Month: March 2015

Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko has criticized the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for consistently tagging professionals who demand their due from government as sympathizers of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

He said such unfortunate acts by assigns of the NDC is intended to cow professionals who are bothered by such name calling to back down on their demands.

Doctors in public hospitals across the country on Thursday proceeded on a strike action after talks with government over their conditions of service reached a deadlock.

Some NDC commentators have accused the Doctors of being sympathetic to the opposition NPP and have resorted to taking the industrial action to make the government unpopular.

However contributing to a discussion on Peace FM’s Krokrokoo show Monday, Mr Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko stated he found it difficult to understand why the NDC always looks for an easy exit route whenever it is confronted with such industrial action by professional bodies.

“NDC are always quick to tag professional as NPP members. If Lawyers at the Attorney General’s department proceeds on strike action they are labeled NPP, Pharmacist and Teachers as well, but in the end we saw Kwame Alovi who was the former National President of National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) vying for the North Tongu constituency seat of the NDC” he noted.

Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko urged government to conclude negotiation with the doctors as soon as possible to prevent the loss of lives that could result as a result of the absence of the doctors.

GhanaMPs.gov.gh

Mrs Freda Prempeh, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North in Brong-Ahafo Region has presented medical equipment worth GH¢30,000.00 to the Subonpan Community Health Planning Services (CHPS) compound in the Constituency.

The items comprise a dressing set, delivery set, suturing tray, drums, home visiting bags, bathroom scale, BP apparatus, baby scale, veronica buckets, digital thermometers, autoclave sterilisers, oxygen cylinder, drip stands, kidney bowls, Gallipots, Foetoscope manual, Sonicald, Screen, beds and mattresses.

The others are bed sheets, examination couches, sterilizing boilers, dressing trolleys, wheelchairs, stretchers, stethoscopes, tables, chairs, computers and dustbins.

Mrs Prempeh also presented two packets of roofing sheets to the Campso Community, also in the area, to roof a lorry station shelter project.

Due to lack of medical equipment, the CHPS compound, built in 2008, had remained a white elephant, but Mrs Prempeh explained that the presentation was in fulfillment of a promise to the people in that Community.

She announced her intention this year to use a greater percentage of her health fund towards the construction of CHPS compounds in under-served communities.

Mrs Prempeh entreated the pregnant women to access antenatal service by visiting the facility regularly and advised the community and staff of the facility to adopt the culture of maintenance by taking proper care of the items for their own good.

Dr Yakubu Bayayinah, the Tano North District Director of Health Services, thanked the MP for her gesture, noting that, the items would facilitate the provision of efficient healthcare delivery to the people.

He commended the MP for renovating the CHPS compound at Subriso, also in the Constituency and stressed that Out-Patient Department cases at the Bomaa Health Centre increased after the MP presented similar items to the facility.

Dr Bayayinah expressed concern about the alarming rate of teenage pregnancy in the District, and therefore, advised especially girls to be serious with their education and avoid pre-marital sex.

GNA

Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo Markin has described the Electoral Commission (EC) as a stubborn client who will make the job of any lawyer very difficult.

According to him, the EC’s intransigent posture and failure to adhere to laws that govern its activities makes it an ardous task for a lawyer to defend the institution in the court of law.

The MP who is a lawyer by profession and counsel for the aspiring assembly man whose suit against the Electoral Commission resulted in the cancellation of the District Assembly elections which was scheduled March 3, 2015, said this while speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem programme on Monday 2nd March 2015.

He disagreed with suggestions by a section of the public that counsel for the EC, Lawyer Quashie Idun did not do much to ensure the EC’s victory in court to avoid the postponement of the elections just four days to the day it was set to be held.

Lawyer Afenyo Markin stated that the EC must end its impunity and rather sit up and ensure that it is conversant with the laws with which it operates, adding that “if one has a bad case, it is difficult to defend it, even a good lawyer can put up a spirited defence but the law will not be on his/her side” he said.

The Supreme Court by a 7: 0 majority decision ruled that the election cannot go ahead.

The entire Supreme Court panel agreed with the plaintiff in the case that the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision to open and close nominations when the CI 85 had not been passed is unlawful.

The plaintiff, Benjamin Eyi Mensah, a disqualified aspirant for the position of assemblyman in the Eyipeh Electoral Area in the Central Region, dragged the Electoral Commission to Court for failing to include him in the upcoming election.

His Counsel, Alex Afenyo Markins argued that, his client was prevented from filing his nomination even though the constitutional instrument governing the elections had not been passed.

The cancellation of the elections just four days to the D- day has brought a lot of inconvenience to the aspiring assembly members, as it has disorganized their programmes and their budget.

Hon. Alex Afenyo Markin, urged the Attorney General to charge the EC with causing financial loss to the considering the fact that the state will have to marshal funds to reprint ballot papers.

Ghanamps.gov.gh/Kwadwo Anim

Third year students in two communities in the Keta Municipality have been spared the trouble of the current energy crises having been provided with solar lamps.

A total of 45 solar lamps were distributed to students from the two schools including Agorvinu and Lawoshieme Junior High Schools.

These two communities are among the island communities in the municipality and have difficulties with social amenities that authorities are doing everything possible to address.

Not too long ago, through the hard work of the Member of Parliament for Keta, Mr. Richard Quashigah, the communities were installed with solar panels that gave them light.

A follow up on that project by Mr. Richard Hosier, Senior Energy Specialist at the World Bank- Washington DC to assess the impact of the project on the people again resulted in individual students receiving the solar lamps which he donated.

Speaking to Ghanamps.gov.gh, Mr. Quashigah who took Mr. Hosier round the project sites said the solar lamps were presented to third year students to aid their studies and preparation towards examination.

He said these children have to be motivated by any means possible to take their studies seriously including provision of logistics in order to come out with good results that can propel them further in their academic pursuits.

The MP said he is very determined to see Keta regain its academic pride, as such he will continue to use his influence to get resources to support education in the municipality.

He urged the students to make good use of the lamps by devoting their time and energy on their studies.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.gov.gh

A twelve seater KVIP toilet facility has been completed for theWeme community in the Keta Municipality.

The project which was initially started by the community was abandoned for years for lack of funds.

But Mr. Richard Quashigah, the Member of Parliament for Keta who commended the people for that bold decision and effort to help themselves and even started the project decided to help the community when they appealed to him to intervene. Now the facility has been completed but yet to be commissioned.

Mr. Quashigah inspecting the facility

Mr. Quashigah said one way to help communities keep their environment clean is to help provide facilities that will aid cleanliness. But because money is not always available, communities that initiate self help projects have to be supported to complete them if they are unable to. This, he noted will to a large extent accelerate development in the various communities.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.gov.gh