TAMALE TEACHING HOSPITAL BENEFITS FROM A LIFELINE TO PRE-TERM BABIES.

Reported by Elizabeth Dede Quayson

Front view of Neonatal Care Unit

An ultra-modern Neonatal Care Unit (NICU) has been provided at the Tamale Teaching Hospital to help reduce child mortality.

MTN Ghana in partnership with Huawei Technologies provided this Neonatal Unit to help improve the health conditions of the people in the region.

The Neonatal Centre which include two Incubator Rooms, a Milk Room, a Crib Room, a Kangaroo Mother Care Room, a Tutorial/Conference room, Nurses and Doctor’s Stations and rest rooms, was constructed at a cost of GH₵ 335,00 and is expected to impact over thousand  two hundred neonates annually.

Huawei Technologies supported the center with medical equipment worth Gh₡69,650.

Dignitaries of MTN Ghana and Huawei Technologies

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Tamale Teaching Hospital will serve as the main referral center for the northern sector of Ghana. Prior to MTN’s intervention, the NICU was operating as a one cubicle unit at the maternity block of the hospital. Due to the constant congestion at the center there was the need for a separate and a well-equipped block to handle neonatal cases referred to the hospital.

The Executive Director of the MTN Ghana Foundation, Cynthia Lumor, reiterated the position of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on health, which states that everyone has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, including access to all medical services, sanitation, healthy working conditions, and a clean environment, at the well-attended and colourful event to officially hand over the facility to the authorities of the Tamale Teaching Hospital.

She said, “the critical role a Neonatal Center plays in reducing child mortality cannot be over emphasized. The provision of this essential centre will therefore relieve the anxiety of parents and health professionals who have to care for pre-term babies”.

Cynthia Lumor also stated that the centre would not only help reduce infant mortality, but also serve as a center for the training of medical students from the University for Development Studies.

The Director of Public and Government Affairs for Huawei Technologies, Chenhui Li, pledged Huawei’s continuous partnership with the MTN Ghana Foundation to undertake subsequent Corporate Social Investment (CSI) projects to improve the social economic development of the country.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Dr. Prosper Akanbong, stated in his address that the reason for Ghana’s inability to achieve the target for MDG 4 is the slow progress being made in reducing neonatal mortality. He said, “almost fifty percent (50%) of infant mortality cases occur in the first twenty eight days of life”.

“With this improved facility, Tamale Teaching Hospital will be in a better position to play its role in providing tertiary specialist care for the critically ill neonate, provide training in newborn care for peripheral facilities, monitor and supervise newborn care activities in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service and other partners”,  he added.

The Northern Regional Minister, Honorable Alhaji Mohammed Muniru, commended both MTN Ghana Foundation and Huawei Technologies for giving back part of their profits to support their communities. He indicated that government alone cannot shoulder the burden for the provision of health facilities and encouraged the combined efforts of government and Corporate Ghana to intensify community development in the health sector.

Other dignitaries who were present to grace the occasion include the country representative for UNICEF, regional Director of the National Communications Authority for Northern Ghana, and members of the Board of Directors of the Tamale Teaching Hospital.

Other heath projects undertaken by the MTN Ghana Foundation include the refurbishment of the labour ward of the second Floor maternity unit of the Korle Bu Teaching hospital, support towards the provision of an emergency unit of the Princess Marie Children’s Hospital and the provision of portable water to twenty communities in the Upper West region. Also the Effia Nkwanta Government Hospital, Twifo Praso Hospital, Ejisu Hospital and the Fomena Health Center are other health facilities which have benefited from the Foundation. In all the Foundation has invested in thirty Health projects which are impacting the lives of thousands of people in Ghana.   

MICROSOFT LUMIA 430 LAUNCHED

Reported by Elizabeth Dede Quayson

The country’s leading telecommunications service provider, MTN, in partnership with Microsoft Corporation, a global leader in the technology industry, has launched Microsoft Lumia 430.

The Lumia 430 is a reliable easy to use smart-phone which comes with the essential Microsoft service, that is, Skype, Office and One Drive built in and free to use.

 A great package will be given to customers of the Lumia 430 by MTN Ghana, the authentic Network known for smart device offerings. Customers who buy the cheapest Lumia 430 will receive 100 Minutes voice for 12 months plus 150 MB data for 12 months and 100% bonus on recharge for 3 months. Also customers will enjoy free amazing games from Gameloft. Free power bank will be given to Asha customers who would also like to upgrade their devices upon purchase.

Commenting on the launch of the Microsoft Lumia 430, the Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Ghana, Rahul De said, “in giving meaning to leading in the delivery of a bold new digital world, the device which is available in all MTN data stores has been competitively priced to get many subscribers on board ‘the digital train’ ’’. This therefore presents an opportunity to Ghanaians who are yet to enjoy the benefits of internet services and smart devices to buy the Lumia 430.

De, further stated that, once customers are on the MTN Network, they will enjoy exciting offers irrespective of where they purchase the Microsoft Lumia 430.

The Microsoft Lumia 430 is a dual SIM device and comes with a 4.0 inch HD display and runs on Windows 8.1. The device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset with a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor paired with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage which is expandable to 128GB using an SD card. It offers Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, GPS and 3G support among others, on the connectivity front.

 At the launch, MTN Ghana further assured its subscribers that it will continue to invest in the latest telecom technologies that will enrich their mobile telephony experience while building solid partnerships with tech oriented organizations in order to continue in the delivery of an exceptional world class data services to its customers.

EBUBUNKO RESIDENTS NOT HAPPY WITH SAND-WINNING OPERATION

By: Kwamina Bamfo-Agyei

Residents of Ebubunko in the Cape Coast North Constituency have expressed displeasure on the activity of Dugun Enterprise that deals in surface mining in the community.
They noted that due to the heavy trucks that use the road it vibrates their buildings causing structural cracks on the buildings including the school building. The mining of the sand is close to the Kakum river which according to the residents it is illegal to mine closer to the river bank. They appealed to the contractor to create a different access to his site and to follow the guidelines of sand winning.

Kwamina Bamfo-Agyei of Central Press spoke to the Manager of the Enterprise Dugun, noted that he has been given permission by the Mineral Commission and Environmental Protection Agency to engage in surface mining. He pledged to donate bags of cement to repair the school and other buildings that have been affected by the company's operation. He said the sand wining that he does is purposefully for the construction of the Stadium, Kotokuraba market and the hostel. He indicated that after the operation they make sure to reclaim the land. Pumping the water into the river he says it is part of conserving water. 

Meanwhile due to the activities of the sand winning of the sand the impact of the vibrating equiptment has affected the buildings around the area including the basic school with acute structural cracks on them.

Farmers in the area have been affected and they have lost their livelihood since their farmlands have been destroyed and have not received any compensation.
The vicious cycle of poverty and hunger would continue to thrive among the residents in the community, should illegal sand winning remain unchecked. Already, farmers have myriads of mishaps to battle with. There are natural, socio-economic, cultural, religious and even political factors militating against farmers’ production fortunes.

Unfortunately, sand winning, in modern times, seems to have brought some imbalances to the agricultural production sector. Areas once noted for good vegetation and topography have turned into savannah grasslands, with their own attendant consequences on food production.
A recent expedition to parts of the Cape Coast North has given me an opportunity to fully appreciate some negative effects of sand winning.

According to Anthony Kwaku Amoah noted that what makes the activities of sand winners so disturbing is the way they destroy farm lands. The winners do not usually give farmers prior notification. Immediately they complete their contract agreements with the so-called land owners, they quickly move to the sites to initiate work. With the aid of bulldozers and excavators, these sand winners vandalise crops with impunity. The affected farmers are not compensated.
Lands are perpetually damaged and rendered unproductive. Aside destroying crops and lands, sand winning activities also pose some threats to human health. Moving trucks emit excessive noise and dust, causing pollution, and gullies created at these sites close to homes become breeding grounds for mosquitoes during rainy seasons.

STUDENTS URGED TO LIVE A DECENT LIFE

By, Kate Okyere

The Rector of Cape Coast Polytechnic, Professor Lawrence Atepor has urged fresh students of Cape Coast Polytechnic to live a decent life whiles taking their studies on campus.

Professor Atepor made this known during 21^st  matriculation ceremony of the institution that saw 1,181 students admitted. He said that they should not be confuse with the freedom given and tempt them to think that they are on top of the world and thereby resort to negative practices like drug- addiction, gambling, prostitution, drunkenness and other vices for there is nothing like absolute freedom in the polytechnic and that, there is a price that one pays for one’s actions and inactions.

He explained that, the polytechnic has no uniforms so they have the freedom to choose what to wear to lectures, church service and other functions, decide on the hairstyle to sport but it is sad to know that many students have abused their freedom.

He further explained that, some student put on any dress to lectures and other functions, however they should remember that what you wear says a lot about you and that they are what they wear so they should let their manner of dressing reflect on their lives.

He again said that, the polytechnic community is a democratic society where responsible freedom of speech is encouraged, so whenever they need explanation for one action or the other, they are free to use the laid-down channels of communication at all times and also respect others’ point of view no matter how unpleasant they may appear to be.

Professor Atepor  went on that, they should not resort to demonstrations or ‘alutas’ when they have several peaceful means to resolve misunderstandings and that for no matter how they will feel about an issue, they must not and should not take the law into their hands.

He again noted  that; they should avoid the temptation to write anonymous letters because they unduly discredit the hard-won reputation of fellow humans, apart from giving false alarm and bringing the image of the polytechnic into disrepute.

He appealed to them to avoid unnecessary noise and disturbances and also if a programme requires the use of loud speakers, they should considerate the right of others and adjust the volume so as not to cause them any discomfort. 

He said again that, if the student will bear him out, the school has a beautiful serene green environment hence it was the desire of the polytechnic authorities to maintain or better still improve upon the beauty of the environment and they the students are their partners.

MATRICULANTS ADVISED TO TAKE THEIR STUDIES SERIOUSLY

By, Kate Okyere

Professor Lawrence Atepor, Rector Cape Coast polytechnic has advised the fresh students of the institution to take their studies seriously in order to achieve their objective during the 21^st matriculation ceremony.

Prof. Atepor  analyzed that, out of 1,742 applications received, the polytechnic admitted a total number of 1,181 students and of the total number admitted, 643 representing 54.5% are males and 536 representing 45.5% are females respectively.

He went on that, there were many who wished to be admitted into Cape Coast Polytechnic but could not gain admission for obvious reasons and that, they should count themselves privileged to be among the chosen ones to find themselves in a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).   

He went on that, being admitted into the Polytechnic is one hurdle which has been cleared safely but there are many which they will meet along and cited examples as financial difficulties, lack of decent accommodation and the need to make materials and personal sacrifices daily.

He added that, in such situations will sometimes leave them stressed but however, if they consider the eventual reward they would gain after their study period, they will realized that nothing can compare with the glory and honour that would be bestowed on their coming congregation day.

Prof. Atepor advised them to never allow themselves to be overcome by any challenge rather, they should consider them as a purification process through which they will be refined for the life ahead of them and also remember that their predecessors went through even worse situations yet, their perseverance paid off and they received the ultimate prize.    

He  encouraged them that, in a relative sense, they have come to school at a better time, that is,  they get access to resources that their predecessors only dreamt about and gave an instance as the internet of which clicking a button, they can get access to any information to do their assignment and project work.

Pof. Atepor added that, another important thing but scarce, and for that matter expensive resource is time and there is a saying that, “time and tide wait for no man” so therefore, they must be time conscious, they should value their time and they should not be carried away by the fun –filled activities on campus in order to neglect their studies to the last minute for it is said that “those who seek God at the eleventh hour die at the 10.30 hour”.

He therefore urged the matriculants to note that, the polytechnic environment emits both positive and negative forces; that is, it can provide the finest opportunity for them to develop their talents

and latent skills if they decide to be law abiding and focused.