National Pensioners Association commended for establishing Medical Scheme

The National Pensioners Association has established Medical Scheme to cater for the health needs of their members. 

This was made known during the National Executive Council Meeting of the Association held in Bolgatanga. 

It was on the theme “Mobilizing Pensioners towards a Better and Healthy Life”. The Association is in partnership with sixty three Government and faith-based hospitals. 

The Association through their contributions, have issued 25,000 cards to its members to access health care. 

The meeting attracted Pensioners from all the ten regions in the country. In an address, the Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Ayine Bukari, commended the Association for establishing the scheme, adding that the nation remained indebted to the Pensioners for contributing significantly to national development. 

Mr. Bukari indicated that the government under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo-Addo, was working feverishly through the Ministry of Finance to streamline and improve upon the welfare and condition of pensioners. 

He added that this will soon be felt in all aspect of their lives, saying measures are also being put in place to address the needs of key demographic segments in society. 

These measures, Mr. Bukari disclosed are specifically, to set up pension arrangements for farmers in major cash crop agricultural sectors like Cocoa, Coffee, Sheanut, Oil Palm, pineapple and cashew nuts for members of small scale associations such as GPRTU and Association of Small Scale Industries. 

The Regional Minister appealed to the Pensioners to use their endowed working experience to support the government’s flagship programmes such as the One Village One Dam and One District One Factory. 

He also admonished them to avoid negative life styles such as smoking and excessive intake of alcoholism and to regularly exercise and socialize instead of living in isolation. 

The General Secretary of the Association, Edward Ameyibor, stated that the most important aspect of the Medical Scheme is to support members with prostate and Gynecological cancers. 

He announced that from September 2017, the policy for each member of the Association, is to receive 300 Ghana cedis per annum as support to purchase drugs from designated pharmacist across the country. 

Mr Ameyibor explained that the meeting was significant because it coincides with the 25^th Anniversary of the National Pensioners Association and noted that it would also be used as platform to deliberate on the recent SSNIT saga. 

It will also be used to review, reshape and evaluate programmes and policies to help improve upon the effective operation of the Association.

                                                                 

Muslims in Upper East Region mark Eidul-Ahda celebrations

 

                              

Muslims in the Upper East Region converged at the Bolgatanga Central Mosque to mark the Eidul-Ahda celebration. 

Prayers were led by the regional Chief Imam, Alhaji Yusiff Adams while a ram was slaughtered to mark the occasion.  

In a brief sermon, Alhaji Adams said Eidul-Ahda is a festival of sacrifice in honour of Prophet Abraham who obeyed Allah’s command to sacrifice his son, Ismail. He said for that display of commitment to sacrifice his son of obedience to Allah’s command, Allah exchanged that sacrifice with a sheep. 

The Regional Chief Imam therefore entreated Muslims in the region to cultivate the habit of sacrifice in all their undertakings.  

The Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Bukari, who was the Special Guest of Honour, said the desire to get rich fast is killing the divine act of sacrifice. 

He said by throwing sacrifice to the dogs, they find that armed-robbery, motor bike snatching, corruption and other anti-social tendencies are very rampant in the region and the country at large. Mr Bukari said the teachings of Islam are to stand the test of time.  

Rev.  Father Samuel Atinga a representative of the Bishop of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese who graced the occasion underscored the need for Christians and Muslims to peacefully co-exist. This, he noted, is the only way the region and the country at large can witness the needed development.

Nabia Health Walk Organized in Bolgatanga UER

A health work has been organized by the Old Students of Navrongo Secondary School NAVASCO, also known as Nabia, in the Bolgatanga municipality of the Upper East region. 

The health walk dubbed “Nabia Health Walk” was organized in collaboration with sister schools including Amicus of Notre Dame, Bolga Old Girls of the Bolgatanga Senior High school, Tangabisi of Bolgatanga Senior High and Old Students of Tamale Senior High. 

Aside its health benefits, the Health walk was also to create awareness of the Nabia Association branch in the Bolgatanga municipality. 

The Nabia Association branch in the Bolgatanga municipality was formed on 14^th February, 2016. The walk started around 6: 30 at the St Johns Park through the principal streets of the municipality and amidst Brass Band music. It was climaxed with aerobic exercises at the Basketball court of the St. John Park.  

Speaking to Radio Ghana, Professor Miller a Nabia, said aside another objective of the health walk was to bring all Nabia’s together for the continued support of their Alma matter. 

He also mentioned that the event was held on founder’s day because Navasco is one of Nkrumah’s Model schools.   

He indicated that the coincident of the two events served as a symbolic reminder that the great achievements of Nkrumah can never be underestimated. 

The event was crowned with the soaking of gari, sugar and yarzy, konkogre, tobani just to remind themselves of the days in school especially the 1982/3 year batch when famine hit Ghana.

NGO expresses worry about lack of Midwives at CHPS Compounds

Lack of midwives in some Community-Based Health Planning and Services CHPS in the Upper East Region has become a course for concern.

This was disclosed by the Executive Director of the Participatory Action for Rural Development Alternatives PARDA, a Non-Governmental Organization, Dr Michael Wombeogo during ground durbar held at Serigu –Nyorkokor near Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region. s

It was aimed at getting the support of the community members to help confront the cultural barriers that prevent the adoption of optimal breastfeeding Behaviour, as well as create demand for ante-natal and post-natal services.  

DR Wonbeog said the project dubbed, Mother Baby Friendly Health Facility Initiative MBFHI Project was to ensure increase demand for ante-natal and post-natal services, early initiation of breast feeding by every new mother within 30 minutes after birth, exclusive breastfeeding and promote basic essential new-born care including Kangaroo Mother Care.

He said   his outfit over the years had   embarked on community mobilization, advocacy and sensitization programmes aimed at getting more midwives into the CHPS compounds without getting the much needed results.  

Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with support from UNICEF Ghana and the Ghana Health Service GHS, the MBFHI would target traditional rulers, mothers of new born babies, pregnant women, husbands, mothers-in-law, community leaders, religious leaders, the informal sector actors and change agents at the Serigu-Nyorkoku community and communities in the municipality.

The project, he noted was also   targeting persons and groups be taught proper cord care among others using existing GHS protocols and the need to provide respectful, courteous and supportive facility-based care for every mother and every baby at the health facility level as well as increase demand for optimal breastfeeding, skill delivery, maternal and new born care services in line with the national newborn strategy and the SDGs.

He said advocacy programme would also focus on areas including care during pregnancy, labour and delivery; postnatal care with more emphasis on the first 24 hours and first week of life.

Early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding of up to six months including lactation management, infant and young child feeding as well as care of the sick child and good hygiene practices.

Mrs Ameyure Eunice, a Nutrition Officer used the occasion to educate the community members about the importance of exclusive breast feeding and the need for mothers to regularly visit health facilities to access healthcare and to deliver.

The Assembly Man for the Serigu –Nyorkokor electoral area urged traditional and religious leaders including husband to ensure exclusive breastfeeding and to avoid negative cultural practices such as mixing of traditional medicines for newborn babies.

GBC                                                                                END

  

New Striga Resistant Cowpea Developed Manga – Bawku in Upper East Region

In recent times, farming is no longer rewarding as before. This is partly due to erratic rainfall pattern coupled with pest and diseases as well as continued reliance of unimproved varieties.

However, research scientists from the College of Agriculture assisted by the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology both at the University of Cape Coast, have come out with an improved variety of cowpea that can resist the parasitic weed known as striga gesnerioides or cowpea witch-weed.

At a demonstration seminar held at Manga in the Bawku Municipality of the Upper East Region, about 200 farmers drawn from the catchment area have been introduced to the newly improved variety to ensure high crop yield.

Striga gesnerioides is a parasitic weed that attacks cereal crops, retarding plant growth, resulting in stunted and withered plants.

 It was organized by the Savanna Agriculture Research Institute SARI, Center for Scientific and Industrial Research CSIR, and the University of Cape Coast with funding from the International Treaty on Plant and Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

The new striga resistant cowpea is jointly developed by the University of Cape Coast College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.

The seminar was to educate partcipants on the 50 days early maturing cowpea variety that has been found to be doing well under maize intercrop and seed multiplication of the newly release two cowpea varieties, namely “Kirk- Benga” and Warn-Kai which are adapted and said to be doing well across the country.

The two were among other hundred cowpea varieties on rows.  In an interview with Radio Ghana, an entomologist of the Manga Agriculture station, Dr. Francis Kusi indicated that SARI and UCC have been evaluating the variety in those areas including the lower parts of Lawra in the Upper West, Mamprusi in the Northern Region and the whole of Upper East Region which are striga endemic areas for the past three years. 

Dr. Kusi stressed that the variety is stable, high yielding and doing well as compared to the local variety. He added, regarding cowpea intercrop they have developed well over three hundred lines with different traits of resistance to different varieties.

The farmers were therefore invited to help in varietal selection to narrow down to the most promising variety that meet the farmers requirement in terms of seed color, size and yield.

 Dr. Kusi further emphasized that SARI main concern was seed multiplication in the event that government add cowpea to its policy of planting for food and Jobs campaign, they will be in the position to supply.