Monday, August 30, 2010

TAFIANO RIVER NEEDS BRIDGE (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, PAGE 14, AUGUST 30, 2010)

By Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah, Nkoranza

The Omanhene of the Nkoranza Traditional Area, Okatayie Agyeman Kudom IV, has appealed to the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo to use his good office to ensure that, the wooden bridge spanning River Tafiano in the Nkoranza South District is replaced with a Bailey bridge.
That, the Omanhene explained was urgent because the wooden bridge in its present state is a death trap to all manner of people who ply the road between Nkoranza and Kintampo.
Okatakyie Kudom made the call when the regional minister called on him at his palace as part of Mr Nyamekye-Marfo’s two-day working visit to the Nkoranza South and Nkoranza North Districts.
The visit of the regional minister, in the company of some officials of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) and some executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) from the region, was to enable him see at first hand, ongoing and completed development projects in those areas.
Following the request by the Omanhene, the regional minister quickly moved in to inspect the bridge together with the District Chief Executives (DCEs) for the two areas, Messrs Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum and by Kwadwo Agyei-Dwomo, where he gave the assurance that, he would do everything to ensure that the bridge was repaired.
Okatakyei Kudom, who was flanked by his Divisional and Sub-Chiefs, also appealed to Mr. Nyamekye-Marfo to see to the repairs and reconstruction of a number of deplorable roads in the area, and that, in view of the bad nature of the roads, farmers found it difficult to transport their produce to the urban centres for marketing.
Again, the Omanhene urged the government to raise the Nkoranza South District to a Municipality, and that it was long overdue for the area to assume such a status, and that Nananom had already made such a request to the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development on his previous visit to Nkoranza.
Okatakyei Kudom, on behalf of the Chiefs, expressed his sincerest thanks and appreciation to the regional minister for his visit to Nananom and the decision to tour the two districts to acquaint himself with the level of development going on there.
Later, the regional minister and the Omanhene jointly cut the sod to signify commencement of works an entirely new Technical Institute at Nkoranza to boost technical education in the area
Currently, construction work is underway on a simple storey 12-unit classroom block and another separate six-unit classroom building on an 107 acre-land, released by the Nkoranza Traditional Council for the new project.
Again, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr. Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo and Okatakyie Agyeman Kudom IV, the Omanhene of the Nkoranza Traditional Area, have jointly cut the sod to commence the construction of Boys and Girls dormitory blocks at the site.
Before breaking the ground, Okatakyie Kudom, described the project as a dream come true, adding that, Nananom in their wisdom gave out the land for such a laudable education project and promised that, they would not hesitate to release more land for educational purposes.
He expressed the hope that, the project when successfully completed, would equip students who graduated with technical skills jobs in advance, and commended the government for the bold initiative to establish the new technical institute in the region.
The regional minister said, since the region had long existed without a technical institute, the people should lend their full support towards its successful completion, adding that, with the combination of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) as well as science and technical education, the region could develop faster.
The Principal of the Institute, Mr. Albert Adusei, said in an interaction with this reporter that, by the end of September this year, work on the initiated projects would have been completed for academic work to start in earnest.
He mentioned the subject areas to begin with as Carpentry, Block work, Auto Mechanics, Electricals, Mechanical Engineering/Craft production while Agriculture Mechanics and catering programmes would follow up later.
Among the areas the regional minister visited to inspect ongoing and completed school and other development projects were Nsugum, Amposakrom, Nkwabeng, Nyamebekyere and in the Nkoranza township itself.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

INSULATE PUBLIC SERVANTS FROM POLITICAL ACTIVITIES (PAGE 13, AUGUST 26, 2010)

THE District Co-ordinating Director (DCD) for Nkoranza South, Alhaji Haruna Abdul Salam, has appealed to political heads of the various Regional Co-ordinating Councils to insulate both public and civil servants from active partisan political activities.
He noted that, some political heads in the country, were trying hard to woo public/civil servants into their partisan programmes, saying, “It is happening elsewhere and we do not want that to happen here”.
Alhaji Salam made the appeal when he set the tone for a meeting of heads of Decentralised Departments and other quasi-sectors of the Nkoranza South District Assembly in the Brong Ahafo Region with the Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo.
He declared, “Leave us to assist you and give us the trust and we will deliver”.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo was in the district to familiarise himself with ongoing and completed development programmes in various parts of the district and to also interact with traditional authorities and other authorities of some institutions.
The DCD, however, cautioned the departmental heads to remain as neutral as possible in the discharge of their official duties, adding that, they were at post to help implement the programmes and projects of the government and to ensure that, those activities were satisfactorily achieved.
“We are ready to support the government and help to make its programmes and policies thrive, and that is exactly what we are supposed to do no matter which government is in power,” he told the meeting.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo, who was accompanied by some officials of the RCC and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Regional and constituency executives, also advised that, public and civil servants ought not to show their political colours, saying, “You are only to assist the government to prosecute its agenda of a ‘Better Ghana’”.
He pointed out that, there was no doubt that, even the Electoral Commissioner, had his sympathies for a particular party and again had a vote during elections but noted with satisfaction that, the commissioner did not display his political affiliation when discharging his constitutional duties.
The regional minister alleged that, there were some of the Heads of Departments who openly make certain remarks and utterances which tended to suggest the political party he or she belonged to, stressing that, “Your only duty as Public/Civil servants, is to support the government to achieve its goals and so just act in that line and save yourselves”.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo observed that, inasmuch as bureaucracy was allowed in official duties, it could also stall the effective running of affairs in the office if it was rigidly applied and enforced, through the chain of command.
However, he advised that, as heads it was expected that they made sure that the right things were done at all times, adding further that, there was the need for them to establish cordial relations with their subordinates rather than to subject them to inhuman treatment, since they were also human being.
The regional minister emphasised that, whatever good works or otherwise they carried out in their respective offices, would be judged by the present and subsequent generations, stressing that, he had ever personally worked with a hard- handed and an inward-looking director of a district assembly.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo gave the assurance that, the government would not in any way renege on its responsibility and commitment to ensure that, public and civil servants were duly rewarded with improved and better conditions of services.
The DCE, Mr Agyekum, also entreated the departmental heads to discharge their duties as professionals but not to mingle politics with professionalism, saying, “No matter the party you belong , we shall accept you, once you do not show biases. We will, however, meet you boot for boot for any attempt to play to the gallery by way of thwarting the ‘Better Ghana’ agenda”.
Earlier, Mr Nyamekye-Marfo had paid a courtesy call on the Omanhene of the Nkoranza Traditional Area, Okatakyie Agyeman Kudom IV and his divisional and sub-chiefs at his palace, where Nananom expressed concern about the bridge on the Tanfiano River which had broken down, which Okatakyie Kudom stressed, had become a death trap to commuters between Nkoranza and Kintampo.
The Omanhene also appealed to the government to raise the Nkoranza South District to the status of a municipality, which was long overdue.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

NAFANA SHS IN DIRE NEED (PAGE 3, AUGUST 25, 2010)

The Nafana Presbyterian Senior High School (SHS) at Sampa, the capital of the Jaman North District of the Brong Ahafo Region, is in dire need of dining and assembly halls, as well as other infrastructural facilities.
Due to the lack of an assembly hall, all meetings at the school are held under the shade of trees on the school compound whenever the need arises.
The situation came to light when the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye –Marfo, visited the institution to interact with both students and the school authorities during his working visit to the district.
Mr Kofi Wiredu Sasah, the Headmaster of the school, said the situation had been so for a long time and that several appeals made to the appropriate educational authorities and other stakeholders had not yielded any fruitful results.
He indicated that one block at the school served as both a classroom and a dining hall and there were no dormitory blocks for both female and male students, no science laboratory and many other facilities to promote quality teaching and learning.
He, therefore, made a passionate appeal to the Regional Minister to ensure that the school was provided with the needed facilities.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo gave the assurance that he would ensure that the needs of the school, especially the construction of a classroom block for those caught up with the four-year SHS programme, were provided.
He emphasised that the government was committed to ensuring that, all schools in the country would be provided with the necessary facilities to boost education, a necessary tool for development.
The Regional Minister noted that the provision of logistics and other infrastructural facilities, as well as the provision of incentive to teachers, was the only way to enhance teaching and learning.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo appealed to the teachers to give off their best in spite of the challenges they faced, saying: “If you fail to deliver, the children will not succeed and that can spell their doom.”
He also advised the students to learn very hard instead of engaging in social vices such as sodomy, lesbianism, alcoholism and the use of hard drugs, adding: “Your parents are struggling to make you feel better in your future lives.”

COURT SENTENCES 10 TO DEATH (PAGE 3, AUGUST 26, 2010)

TEN out of 11 persons accused of murdering Anthony Yeboah-Boateng, the former Administrator of the Goaso Government Hospital at Atronie, were yesterday sentenced to death by hanging.
The Sunyani High Court, presided over by Mr Justice Godwin Gabor, however, acquitted and discharged the fourth accused person, Kwaku Agyeman Badu, alias Wakuu, 54, who until the case was a driver of the Metro Mass Transit Limited.
In addition, the 10 convicts are to serve 20 years’ imprisonment each with hard labour, but the sentences are to run concurrently.
They are Douglas Afriyie, alias Dougie; Stephen Donkor, alias Kofi Ankama; Kwasi Nyantekyi, alias Nana Kusi; Adama Hamidu; James Dankwah; Kwame Yeboah Addae, alias Akolo; Kwadwo Awuah, alias Koo Wua or “I see”; Kwame Anokye; Emmanuel Kwaku Lartey, alias Adjetey, and Kwame Krah, alias Koo Kraa.
They were charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit murder, contrary to Section 23(1) and 46 of the Criminal Offence Act 1960 (Act 29), murder, contrary to Section 46 and causing unlawful damage, contrary to Section 172 (2).
The decision of the court, followed a unanimous verdict of guilt returned by a seven-member jury after about one hour deliberation.
Immediately after their conviction and sentence, Mr Justice Gabor said “the accused persons, having been convicted and sentenced, have one month to appeal. It is their right and it is also my duty to inform them as such”.
Before going to deliberate on the matter, the trial judge drew the attention of the jury to the evidence they had heard and the law involved and its application to the evidence, saying, “You are the judges of facts, so please consider yourselves free from the comments or observations made by me in the course of summing up of this case because you are not bound by them but I am within my right to make such observation.”
“Your verdict must be based on the evidence upon your own consideration and the evidence heard in this court and in the direction given on the law involved. You are therefore to disregard whatever you might have heard outside and your verdict must be unanimous, this matter being a murder trial,” he said.
Mr Justice Gabor said the general principle of the law in criminal trial was that the prosecution must prove its case beyond all reasonable doubt.
It is recalled that on April 8, 2007, Mr Yeboah-Boateng, who was also the former presiding member of the Asunafo North District Assembly, in the company of his wife and two other women, was travelling from Sunyani to Goaso after picking a corpse of a relative from the Regional Hospital, Sunyani to the Goaso Government Hospital mortuary.
When they got to Atronie with the corpse, the convicts, together with others, blocked the road with rocks and cement blocks, forcing Yeboah-Boateng to stop.
The convicts, together with the others, rushed on Yeboah-Boateng and accused him of being a ritual murderer because he was carrying a corpse in his car.
Before the deceased could offer any explanation, the convicts pulled him out of the vehicle, clubbed him to death and attempted to set his body and car ablaze.
They then vandalised his car and the corpse and bolted from the town.
Since May 2, 2008, the Sunyani High has been hearing the case of the 11 after the Attorney General’s (A-G’s) Department had recommended that they be tried for their alleged involvement in the criminal offence.

ACCOUNTANTS, AUDITORS OF MDAS ATTEND SEMINAR (PAGE 35, AUGUST 25, 2010)

THE Brong Ahafo Regional office of the Value Added Tax (VAT) Service has organised a seminar for accountants, auditors and purchasing officers of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the region, with a call on them to always demand VAT/National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL) invoices for goods and services they buy.
   The participants were also urged to purchase their goods and get their services from only VAT registered persons and businesses, since that was one of the best ways they could assist the VAT service in ensuring compliance with the VAT Act and to generate revenue for the country.
   The Regional Head of the VAT service, Mrs Joyce Evelyn Mensah-Boakye, who made the appeal, said, ‘‘We need the collaboration and support from the general public, particularly you the accountants, auditors and purchasing officers of your respective MDAs.”
   The seminar was organised in recognition of the important role the MDAs had played and continued to play in assisting the service to mobilise revenue for the development of the country.
  Mrs Mensah-Boakye said the participants had in their possession copies of both the Financial Administration Act 2003 (Act 654) and the VAT Act 1998 (Act 546) as amended, to guide them in the performance of their duties.
  Those laws, she said, enjoined them to use appropriate channels in procuring goods and services for use by their respective MDAs.
‘‘Being the driving force of government machinery, the service deems it fit to let you know how important you are to us in our revenue mobilisation efforts, hence this seminar,’’ Mrs Mensah-Boakye said.
 She stated that the success of every government depended on the number of development programmes and projects that could be carried out for its people.
However, Mrs Mensah-Boakye observed that, “We are unable to generate enough revenue to fund these programmes and, therefore, largely depend on external support which has been dwindling over the years. This leaves us with no alternatives than to look internally generated funds’’.
  She said the VAT Service or the revenue agencies could not do that alone and therefore needed the collaboration and support from the general public, especially the professionals.
  The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, in a speech read for him, stated that developed countries had thrived on effective and efficient revenue and tax mobilisation for enhanced social and physical infrastructure needed to build sustainable societies for their citizens.
   He said Ghana as a country derived about 30 per cent of its annual budget from its development partners, which definitely was nothing to write home about, adding that over the years, the thresholds of the national budget continued to increase but that had not seen a corresponding rise in locally generated revenue.
   Mr Nyamekye-Marfo stated that in the attempt to solve that problem, strategies had been churned out to address the deficits of the annual budgets but that had not yielded the needed results and impact.
               

Sunday, August 15, 2010

FIVE REMANDED OVER MURDER (PAGE 20, AUGUST 14, 2010)

THE Wenchi District Magistrate Court in the Brong Ahafo Region has remanded five persons to prison custody for allegedly conspiring to murder Seta Issifu, a 49-year-old woman, at Abotareye, near Wenchi.
The five, who included three women, are Kojo Zirenye, 15; Kwasi Monane, 10; Ama Maabo, 35; Priscilla Luton, 15, and Yaa Dontonton, 25.
They are alleged to have conspired to murder the woman about 5:30 p.m. on August 3, 2010.
The court, presided over by Mr Essel Walker, remanded the accused persons to reappear on Friday, August 20, 2010.
According to the Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Police Crime Officer, Mr Saviour Ahiamadi, the deceased was attacked by the suspects while she was collecting firewood from a farm belonging to a friend.
He alleged that the suspects hit the woman with a piece of wood after pushing her onto a tree stump on the farm.
Mr Ahiamadi said while the victim was collecting firewood, Zirenye, who was also interested in the firewood, confronted Seta and she allegedly told him (Zirenye) that she had the expressed permission of the owner of the farm to collect the firewood.
According to the police, the explanation offered by her did not go down well with Zirenye, who then teamed up with the other accused persons to pick up a quarrel with Seta.
The police said in the process, the suspects allegedly pushed her down and hit her with firewood until she became unconscious and was rushed to the Wenchi Methodist Hospital.
However, she was pronounced dead on arrival and the body was deposited at the hospital mortuary for autopsy.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

COMMUNICATIONS MINISTRY REVIEWING ICT (PAGE 42, AUGUST 12, 2010)

THE Ministry of Communications is in the process of reviewing the national Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to include environmentally friendly (green) ICT, Geographical Information Systems and District Level ICT policies.
In this connection, stakeholders in the information society are expected to provide inputs whenever they are called upon.
The Sector Minister, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, announced this in a speech read for him in Sunyani.
He said as a matter of policy, the National Communications Authority (NCA) had been mandated to auction Broadband Wireless Access Licenses to facilitate the provision of last mile solutions by the private sector to address the policy objective of universal access.
That, Mr Haruna said, was expected to make government services accessible and available to the rural communities to manimise the digital divide and also create ICT jobs in the communities.
In his address to open the Commonwealth Africa Rural Connectivity Initiative In-Country Capacity Building Workshop, Mr Iddrisu stressed: “As a country, we need to find innovative and novel solutions to the problem of rural connectivity.”
According to him, the utilisation of rural connectivity allowed the sharing of scarce medical resources with rural areas, including instant access to expert diagnosis, and that, through rural connectivity, the educational system would also be enhanced with access to distance learning and education.
The workshop, organised by the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) in collaboration with the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisations (CTO), was based on the Commonwealth Africa Rural Connectivity Initiative (COMARCI) project, ahead of the fifth Annual Connecting Rural Communities Africa Forum, scheduled for August 17 to 19, 2010.
The participants included Members of Parliament (MPs), District Chief Executives (DCEs), traditional rulers, religious leaders, market women and representatives of the Trades Union Congress, as well as experts in the communications sector.
Mr Iddrisu stated that it was also the intention of the government to promote fresh investment initiatives and opportunities in the ICT sector for data services via WiMAX.
“I must admit that the provision of the main line (Fibre) connectivity solutions also required last mile solutions to individual households and communities,” he said.
Mr Iddrisu stressed that it was the government’s policy to promote electronic governance that facilitated the effective delivery of government services to citizens, businesses and others, and also to connect hospitals, schools, police stations, National Health Insurance Scheme, immigration, Agricultural Extension Services, Internal Revenue Service and the Value Added Tax offices in all towns that were within the network coverage areas.
The Chief Executive Officer of the CTO, Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, in a presentation, explained that the organisation and the digital divide provided for the international community, effective means to help bridge the digital divide and achieve social and economic development by delivering to developing countries, unique knowledge sharing programmes in the use of ICT in the specified areas of telecommunications, Information Technology (IT), broadcasting and the Internet.
The Administrator of GIFEC, Mr Kofi Attor, stated that GIFEC was set up in 2004 with a view to bridging the digital divide, adding that the earlier ICT was extended to the rural areas the better.
He disclosed that there were about 140 communication centres established across the country with 90 officially opened to be fixed with computers to enable the communities to have access to them for their studies, especially schoolchildren.
Mr Attor added that there were State of the Art ICT centres established in all the 38 Colleges of Education in the country which would enable the teacher trainees to come out and effectively handle children in ICT.
In a welcoming address, the Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Eric Opoku, said undoubtedly, accessible and affordable use of ICT was critical not merely because it promoted social intercourse through electronic means, but it also improved governmental and business services to isolated communities.

5 MURDER SUSPECTS HELD (PAGE 3, AUGUST 11, 2010)

Five suspects, including three females, have been arrested by the Wenchi Police in the Brong Ahafo Region for allegedly conspiring to murder a 49-year-old woman at Abotereye, near Wenchi.
The deceased, identified as Seta Issifu, was allegedly attacked by the suspects while she was collecting firewood from a farm belonging to a friend.
The suspects are Kojo Zirenye, 15; Kwasi Monane, 10; Ama Maabo, 35; Priscilla Luton, 15, and Yaa Dontonton, 25.
According to ASP Saviour Ahiamadi, the suspects allegedly hit the woman with a piece of wood after pushing her onto a tree stump on the farm.
He explained that while the deceased was collecting firewood, she was confronted by Zirenye because he was also interested in the firewood, but the deceased told him that she had the express permission of the owner of the farm to do so.
The explanation offered by the deceased did not go down well with Zirenye, who teamed up with the other suspects to quarrel with her.
According to the police, in the process, they allegedly pushed her down and hit her with firewood until she became unconscious.
She was pronounced dead when she was rushed to the Wenchi Hospital.
Meanwhile, the suspects are being processed for court on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and murder.

Friday, August 6, 2010

FATHER KILLS SON, COMMITS SUICIDE (BACK PAGE, AUGUST 6, 2010)

Residents of Fianu, a farming community near Atebubu, had the shock of their lives when they woke up to hear that a 60-year-old man had committed suicide after he had allegedly shot his son to death.
According to the Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Crime Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Saviour Ahiamadi, the man, identified as Nantieb Larry Duut, believed to be mentally deranged, had told the son, Nantieb Benlade, 30, on July 30 that he was going to farm and would return on August 2, 2010.
The police officer said Duut was said to have requested his son to follow up to the farm on August 1, 2010.
ASP Ahiamadi said Benlade obliged and set out to meet his father on the appointed date, only for Duut to shoot Benlade before taking his own life.
According to ASP Ahiamadi, it was Duut’s wife, Ajara Seidu, 30, who had also followed up about 5:30 p.m. on August 1, who found the two men dead on the farm.
He said Ajara quickly informed one Kwasi Kumah about the incident and he in turn informed the police.
ASP Ahiamadi said during a visit to the crime scene, the police found the gun and an empty shell, adding that they did not suspect any foul play, since Duut was believed to be mentally deranged.
The two bodies have been deposited at the Atebubu Government Hospital pending autopsy and further investigations.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

POLITICAL PLURALISM VITAL FOR DEV — NYAMEKYE-MARFO (PAGE 14 , AUGUST 3, 2010)

THE Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, has observed that political pluralism is the only sure way that can ensure the effective development of the country.
He noted that under such a system, people from the various political divide had the right to freely express their opinion on every subject matter that came up for discussion and make suggestions that were geared towards the progress of the country.
The Regional Minister, however, pointed out that some unscrupulous politicians had taken undue advantage of the current political dispensation where free speech was guaranteed to verbally attack their political opponents and malign them without any evidence.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo, for instance, indicated that certain political activists, notably the up and coming young ones, who profess to be political analysts and social commentators, move from one radio station to the other to hurl insults at their opponents in the name of freedom of speech instead of contributing meaningfully to the actual topic under discussion.
The Regional Minister made the observation at Seketia in the Jaman South District when he addressed a meeting with the chief and people of the area.
He also addressed similar meetings with a number of traditional authorities he visited in the Tain, Jaman North and Jaman South Districts, as part of his working visit to the respective areas to acquaint himself with the development projects that were either completed or were ongoing in those districts.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo, who was accompanied by officials of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) and some regional executive members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, said it was sad and pathetic to hear young people openly engaged in abusive language on some FM radio stations across the country and in the print media.
He indicated that what was more worrisome, in most of the cases, was the fact that the hosts of some of the programmes did not seem to care about the gross indiscipline exhibited by their insulting panellists and rather allowed them to do their own thing, adding that some other persons also exhibited the same character during phone-in segments of political discussions.
The Regional Minister emphasised that presenting constructive criticisms was the best and surest way to move the country forward rather than resorting to making libellous and scandalous statements about people, especially those in official positions and other political big wigs.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo, therefore, appealed to the chiefs and other opinion leaders in the various communities to impress upon the youth to show a high sense of respect to the elderly, who had in diverse ways contributed their quota towards the level of the current development of the country.
He urged Ghanaians to exercise patience for the government to proceed with its ‘‘Better Ghana’’ agenda which the NDC had promised the people, admitting, however, that governance was not an easy enterprise and, more significantly, when the government had inherited a rather difficult economy.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

DENTAL SURGEONS PLACEMENT POSE PROBLEM FOR GHS (PAGE 22, JULY 31, 2010)

THE Ghana Dental Association (GDA) has observed that placement of dental surgeons after their graduation has always been a problem for both the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the association.
The problem is mainly due to inadequate number of accredited dental facilities to absorb new doctors.
The President of the GDA, Dr Josephine Sackeyfio made the appeal when she addressed the 19th annual conference of the association in Sunyani. It was on the theme: “Gerodontology, quality oral healthcare for the elderly”.
Dr Sackeyfio said the association had observed that currently, there were only six accredited dental centres available for placement of dental surgeons throughout the country, which made it impossible to absorb all the newly qualified locally trained DSs.
She said the result of that had been a feeling of frustration among those new and young professionals.
Dr Sackeyfio stated that the GDA had therefore, appealed to the government to provide more accredited health facilities that would ensure prompt placement of DSs to improve access to oral healthcare throughout the country.
The GDA president also noted that another problem of the association and the GHS was the refusal by some newly qualified DSs to accept posting to areas normally considered as deprived, and therefore, called for a review of policies by the Ministry of Health (MOH).
Dr Sackeyfio disclosed that a study conducted in 1997 by the United Nations (UN) Department of Public Information on ageing, revealed that the number of people aged between 60 and above would increase from 22.9 million to 101.9 million in Africa between 1980 and 2025.
She said that comparatively showed an increase by a factor of 4.4 to that of 2.1 for developed countries over the same period, adding that the number of those aged 75 and above in West Africa would also increase by over 500 per cent.
The Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University College of Ghana (CUCG) at Fiapre near Sunyani, Professor James H. Ephraim, said currently, the number of schools of dentistry in the country were only two and that, the number of dentists who graduated was definitely not enough to cater for the needs of the aged in the country as long as oral healthcare was concerned.
He said efforts therefore ought to be made by the government to support the establishment of two new Schools of Dentistry, one at the University for Development Studies and another at the University of Cape Coast.
Professor Ephraim added that scholarships/fellowships should be provided for individuals to undertake postgraduate studies in various aspects of dentistry, including gerodontology.
The Chief Dental Officer, Dr Constance Addo-Yobo in a presentation, noted that among the elderly, impaired mobility impeded access to oral healthcare, particularly for those who resided in rural areas with poor public transport.
She said another barrier to oral healthcare in Ghana was financial hardship after following retirements, the perceived high cost of dental treatment together with negative attitudes to oral health, which might deter them from visiting dentists.