Story: Augustina Tawiah
The Programme Manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation(EPI) Dr Kwadwo Antwi-Agyei, has described as very successful the two rounds of nationwide polio immunisation organised for children under five years in the first quarter of this year.
He explained that in the first round, organised from February 12 to 14, 4,807,262 children were immunised as against the targeted 4,836,337.
The second round which was organised from March 26 to 29 had 5,007,789 children immunised as against the expected 4,807,262.
The Antwi-Agyei attributed the success of the campaign to the intensive awareness created. “Parents have also become more aware of the relevance of immunisation and were therefore bringing their children to be immunised,” he added.
The EPI programme manager, however, said despite the nationwide success, some districts had low coverage, adding that they were expecting 90 to 95 per cent coverage in all the districts.
The districts that recorded low coverage included Ashiedu Keteke in the Greater Accra Region with less than 80 per cent coverage in the first round of immunisation. In the second round, Sunyani West in the Brong Ahafo Region had 72.5 per cent; Talensi Nabdam in the Upper East Region, 67.1 per cent and Ketu in the Volta Region, 63.3 per cent.
Afram Plains and Ayawaso, in the Eastern and Greater Accra Regions, respectively had between 80 per cent and 90 per cent coverage.
He said the low coverage in those districts meant that the children were not completely covered which rendered them susceptible to the disease.
On the next line of action, Dr Antwi-Agyei said “We are still not safe. That is why we have to do another round of immunisation from May 28 to 30, 2009.”
He explained that the disease was still spreading in other West African countries with 843 recorded last year in the sub region.
Dr Antwi-Agyei assured parents that getting extra doses of the polio vaccine was not injurious to children, “Rather, they offer better protection against the disease”.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Restricted Drugs List to be expanded
Story: Augustina Tawiah
THE Ministry of Health and the Food and Drugs Board are discussing the possibility of increasing the number of restricted drugs in the country.
The Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, disclosed this during interactions with members of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana (PMAG).
He said the move was meant to support the local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.
He, however, stated that the expansion of the restricted drugs list did not mean that the local manufacturers should lose focus and produce sub-standard drugs.
"So far as you keep on manufacturing quality drugs, we will continue to expand the number of restricted drugs into the country," he assured.
Currently, the number of restricted drugs list stands at 66.
The minister noted that the time had come for the local pharmaceutical industry to develop in order to make its products more competitive on the international market.
"I urge you to grow your businesses, market them and penetrate other markets. By doing that, the economy of the country also grows".
During question time, the Director of M & G Pharmaceuticals Limited, Mr Gopal C. Vasu, stated that the biggest problem facing the local pharmaceutical industry has to do with the delays associated with the claims they send to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
He explained that most of the manufacturers borrowed money from the banks in order to manufacture the drugs but said it was frustrating when drugs supplied to the scheme were not paid for on time.
Mr Vasu called for the representation of the association on the NHIS board.
The President of MPAG, Dr Michael Agyekum-Addo, also asked the minister to do something about the delays in the payment of their claims from the NHIA to sustain the local pharmacuetical industry.
THE Ministry of Health and the Food and Drugs Board are discussing the possibility of increasing the number of restricted drugs in the country.
The Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, disclosed this during interactions with members of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana (PMAG).
He said the move was meant to support the local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.
He, however, stated that the expansion of the restricted drugs list did not mean that the local manufacturers should lose focus and produce sub-standard drugs.
"So far as you keep on manufacturing quality drugs, we will continue to expand the number of restricted drugs into the country," he assured.
Currently, the number of restricted drugs list stands at 66.
The minister noted that the time had come for the local pharmaceutical industry to develop in order to make its products more competitive on the international market.
"I urge you to grow your businesses, market them and penetrate other markets. By doing that, the economy of the country also grows".
During question time, the Director of M & G Pharmaceuticals Limited, Mr Gopal C. Vasu, stated that the biggest problem facing the local pharmaceutical industry has to do with the delays associated with the claims they send to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
He explained that most of the manufacturers borrowed money from the banks in order to manufacture the drugs but said it was frustrating when drugs supplied to the scheme were not paid for on time.
Mr Vasu called for the representation of the association on the NHIS board.
The President of MPAG, Dr Michael Agyekum-Addo, also asked the minister to do something about the delays in the payment of their claims from the NHIA to sustain the local pharmacuetical industry.
Friday, May 8, 2009
He read verociously—Prof Akilakpa Sawyerr
When Young Georgie was nine, he lost his father, Lawyer Akilagpa Sawyerr tragically while he was swimming at the beach. His mother, therefore, had to deny herself of many things to keep Young Georgie and his siblings in school. Seeing his mother go through difficulties to make ends meet, Georgie felt obliged to be serious with his school work in order not to let his mother down.
"I knew my mother was struggling to put me through school so I made sure I remained focused in class. I paid attention in class, made sure I understood whatever was being taught and if I did not understand anything, I asked for further explanation," he recalled.
Indeed, Young Georgie's attentiveness in class paid off, as today he has made not only his 95-year-old mother proud but has become an important personality in Ghana and Africa.
Young Georgie, who is now known as Prof Akilakpa Sawyerr, has contributed immensely to educational delivery in the country and Africa. He is a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon (1985-1992) and until recently was the Secretary-General, Association of African Universities.
Prof Sawyerr, who is a Professor of Law, has taught and served in various capacities in universities throughout the world, including the universities of Papua New Guinea, Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania; the Yale Law School, the Harvard Law School and the Alabama Law School, all in the US. Even though he is currently on retirement, he is doing a lot of research work in the field of education. Just recently, he was appointed a member of the Council of State.
The Junior Graphic was with Prof Sawyerr, at his New Achimota residence to glean some of his childhood experiences to encourage children to inspire to model his life.
Prof Sawyerr, who will turn 70 next week said that, "As a student, I read a lot, not only my assigned books but any book I came across. When I went to the library and I got a book I liked, I read everything on the shelf about that author. And I benefited a lot from that, especially in the usage of idioms."
The law professor, who grew up at Tudu in Accra, said even though he came from an upper-class family because his father was a lawyer and a member of the National Assembly (equivalent to today's Parliament), he was just like any other child who grew up in that area.
Can you believe that Prof Sawyerr was once a boxer? Oh yes, he was a boxer. Hear him, "I was an amateur boxer when I was in Achimota School, and a serious one, of course, fighting all over the place. I even became the boxing coach for my school and one of those I coached at Achimota School was Prof Ivan Addae-Mensah, the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon."
Georgie, as Prof Sawyerr was then called, acquired his boxing skills from the many boxers who used to train in his father's boxing gym in their house at Tudu.
"Then a little boy of less than nine, I was always around the boxers, observing them as they fought and I think I picked the skills," he said with a smile.
Being the first son of his mother's four children, Georgie used to accompany his father in the mornings during his long walks to the beach to swim. While at the beach, he defied the fact that he was too young to swim and swam with his dad. Not even the tragic death of his father deterred him from going to the beach regularly.
"My mother often tried to prevent me after my father's death, but I still went," he said.
When Georgie's father died, he, his mother and siblings left the family home at Tudu for Palladium, Accra, to live with his maternal grandparents. Georgie, who did not perform any chores at home, made sure that at school he grasped everything, so that he got enough time to play when he came home.
"I used to play gutter-to-gutter football with my friends in the neighbourhood. I also used to walk all the way from Palladium to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) area which was then known as Asylum to pluck mangoes. In those days, there were no buildings around that area and you would be on top of the tree plucking mangoes when you saw some of the inmates of the psychiatric hospital coming. Of course, we got scared so we didn’t come down until they left," he said.
Prof Sawyerr started his education at Government School, Adabraka, then to Government School, now Kinbu Sec/Tech. He had his secondary education at Achimota School where, according to him, he was very unpopular with the authorities.
"I was an outspoken person who wanted my views heard. I was regularly punished in school to dig the ground because I had done this or that. It even got to a time when I was almost sacked for being a trouble maker," he recollected.
But there were some fond memories Prof Sawyerr had of his alma mater. For instance, it was there that he learnt to speak Twi for the first time. It was also there that he became the leader of the dancing and drumming group of the school.
After Achimota, Prof Sawyerr entered the University of Ghana to study law. He then went to the University of London to study for his LL.M degree. He sat for his Bar examination in 1963 and was called to the Bar in England in 1965. He studied for his second Masters degree at the University of California, USA.
Prof Sawyerr, whose name appears to be unGhanaian, explained that he comes from Sierra Leonean and Nigerian backgrounds. His cousin is Mr Harry Sawyerr, the popular politician. He has two children.
"I knew my mother was struggling to put me through school so I made sure I remained focused in class. I paid attention in class, made sure I understood whatever was being taught and if I did not understand anything, I asked for further explanation," he recalled.
Indeed, Young Georgie's attentiveness in class paid off, as today he has made not only his 95-year-old mother proud but has become an important personality in Ghana and Africa.
Young Georgie, who is now known as Prof Akilakpa Sawyerr, has contributed immensely to educational delivery in the country and Africa. He is a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon (1985-1992) and until recently was the Secretary-General, Association of African Universities.
Prof Sawyerr, who is a Professor of Law, has taught and served in various capacities in universities throughout the world, including the universities of Papua New Guinea, Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania; the Yale Law School, the Harvard Law School and the Alabama Law School, all in the US. Even though he is currently on retirement, he is doing a lot of research work in the field of education. Just recently, he was appointed a member of the Council of State.
The Junior Graphic was with Prof Sawyerr, at his New Achimota residence to glean some of his childhood experiences to encourage children to inspire to model his life.
Prof Sawyerr, who will turn 70 next week said that, "As a student, I read a lot, not only my assigned books but any book I came across. When I went to the library and I got a book I liked, I read everything on the shelf about that author. And I benefited a lot from that, especially in the usage of idioms."
The law professor, who grew up at Tudu in Accra, said even though he came from an upper-class family because his father was a lawyer and a member of the National Assembly (equivalent to today's Parliament), he was just like any other child who grew up in that area.
Can you believe that Prof Sawyerr was once a boxer? Oh yes, he was a boxer. Hear him, "I was an amateur boxer when I was in Achimota School, and a serious one, of course, fighting all over the place. I even became the boxing coach for my school and one of those I coached at Achimota School was Prof Ivan Addae-Mensah, the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon."
Georgie, as Prof Sawyerr was then called, acquired his boxing skills from the many boxers who used to train in his father's boxing gym in their house at Tudu.
"Then a little boy of less than nine, I was always around the boxers, observing them as they fought and I think I picked the skills," he said with a smile.
Being the first son of his mother's four children, Georgie used to accompany his father in the mornings during his long walks to the beach to swim. While at the beach, he defied the fact that he was too young to swim and swam with his dad. Not even the tragic death of his father deterred him from going to the beach regularly.
"My mother often tried to prevent me after my father's death, but I still went," he said.
When Georgie's father died, he, his mother and siblings left the family home at Tudu for Palladium, Accra, to live with his maternal grandparents. Georgie, who did not perform any chores at home, made sure that at school he grasped everything, so that he got enough time to play when he came home.
"I used to play gutter-to-gutter football with my friends in the neighbourhood. I also used to walk all the way from Palladium to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) area which was then known as Asylum to pluck mangoes. In those days, there were no buildings around that area and you would be on top of the tree plucking mangoes when you saw some of the inmates of the psychiatric hospital coming. Of course, we got scared so we didn’t come down until they left," he said.
Prof Sawyerr started his education at Government School, Adabraka, then to Government School, now Kinbu Sec/Tech. He had his secondary education at Achimota School where, according to him, he was very unpopular with the authorities.
"I was an outspoken person who wanted my views heard. I was regularly punished in school to dig the ground because I had done this or that. It even got to a time when I was almost sacked for being a trouble maker," he recollected.
But there were some fond memories Prof Sawyerr had of his alma mater. For instance, it was there that he learnt to speak Twi for the first time. It was also there that he became the leader of the dancing and drumming group of the school.
After Achimota, Prof Sawyerr entered the University of Ghana to study law. He then went to the University of London to study for his LL.M degree. He sat for his Bar examination in 1963 and was called to the Bar in England in 1965. He studied for his second Masters degree at the University of California, USA.
Prof Sawyerr, whose name appears to be unGhanaian, explained that he comes from Sierra Leonean and Nigerian backgrounds. His cousin is Mr Harry Sawyerr, the popular politician. He has two children.
The boy who could predict the future
He was born with special gifts that would make anyone who knows him today conclude that perhaps, he was destined to be who he is today.This was because as early as nine years, he could foresee future events and whatever he predicted came to pass.
"When I tell you this will happen to you, it will happen. When I say it will rain tomorrow, it will indeed rain. When my school is going for sporting activities and I predict the scores, that indeed would be the score," disclosed Rt Rev. Joseph Bondzie Impraim, who until recently was the Methodist Bishop of Oda.
Young Impraim's gift went beyond soothsaying. For some strange reasons, as a child whenever he went to sell, all his wares got finished quickly. "My aunty sold bread, kenkey and provisions and whenever I sold to the first person who came to buy from her, that day, all the items would get finished. It was a gift I did not understand."
However, instead of people appreciating his gift of predicting future events, they called him a wizard. "Initially, I did not know that being a wizard was something bad so I was happy when they called me so. Later, when I got to know the meaning, I stopped them from calling me that and that also stopped me from predicting future events". With time, because he did not use the gift, young Impraim completely lost it.
Junior Graphic caught up with Rt Rev. Impraim recently to share his childhood story with children.
Held in high esteem by the church, it was said that, as a priest, he once went to church but the church had not been swept so he picked up a broom and started sweeping. No wonder he was awarded the Best Humble Priest by the Church. But do you know that this man of God never wanted to become a priest as a child?
"Throughout my childhood, people called me "sofo" (priest) but I did not want to become a minister because of the insults and negative things I have heard people say about them in my area," stated the reverend minister. Young Impraim was born some 63 years ago at Apam but when he was five years old, he was separated from his parents and stayed with his aunty, first at Agona Swedru then to Abora Dunkwa where he started school. His stay in Abora Dunkwa was, however, brief as the family moved to Kintampo then to Shama, in the Western region where he grew up.
Shama was a fishing community and because young Impraim's aunty was a baker and sold items like kenkey and provisions, everyday before and after school, he went to sell those items. After school, however, when his wares got finished early, he did not go home. Instead, he went to the beach to play football with friends till late in the evening. "I sometimes came home with a broken leg and my aunty would scold me. But that did not stop me from playing football. I still went back when my wound was healed."
Even though young Impraim did a lot of selling as a child, he never played with his books. "Sometimes, while selling kenkey in the evening, my books will be by my side. Therefore, any little time that I got, I read. Again, because I knew at home I won’t get enough time to study, I made sure I studied and did my home work at school before I came home."
But do you know why young Impraim paid so much attention to his books? He did not want any girl to beat him in exams. He was also so much conscious about what people say about him that he did not make too many friends. "You will never see me involved in fights but I always spoke my mind freely. If I see someone doing the wrong thing, I pointed it out to them. Even with my teachers, when I see them having an affair with the students, I confront them."
Young Impraim's desire to have secondary education was nearly shattered when after spending only a term in Fijai Secondary School, he was sacked home for non payment of fees. He, therefore, had to stay at home for two years but used that period to teach. He saved the little money he earned to enter teacher training college.
It was while at teacher training that young Impraim's perception about reverend ministers changed after an encounter with God. He, therefore went to the Trinity Theological Seminary to be trained as a minister after training college. In 1981, he graduated from Trinity with a diploma in Theology.
He was first posted to Wesley Grammar School to teach and serve as the chaplain and guidance and counselling teacher. After years of teaching at Wesley Grammar, he went into full time ministry in 1985. He is married to Mrs Dora Impraim and has 10 children.
"When I tell you this will happen to you, it will happen. When I say it will rain tomorrow, it will indeed rain. When my school is going for sporting activities and I predict the scores, that indeed would be the score," disclosed Rt Rev. Joseph Bondzie Impraim, who until recently was the Methodist Bishop of Oda.
Young Impraim's gift went beyond soothsaying. For some strange reasons, as a child whenever he went to sell, all his wares got finished quickly. "My aunty sold bread, kenkey and provisions and whenever I sold to the first person who came to buy from her, that day, all the items would get finished. It was a gift I did not understand."
However, instead of people appreciating his gift of predicting future events, they called him a wizard. "Initially, I did not know that being a wizard was something bad so I was happy when they called me so. Later, when I got to know the meaning, I stopped them from calling me that and that also stopped me from predicting future events". With time, because he did not use the gift, young Impraim completely lost it.
Junior Graphic caught up with Rt Rev. Impraim recently to share his childhood story with children.
Held in high esteem by the church, it was said that, as a priest, he once went to church but the church had not been swept so he picked up a broom and started sweeping. No wonder he was awarded the Best Humble Priest by the Church. But do you know that this man of God never wanted to become a priest as a child?
"Throughout my childhood, people called me "sofo" (priest) but I did not want to become a minister because of the insults and negative things I have heard people say about them in my area," stated the reverend minister. Young Impraim was born some 63 years ago at Apam but when he was five years old, he was separated from his parents and stayed with his aunty, first at Agona Swedru then to Abora Dunkwa where he started school. His stay in Abora Dunkwa was, however, brief as the family moved to Kintampo then to Shama, in the Western region where he grew up.
Shama was a fishing community and because young Impraim's aunty was a baker and sold items like kenkey and provisions, everyday before and after school, he went to sell those items. After school, however, when his wares got finished early, he did not go home. Instead, he went to the beach to play football with friends till late in the evening. "I sometimes came home with a broken leg and my aunty would scold me. But that did not stop me from playing football. I still went back when my wound was healed."
Even though young Impraim did a lot of selling as a child, he never played with his books. "Sometimes, while selling kenkey in the evening, my books will be by my side. Therefore, any little time that I got, I read. Again, because I knew at home I won’t get enough time to study, I made sure I studied and did my home work at school before I came home."
But do you know why young Impraim paid so much attention to his books? He did not want any girl to beat him in exams. He was also so much conscious about what people say about him that he did not make too many friends. "You will never see me involved in fights but I always spoke my mind freely. If I see someone doing the wrong thing, I pointed it out to them. Even with my teachers, when I see them having an affair with the students, I confront them."
Young Impraim's desire to have secondary education was nearly shattered when after spending only a term in Fijai Secondary School, he was sacked home for non payment of fees. He, therefore, had to stay at home for two years but used that period to teach. He saved the little money he earned to enter teacher training college.
It was while at teacher training that young Impraim's perception about reverend ministers changed after an encounter with God. He, therefore went to the Trinity Theological Seminary to be trained as a minister after training college. In 1981, he graduated from Trinity with a diploma in Theology.
He was first posted to Wesley Grammar School to teach and serve as the chaplain and guidance and counselling teacher. After years of teaching at Wesley Grammar, he went into full time ministry in 1985. He is married to Mrs Dora Impraim and has 10 children.
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