Adakabre quits radio... for a while

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Category: NewsBrief

Created on Thursday, 29 April 2010 19:46

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Adakabre quits radio... for a while

Adakabre Frimpong Manso, host of morning show programme on Hot 93.9FM in Accra, has announced a conditional resignation from the station and show.

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Cabinet Approves Major Rehabilitation Of Tamale Teaching Hospital

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Category: Special Reports

Created on Monday, 26 October 2009 00:00

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Cabinet Approves Major Rehabilitation Of Tamale Teaching Hospital

Cabinet has approved for consideration of parliament, a loan of 28 million Euros for major rehabilitation and upgrading works at the Tamale Teaching Hospital.

The works, when started, will be completed in 56 months, but according to the Minister for Information Mrs. Zita Okaikoi, "the design, construction, and installation of medical equipment required for the hospital to be commissioned will be ready within thirty-two months". A statement from the Ministry of Information said in approving the 28 million-Euro loan from the Fortis Bank N.V. of the Netherlands, Cabinet took note of the fact that the Tamale Teaching Hospital, which is the only major referral hospital serving the entire northern belt "has over the years experienced major decline, lost many specialist medical staff, deterioration of infrastructure and depletion in equipment stock".

Commissioned in 1974, the general lack of maintenance and no major rehabilitation has left the main complex comprising the OPD, tower and technical blocks in a state of severe disrepair. Other structures at the hospital have either not been completed or have developed serious structural problems that pose threats to both staff and patients.

Mrs. Okaikoi noted that the hospital which now served as the principal teaching facility for the faculty of medicine of the University of Development Studies would eventually have 1,000 beds when the second phase of the planned master-plan for the hospital is completed. "The new Tamale hospital will have all key functional services consolidated in one new 4-storey building located at the eastern front side of the existing hospital," the Minister explained.

It said this new structure would be linked to the old structure through a transfer block and using a new entrance for patients, visitors and staff. There would also be a separate entrance to the administrative offices on top of the existing OPD.

Mrs Okaikoi said the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Tamale Hospital, which had for years been of concern to Ghanaians in the northern belt, would increase the capacity of health care services in the area. The modern equipment and adequate facilities would enable the hospital to function appropriately as a tertiary care level hospital with teaching facilities.

"One of the major problems has been the retention of qualified staff and government is confident that on completion of the rehabilitation, the Tamale Teaching Hospital will attract and retain qualified specialist staff. Also important is the fact that there will be permanent and sufficient water supply to the hospital."

The statement reiterated the government's commitment to ensuring an improvement in the living standards and access to health facilities across the country.

Source: GNA/Ghana

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A-Plus Punches Sidney

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Category: NewsBrief

Created on Friday, 30 October 2009 00:00

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A-Plus Punches Sidney

Kwame Asare Obeng, a hip life artiste also known as A-Plus, has condemned Sidney for deceiving the public into thinking his latest hit-song ‘Enkoyie’ is not a political song.

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Cardinal Turkson Heads Vatican's High-Profile Post

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Category: Special Reports

Created on Saturday, 24 October 2009 00:00

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Cardinal Turkson Heads Vatican's High-Profile Post

{sidebar id=10 align=right}The pope appointed Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana to head the Vatican's Justice and Peace office Saturday, a high-profile post that cements his reputation as a possible future papal candidate.

The office is responsible for promoting the church's social teachings on justice issues, such as war, the death penalty and human rights. Turkson told reporters three weeks ago there was no reason there couldn't be a black pope, particularly after Barack Obama was elected U.S. president.

Turkson's appointment to his new post was announced at the end of a three-week Vatican meeting on the role of the Catholic Church in Africa, which Turkson had headed. In their discussions, the 300 bishops and cardinals tackled the pressing issue of AIDS on the continent, including the question of whether married couples could use condoms if one spouse is infected.

While the Vatican has no specific policy concerning condoms and AIDS, the Catholic Church opposes the use of condoms as part of its overall teaching against artificial contraception. It advocates sexual abstinence and marital fidelity as the best way to combat the spread of HIV.

In their final recommendations to the pope, the bishops made no mention of condoms, leaving it up to the couples themselves to decide how to prevent infection. Asked at a news conference if this marked a deviation from church teaching, Turkson replied that the Vatican still had no firm policy on the matter.

"That issue is still being discussed," Turkson said. "I don't know when this discussion will come to an end, but I'm aware such a discussion is going on in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith."

In 2006, the Vatican's top health care official confirmed his office was studying whether condoms can be condoned in the case of a married couple where one spouse is HIV-positive. Since then, there has been no indication the issue was still on the table until Turkson's comments.

In the final recommendation, the bishops called for pastoral care for couples dealing with an infected spouse to help form their consciences "so that they might choose what is right, with full responsibility for the greater good of each other, their union and their family."

Other issues in the document include:

_An urgent call for starting religious dialogue with followers of Islam and African traditional religions.

_A recommendation that each African bishop name an exorcist to deal with sorcery and witchcraft, which are part of traditional African religions and cultures.

_A denunciation of an African Union agreement known as the Maputo Protocol that says abortion should be legal in cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is endangered.

_A call for a day for reconciliation every year.

But the biggest news to come at the end of the synod was Turkson's appointment, which drew a round of applause when Pope Benedict XVI announced it at a luncheon with the 300 bishops, priests and others attending the synod. The 61-year-old archbishop of Cape Coast replaces Italian Cardinal Renato Martino, who is retiring.

Up until now, the most prominent African cardinal mentioned as a possible first black pope was Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria. But he retired from the Vatican office in charge of rules for celebrating the liturgy around the world last year, and will celebrate his 77th birthday next week, making him an unlikely choice.

Speculation has swirled for years about the possibility of a pope from the developing world because that is where the church is growing fastest.

Source: Peacefmonline

 

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