer noted that the District would soon pilot the fixing of biogas digesters at the Jasikan College of Education and in the Senior High and some Junior High Schools in the District before replicating the technology to all households.

Motivation & Objective

Mr. Agbeko noted that one of the reasons inspiring this concerted effort is borne from the desire to make the District attain the Open Defecation Free status by November 2018 and to ensure that everybody including those in transit have access to basic toilet facilities.

Another reason is anchored on the move to improve the general health of the people and to reduce the faeco-oral diseases in the District. These desires are back by a strong appetite to win the next Sanitation Challenge for Ghana Competition for seven District Assemblies; after the Jasikan District won the Duapa Award for Excellence in Liquid Waste Management Strategy with a cash prize of £ 30,000 in this year.

Background

With less than 14 per cent toilet coverage in 2010 in the District, immediate steps were taken by the EHU and the District Assembly to rehabilitate 12 latrines in and round Jasikan, Ayoma, Kute and Okadjakrom to make them usable.    

Consistent sensitisation engagement with communities through the Community-Led Total Solution (CLTS) programme by the EHU in collaboration with the SNV-Ghana Organisation since September 2014, has helped in making 11 communities become Open Defecation Free (ODF) in the District.

So far, the EHU has disseminated the message of stopping Open Defecation through 92 communities in the District, with a total of 648 household latrines being constructed with hand washing facilities and another 524 household latrine under construction.   

World Toilet Day

With a growing concern to eradicate Open Defecation and to promote the provision of decent toilet facilities, the international community set aside November 19 as World Toilet Day to reflect on our sanitation issues especially toilet issues.

Under the theme: “Stop Open Defecation, Own a Latrine Today”, the Jasikan District observed the Day with the District Environmental Health Officer, calling on stakeholders to work together to ensure the District becomes Open Defecation Free and wins the Phase II of the Sanitation Challenge for Ghana Competition.

He commended Kudje Labanta, Akaa Agyamase, Akaa Quarters, Oppon-kura, Kadjakor, Oseikrom, Togbenyakope, Dzoku, Guaman Okue, Zibo-Akura and Tsirikasa communities as well as the community volunteers for helping them attain the Open Defecation Free status.

For attaining this status, the District Assembly will present a certificate to the community leaders and erect billboards with the inscription: “Welcome to …..Open Defecation Free Community. We Don’t Defecate in the Open Here Always Use a Toilets.”

Prospects

Putting an end to open defecation in the District is the business of everybody. This is because we cannot control the movement of all house flies and other insects which randomly move about and perch on faecal matter and spread faeco-oral diseases such as diarrhoea, typhoid fever and cholera. Therefore, we all have a great role to play to improve hygiene and sanitary conditions in our homes, which could translate into clean healthy environment that supports a healthy living for effective socio-economic activities. Let us join hands to end open defecation in our society.

Take Critical Look at NHIS- Gov’t charged

Dignitaries and delegates at the function 

Most Rev. Matthias Kobena Nketsiah, Archbishop of the Cape Coast Archdiocese has entreated the Government to take a critical look at the National Health Insurance Scheme to ensure it paid the health facilities for services they have rendered.

He expressed worry about the situation where the Scheme owed the service providers over nine months in arrears, describing it as unfortunate, precarious and a disaster, which is derailing efforts of the facilities to provide quality healthcare.

The Archbishop stated that it was time the nation addressed the NHIS indebtedness to service providers to ensure quality healthcare delivery. “For once let’s stop being politically correct about everything in this country and tackle the challenges head-on” he reiterated.

Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum (with microphone) and other dignitaries. 

Archbishop Nketsiah made the remarks, during the opening of the 14^th Annual Conference of the National Catholic Health Services at Winneba in the Cape Coast Archdiocese. It was on the theme: “Health Commodities & Safety in Healthcare Delivery”.

In spite of the challenges their work, the Archbishop who chaired the function, health professional to continue being compassionate in reaching out to the sick.

Similarly, Most Rev. Joseph Afrifah-Agyekum, Bishop responsible for Health at the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, stated the dire stress most of the Catholic health facilities were facing due to the delayed reimbursement.

Shedding light on the biting effects of health facilities in the rural setting, Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum said the NHIA has failed to show much commitment to sustain the Scheme and healthcare delivery. 

The Bishop questioned how the Scheme expected the health institutions to stock essential health commodities and honour their statutory payments, including salaries and contributions to SSNIT and offer quality healthcare delivery?

“There is urgent need for the Government to address this persistent issue of delayed provider reimbursement because its implication is too far reaching for quality of care and staff safety” Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum noted.

The Bishop called Government to consider reviewing the benefit package of the Scheme, and decouple the role of the regulator and buyer of services by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), to remove fraud from the administration of the Scheme at all levels and ensure payment of realistic tariffs to providers.

He however added that the Church has not abandoned her intention to set up its own Scheme in view of the frustrations with the implementation of the NHIS, which threatens to limit Church health service in Ghana.  

Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum (middle) with Archbishop Nketiah,
with Fr Lazarous Anondee (S.G at NCS). 

As the country approaches the 2016 December polls, the Bishop charged health practitioners to be abreast with the happenings in their communities, so as to activate their emergency systems where necessary, even as they educate the public to value and maintain peace.   

In a homily prior to the opening, Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum urged health practitioners to be dedicated, more caring and loving in the discharge of their duties, entreating them not to make the quest of monetary gain overshadow their work of saving lives. “Your profession is a vocation and not just work” he stressed.  

Mr. Peter K. Yeboah, Executive Director of the Christian Health Services of Ghana, touching on the chronic delay in reimbursement of validated claims, expressed concern about NHIA, which instead of facilitating access to healthcare, was now a barrier to the availability, accessibility and affordability of health commodities.

“I wish to emphasise that the systematic delay in reimbursement is perpetuating social injustice and widening health inequalities by depriving our fellow citizens of appropriate health commodities for safe and quality healthcare delivery.”

He called for an immediate settlement of the outstanding debts owed the providers, entreating government to consider the proposed reforms to ensure the sustainability and efficiency of the Scheme. 

Mr George A. Adjei Esq., Director of National Catholic Health Service (NCHS), in an address shared some worrying situations some health facilities were facing, mostly due to the inability to stock relevant inputs for service delivery.

“The delayed payment of the NHIS with its attendant economic effects is making all our clinics struggle to keep their operations going, retool and expand,” he noted.  

He announced that the NCHS was focused on giving a new outlook to its services, in view of the changes in the global health arena and in the country.

In line with this, he said the Service has reviewed its vision statement (A Health Service that is best in meeting patient needs and expectation) and launched a new website during the function.

The Service, he said was also taking its branding seriously by highlighting the distinctive competencies, and urged the management and staff of Catholic health facilities to be particular about the colour schemes, environmental appearance, cleanliness, time of response and their desire to support quality health care delivery.

He mentioned that the Directorate was re-positioning to increase its support to the Arch/Dioceses and institutions to be more efficient, while exploring opportunities for sponsorship from partners to equip and enhance further training of staff.

How Safe is our STC?

The front view of the bus from Abidjan

The need to move from one place to the other and to transport goods to and fro, has created the need for transport services for people, by roads linking towns and various destination and by water or air. 
However the desire of every traveller aboard any means of transport is to get to their destination safely, without compromising their safety, comfort and the basic things that could cost their lives. 
The once famous Ghana’s State Transport Corporation, which trumpets this ideal in its motto: "We Take You There Safely", has sadly lost favour with majority of travellers, including yours sincerely. 
It was my hope and the hope of two colleagues of mine to have a wonderful and a comfortable ride back to Accra, after a late night ride from Yamoussoukro to Abidjan. We least expected the experience we had on the journey. 
In order not to miss the bus we arrived at the bus terminal two hours before time, secured our tickets and paid for our luggage, which were duly weighed before it was even 8:00 am. The goods on the ground were packed inside the load compartment of the bus, which appeared not too healthy for the journey. 

Over loading
After boarding the bus at 9:10, the personnel loading the bus, reopened the luggage compartments to rearrange and pushed more luggage, compressing and mishandling people's luggage. 

The aisle of the bus blocked by goods 

The aisle blocked  with goods

As if that was not enough, the personnel brought on board more goods which they packed on the floor of the aisle of the bus between the seats and under the seats. They hurriedly packed the rice bags, with several cartons of oil, among a collection of other personal effects that obstructed movement of passengers on board the bus. In fact, the Personnel loading the goods on the bus even blocked the second door at the rare of the bus which serves as an alternative entrance making the bus look like a messy trap. 

In the process they even damaged some luggage of passengers. 

Officials  of the Intercity STC turned a deaf ear to several complaints made by the passengers, who aired their displeasure about the excess load packed on the space between the seats. What even angered the passengers most was the seemingly lack of interest by the drivers and the bus conductor to even offer an explanation or an apology on why the goods were packed in the bus.
Upon further complaints by passengers, one of the Personnel loading the goods, who begged the passengers to be calm even worsened his case, when he offered a flimsy excuse that the goods would be offloaded at Takoradi. By this time, the bus had already started the journey 30 munities late than the Departure time.
   
Faulty Bus
After several trials to spark the Yutong bus, it finally started with the aid of about five mechanics.  It is true God made man and man-made machines hence the bus could break down at any moment but this bus with registration number GN 1023-11 looked sick and does not qualify to ply a distance as long as Abidjan, Accra- Abidjan. The seats looked unkempt and discoloured with dark-grey dirt stains. 

The bus being pushed by some passengers at Sekondi

Simply put, the bus was just unhealthy and unfit to embark on the long journey, but the drivers and manager(s) at Abidjan STC terminal seem not bothered to even make arrangement for a much healthier one.
The engine of the bus ceased at Sekondi near the Sekondi Central Prisons, causing an evening traffic around the Ketan Roundabout in the Western Region. It was an interesting scene, where the men on board the bus helped pushed the tired bus to a safer side of the road. If it were some other transport company, a different bus would have been called to convey the stranded passengers to their destination but it was a different story. There was not a single bus on standby at the Takoradi bus terminal so we had to wait on mechanics from the Takoradi station as they struggled to get the state coach move again. The bus had to crawl from Sekondi to Accra, using more travelling time and causing unnecessary uneasiness among the passengers.  We were supposed to get to Accra latest by 8pm that fateful day but we got to Accra after midnight.

Respect for Passengers

Beyond a good name, respect for one's clients is what helps organisations maintain their reputation.  There was one STC driver I once encountered on one of my trips from Kumasi to Accra, who introduced himself and greeted the passengers on board the bus. After praying with the passengers, he informed us of where and where the bus would stop, and added that we should not hesitate to alert him if any of us had a challenge.

That was the kind of service one passenger on board the bus from Abidjan to Accra on that fateful Tuesday 16th August 2016 misses. She reminisced how the good old STC was in the 80s when she started traveling with Ghana’s finest transport service but stated emphatically that the STC service today is terrible.

It does not make business sense to travel with a transport organisation which inconveniences passengers and does not respect them. Once they have paid for the service of a transport service, the onus lies on the transport service provider to see to it that the passengers’ safety and comfort is secured at all time and not compromised. 

The instance where some passengers were left at the Côte d’Ivoire side of the border without waiting for every passenger to get on board was gross disrespect and a breach of the safety of the passengers. The case where the personnel loading the bus demand monies from passengers after they have paid for their luggage is not right and must cease.  

Customer Relations
Customer service is the end-all to any company’s success or failure. The customer is what provides the income that a company needs to thrive and determines whether or not a company can continue to stay in business. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that a high level of customer service always be something to strive for. Without continued excellence in customer service, a company’s success is over before it starts. It is expected that a company as huge as the STC would have a sense of customer feeling and if not to solve the problem on the spot, should be able to calm agitated customers down with a professional touch. The STC office at the Ghana side of the border at Elubo where complaints are to be lodged is opened and deserves some commendations. Be that as it may, as to whether the office is serving its purpose or not will be an issue to be contended by STC as a company and its customers. A gentleman greeted us warmly as we entered the office. We began by saying we had a complaint that we wanted him to know about. Before we could finish our narration, a simple complaint had become a debate. According to him, the bus was overloaded with goods. Yes. But the goods belonged to the passengers on-board. Assuming all the goods belonged to the passengers on-board as he suggested, does it make sense to overload a bus just because the goods belong to passengers? To an extent that the second door of the bus was completely blocked and in case of an emergency, passengers would have struggled to use a single exit instead of two. The possible outcome is needs not to be mentioned. What was expected of this gentleman was for him to come out of the office and walk with us to the venue where the car was parked to ascertain for himself the intensity of the concerns being raised and render apologies even if nothing was going to be done about it. He chose to sit in his office to argue with us. Not wanting any long debate we told him we came to lodge a complaint and not to debate and left his office.

Passengers deserve better 

It is a sad reality that the once renowned State Transport Corporation (STC), now the Intercity State Transport Company has lost the Accra-Kumasi-Accra route to the VIP Tours, a private company. It is worrying that the sanitation condition at the bus terminal is a nightmare and the aging buses continue to ply our routes, without regard to passengers’ safety.    
As a carrier having the Ghana flag embossed on the company logo, your passenger and clients deserves better treatment from you. Your company indeed should uplift the name of Ghana in Côte d’Ivoire, instead of undeserving them in this embarrassing manner.
In fact, it is not enough to claim you will take your passengers to their destination safely. Your attitude towards your clients must change for the better. Treat passengers well and exceed their expectation, so that they will always choose your service above others.