SIX-HUNDRED-AND-THREE women in the Lawra District in the Upper West Region have received free medical care under the government’s policy of free maternal care for pregnant women.
Apart from receiving free continental, delivery and postnatal services, the beneficiaries are also enjoying a comprehensive package under the minimum benefit package for all insured members of the scheme.
The Board Chairman of the Lawra District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme (DMHIS), Naa A.N. Kunyelleh, made this known when addressing the fourth annual general meeting of the scheme at Lawra.
He explained that the minimum benefit package made it possible for women who visited health facilities with other ailments apart from the pregnancy, to be treated free-of-charge.
Naa Kunyelleh noted that the total patient attendance at health facilities across the district last year was 75,377.
Naa Kunyelleh lauded the rate at which people were registering with the scheme and expressed the hope that if the trend continued, the entire population of the district could be roped into the scheme.
On the challenges facing the scheme, Naa Kunyelleh said clients were abusing the scheme as they kept visiting health facilities multiple times.
He also expressed worry about the attitude of some of the staff of the scheme who frequently collected drugs from hospitals in the name of the scheme for uninsured patients.
Naa Kunyelleh, therefore, appealed to opinion leaders to sensitise the people to appreciate the benefits of the scheme.
For his part, the Lawra District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr George Sulley, was happy that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) had made health care delivery accessible to all.
He also commended the managers of the scheme for their good work, and urged them to keep spreading the message in order to reach out to more people and register them.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
SIF MAKES STRIDES IN EDUCATION IN UW (PAGE 17)
THE Upper West Region, the latest in the country, cannot boast many educational facilities as compared to the other regions, especially in the south but it has over the years striven to improve the situation through the efforts of the respective district assemblies.
But one other intervention which has helped to enhance the provision of educational infrastructure, classroom furniture, among other things in the region, is the Social Investment Fund (SIF). The SIF, which was set up in 1998 through the efforts of the government of Ghana, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support both the rural and the urban poor across the country, was aimed at reducing poverty among the rural and urban poor.
This was also to ensure that people have access to basic economic and social infrastructure to enhance access of the poor to financial services by increasing the availability of micro finance as well as building the capacities of indigenous financial institutions.
It is significant to note that with that objective, classroom blocks with offices and public places of convenience have been constructed in the Upper West Region under the SIF, as well as furniture provided for schools across the nine districts of the region.
In the Nadowli District for instance, six three-unit classroom blocks with offices, stores and public places of convenience have been constructed. Furniture costing GH¢92, 845.23 have also been constructed.
Similarly, three different six-unit classroom blocks and a three-unit block have been provided for the Sissala West District at a cost of GH¢110, 783.33, while the Sissala East District has two of such classroom infrastructure worth GH¢62, 600. Other beneficiary districts include the Wa East, Lawra, Jirapa and the Lambussie districts.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the SIF Zonal Officer responsible for the three northern regions, Mr Kwame Obeng Nti, said the total cost of the entire projects was GH¢578, 270.66.
He said although the SIF was poised to reach almost every corner of the Upper West Region in particular, and the whole of the three northern regions, the demand for such facilities from the respective communities outweighs the financial position of the SIF, even though it is the wish of SIF to provide the facilities on a demand driven basis.
He pointed out that apart from the health facilities which had received some attention, the education sector had been neglected.
But one other intervention which has helped to enhance the provision of educational infrastructure, classroom furniture, among other things in the region, is the Social Investment Fund (SIF). The SIF, which was set up in 1998 through the efforts of the government of Ghana, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support both the rural and the urban poor across the country, was aimed at reducing poverty among the rural and urban poor.
This was also to ensure that people have access to basic economic and social infrastructure to enhance access of the poor to financial services by increasing the availability of micro finance as well as building the capacities of indigenous financial institutions.
It is significant to note that with that objective, classroom blocks with offices and public places of convenience have been constructed in the Upper West Region under the SIF, as well as furniture provided for schools across the nine districts of the region.
In the Nadowli District for instance, six three-unit classroom blocks with offices, stores and public places of convenience have been constructed. Furniture costing GH¢92, 845.23 have also been constructed.
Similarly, three different six-unit classroom blocks and a three-unit block have been provided for the Sissala West District at a cost of GH¢110, 783.33, while the Sissala East District has two of such classroom infrastructure worth GH¢62, 600. Other beneficiary districts include the Wa East, Lawra, Jirapa and the Lambussie districts.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the SIF Zonal Officer responsible for the three northern regions, Mr Kwame Obeng Nti, said the total cost of the entire projects was GH¢578, 270.66.
He said although the SIF was poised to reach almost every corner of the Upper West Region in particular, and the whole of the three northern regions, the demand for such facilities from the respective communities outweighs the financial position of the SIF, even though it is the wish of SIF to provide the facilities on a demand driven basis.
He pointed out that apart from the health facilities which had received some attention, the education sector had been neglected.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
PNC ELECTS JANE-FRANCIS TO CONTEST JIRAPA SEAT (PAGE 17)
THE People’s National Convention (PNC) has elected a 28-year-old secretary to contest as its Parliamentary candidate for the Jirapa Constituency in the Upper West Region.
Miss Jane-Francis Galyuon, who polled 17 out of the 21 votes cast to get the nod, would thus rub shoulders with political veterans like Mr Edward Salia of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the incumbent, and Mr Justin Dakorah of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Jirapa District Chief Executive.
Her rival contestant, Mr Abu Arthur, a teacher, polled four of the votes in the election supervised by Mr Jackson Annor, the electoral officer in charge of Jirapa.
In an address, the Upper West Regional Chairman of the PNC, Dr Gilbert Dabori Bainye, called on all PNC supporters and sympathisers to abide by the motto of the party, “service with honesty".
To this end, he urged all true PNC members to go by all the rules and regulations governing elections in the country to ensure a trouble-free general election in December.
"The December elections is for a winner and not for tricksters who have more money," Dr Bailey stated, and added that "we must not vote for money but for the best and most competent candidate”.
He described Dr Edward Mahama, the flag bearer of the PNC, as the best presidential aspirant with the best ideas, and that when the PNC was given the chance in December, it would add value to sheanuts.
Miss Jane-Francis Galyuon, who polled 17 out of the 21 votes cast to get the nod, would thus rub shoulders with political veterans like Mr Edward Salia of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the incumbent, and Mr Justin Dakorah of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Jirapa District Chief Executive.
Her rival contestant, Mr Abu Arthur, a teacher, polled four of the votes in the election supervised by Mr Jackson Annor, the electoral officer in charge of Jirapa.
In an address, the Upper West Regional Chairman of the PNC, Dr Gilbert Dabori Bainye, called on all PNC supporters and sympathisers to abide by the motto of the party, “service with honesty".
To this end, he urged all true PNC members to go by all the rules and regulations governing elections in the country to ensure a trouble-free general election in December.
"The December elections is for a winner and not for tricksters who have more money," Dr Bailey stated, and added that "we must not vote for money but for the best and most competent candidate”.
He described Dr Edward Mahama, the flag bearer of the PNC, as the best presidential aspirant with the best ideas, and that when the PNC was given the chance in December, it would add value to sheanuts.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
DON'T ABANDON BABIES ...Women groups tell mothers (PAGE 11)
THE rampant dumping of babies into toilets and at refuse dump sites in the Wa municipality and other areas of the Upper West Region has prompted some women’s groups in the region to call for proactive measures to address the issue.
The frustration of the women stem from the fact that in recent times a number of newly-born babies, some with their unbilical cord attached, were dumped at various sites in the municipality.
They have, therefore, called for intensive education on the dangers of teenage pregnancy and abstinence from pre-marital sex, and appealed to men not to shirk their parental responsibilities.
Members of the concerned women’s groups who went on a demonstration through the principal streets of the municipality to express their displeasure at the criminal act, later converged at the forecourt of the Regional Co-ordinating Council where Madam Evelyn Debari, leader of the group, presented a petition to the Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Mrs Winifred Dy-Yakah.
Carrying placards, some of which read, “save the tears of our innocent babies”, “stop illegal abortion” and “life, not death” included members of the Christian Mothers Association of the Wa Catholic Diocese, the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Ghana (FOMWAG) and the House of Liberation for Empowerment, also of the Wa Catholic Diocese, who were supported by some schoolchildren.
The petition indicated that in July this year alone, five newly-born babies were dumped either in toilets or at refuse dumps at different areas of the municipality. It added that three other babies were also dumped at different times in the early part of the year.
It said only two out of the nine babies that were abandoned survived, stressing that such acts were becoming habitual hence the need to start talking about the issue to let people know that babies also had the right to live.
Mrs Winfred Dy-Yakah commended the women for taking up the issue, and promised to assist to address the issue. She urged them to spread the message to organisations and institutions to let people appreciate that the act constituted a criminal offence, and urged members in the communities to be vigilant and report suspects to the appropriate agencies.
The frustration of the women stem from the fact that in recent times a number of newly-born babies, some with their unbilical cord attached, were dumped at various sites in the municipality.
They have, therefore, called for intensive education on the dangers of teenage pregnancy and abstinence from pre-marital sex, and appealed to men not to shirk their parental responsibilities.
Members of the concerned women’s groups who went on a demonstration through the principal streets of the municipality to express their displeasure at the criminal act, later converged at the forecourt of the Regional Co-ordinating Council where Madam Evelyn Debari, leader of the group, presented a petition to the Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Mrs Winifred Dy-Yakah.
Carrying placards, some of which read, “save the tears of our innocent babies”, “stop illegal abortion” and “life, not death” included members of the Christian Mothers Association of the Wa Catholic Diocese, the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Ghana (FOMWAG) and the House of Liberation for Empowerment, also of the Wa Catholic Diocese, who were supported by some schoolchildren.
The petition indicated that in July this year alone, five newly-born babies were dumped either in toilets or at refuse dumps at different areas of the municipality. It added that three other babies were also dumped at different times in the early part of the year.
It said only two out of the nine babies that were abandoned survived, stressing that such acts were becoming habitual hence the need to start talking about the issue to let people know that babies also had the right to live.
Mrs Winfred Dy-Yakah commended the women for taking up the issue, and promised to assist to address the issue. She urged them to spread the message to organisations and institutions to let people appreciate that the act constituted a criminal offence, and urged members in the communities to be vigilant and report suspects to the appropriate agencies.
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