ALIU CALLS FOR ATTENTION FOR THE BLIND

THE FORMER Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama has reiterated his call on government to turn special attention to eye care delivery especially in the Northern Region where blindness or glaucoma had incapacitated most breed winners.

According to him, governments over the eyes had not realized the dangers or effects of blindness on the households and national development, and had thus done very little to save the situation.

Addressing some Senior Journalists at his private residence in Tamale during a special lunch he organized for the press as part of the Eid-ul-adha celebration, Alhaji Aliu Mahama said his checks at the Tamale Teaching Hospital had revealed that the Eye Centre there receives very little budgetary allocations every year.

The Former Vice President who recently flown down to Tamale with some Eye Specialists from the Louisville Medical Center in the United States of America to the Tamale Teaching Hospital to undertake some free eye screening exercise and share experiences with the local eye specialists, regretted that his checks further revealed that most of the equipments being used at the Tamale Teaching Hospital Eye Center are not only of low standard, but are out of date.

Meanwhile, the Northern Region as a result of frequent floods, invasion of black flies and the lack of portable drinking water is reported to have had a high incidence of glaucoma or river blindness than any other region in Ghana.

Unfortunately, majority of the victims are farmers who are supposed to contribute to the food security of their households and the state.

Alhaji Aliu Mahama is believed to have presented the single largest modern medical equipment to the Tamale Teaching Hospital in the last decade. He called for more health personnel and logistics to the Tamale Teaching Hospital and other district hospitals to enhance quality healthcare delivery.

On the other hand, the Former Vice President expressed dismay about the continual violence, hatred, intolerance and mistrust among the people of Dagbon in the Northern Region and Bawku in the Upper East Region.

He cited instances where the chieftaincy dispute in Dagbon had caused so many misfortunes for some indigenes in search for jobs and even in marriages. Saying, “Parents of either the man or the lady would first of all want to know which of the gates the man or the woman is coming from before accepting the marriage”.

Alhaji Aliu Mahama therefore appealed to the media to always maintain their neutrality and fairness in their reportage especially on issues that concern Dagbon or Bawku.

PUT PREMIUM ON GIRL CHILD EDUCATION

THE FOUNDER and Managing Director of the Tamale Girls International School Complex, Mr. Albert Atutiga has encouraged parents and traditional authorities to put premium on the education of their female children in order to enhance Ghana’s quest of ensuring gender equality and equal opportunities for women in society.

According to Mr. Atutiga, who is the first private man to establish Girls School Complex from Primary to Senior High in the whole of the three Northern Regions, even though Ghana was making some significant gains in the promotion of girl child education, there was still the need for all stakeholders to complement the efforts.

He was speaking to told Savannahnews in an exclusive interview at his office in Tamale during his last Birthday Celebration which is yearly observed by his school as “The Founder’s Day”.

Mr. Albert Atutiga who is also the Founder of the Tamale Boys International Senior High School started his girls’ school in 1997 with just 40 students but now has a student population of about 700 with females constituting the larger proportion of over 75%. But he told the blogger that the enrollment or admission into his school had been constraint by the inadequate classrooms and dormitory accommodation, resulting from the smaller size of the current school land.

He however hinted that the Tamale Girls and Boys International School Complex had already acquired a vast land at the outskirt of the Tamale Metropolis where he had almost finished developing it with all the necessary structures.

The School Authorities according to him were also developing another campus in Wa, the capital of the Upper West Region to satisfy the needs of the large number of girls who travel all the way down to Tamale for education, and to also encourage parents who previously could not afford paying School fees, dormitory/hostel fees and feeding of their wards to now send their children to school without any difficulties.

Mr. Albert Atutiga who is also the Founder of the Ghana Institute of Advance Education in Tamale and Chief Executive Officer of both Atutiga Mixed Farms and Atutiga Lodge Hotel all in Tamale, also acknowledged the importance of boy child education in ensuring quality human resource base of the country. But he still argued that more efforts, attention and resources aught to be committed to the development of girl child education in order to bring women at par with their male counterparts at all levels of the economy.

At the moment, it is estimated that over 65% of women in Northern Region cannot read, write or speak the English language as against 68% or more men who can read, write and speak the language.

That notwithstanding, reports have also shown that more girls are still out of school than boys, and that more girls drop out of school than boys in the northern region mostly on the grounds of running away to the south of Ghana to do menial jobs (Kayaye), going into early/force marriage or sent into fosterage.

However, Mr. Albert Atutiga described as unacceptable for any parent to deny his or her child the right to education and thus called for governmental policy that would encourage more girls to enroll in school.

Meanwhile, the Celebration of the Founder’s Day saw the students of the Tamale Girls International School Complex from different tribal groupings displaying their cultural heritage, inter tribal football competition and other educative programmes.

TAMALE – WEST AFRICA’S FASTEST GROWING CITY

Ever wonder why Tamale has suddenly become the next business destination of many multinational companies which for many years have limited their activities to only the Southern part of Ghana? How about the fact that this northern city has now become the headquarters of NGOs in Ghana, an accolade it has earned for itself in recent years because of the presence and operations of about 150 NGOs? According to an official of this cosmopolitan city, apart from the increase in human population, Tamale over the last five years has also experienced a very significant growth in physical infrastructural development and increased business and other human activities in all spheres of the local economy, making it the fastest growing city in the West Africa Sub-Region. Correspondent Joseph Ziem reports….

Tamale is a busy expanding commercial regional capital located 600 km north of the nation’s capital, Accra. With a population of over 300,000 (2000 PHC) residents dominated by native Dagombas, Tamale in recent years has become the fastest growing city in the West Africa Sub-region. Its local economy is predominantly agriculture, but the sprawling city is also a hub for manufactured goods and an economic, administrative, educational and medical center.

Increase in human population, commercial activities, influx of foreign merchants, expansion of infrastructure, increase in number of vehicles, emergence of new human settlements and among others, cannot be underestimated in the last few years. That notwithstanding, quite a number of meticulous research work by state and private institutions and objective assessments by city officials quite support this claim.

While most people often limit their understanding of Tamale’s fast growth rate to just only the growing human population, Head of Public Affairs of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, Issah Salifu Musah, says it goes beyond just increase in human beings.

He cited for instance, that the mad rush by different companies and organizations to establish branch offices in the city in order to cash-in the volumes of money that exchange hands through the day-to-day trading activities, is one yardstick to measure the economic growth rate of Tamale apart from the human population.

According to him, the hospitality industry, financial institutions, telecommunication industry, transportation sector, educational sector, Non-Governmental Organisations and among others, have grown rapidly over the last five years.

Savannahnews can count more than twenty financial institutions including Banks and Savings and Loan Companies operating in this city with most of their customers, aside the salaried workers being petty traders and those in the informal sector of the economy. Notable among the most recently established ones are InterContinental Bank, Fidelity Bank, HFC Bank, Amal Bank, Prudential Bank, 1^st National Bank, ARP Apex Bank, GT Bank, Zenith Bank, Eco Bank, Barclays Bank, Stanchart, Dalex Financial Services, NIB, SGSSB, Stanbic Bank, etc. Quite a number of insurance companies are also selling insurance policies ranging from accident, life, education, health, disaster and so on.

Moreover, all of Ghana’s five telecommunication companies namely; MTN, Vodafone, Tigo, Airtel and Expresso are operating in a much wider coverage area now and almost every average person now has a mobile phone or two. This has triggered an increase in the number of mobile phone shops and opening of two of the best ICT training institutions in Ghana, NIIT and IPMC College of Technology.

With Tamale’s current population expected to hit over 500,000, movement of people becomes crucial and the last few years has seen a lot of newly established transport companies launch new and luxurious buses commuting daily between Tamale-Accra, Tamale-Kumasi, Tamale-Sunyani, Tamale-Bolgatanga, Tamale-Wa as well as the rest of the other district capitals in the Northern Region. The leading transport organization which is the Metro Mass Transit Limited has fleets of buses linking Tamale and other districts and regional capitals.

Other transport companies are O.A Transport Services, Inter-city STC, GPRTU, Imperial Express Transport and VIP Transport Limited. Public transportation in the form of taxis is the most convenient means of getting around Tamale as a visitor to the city. The popular means of travel for the locals, however, is by bicycle and motorbike. Also, private flights like CityLink and Antrak Air operate regularly between Tamale-Accra, with plans for many to join later due to the prolific nature of the aviation industry. Now vehicular traffic in the middle of the city in the morning and late afternoon is almost the same as the nation’s big cities such as Accra and Kumasi.

Besides, there are also more than one hundred local and international NGOs located in Tamale, and notable amongst them are the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), CARE International, ActionAid Ghana, IBIS, SNV, SEND-Ghana, NORGAID, World Vision, and so on. This has earned Tamale the accolade ‘Headquarters of NGOs in Ghana’.

Furthermore, Tamale is considered the main centre of education in Northern Ghana. Currently there are over 742 public and private basic schools within the city. They include Kindergartens, Primary, Junior High and Senior High Schools. The rest are Technical/Vocational Institutions, 2 Colleges of Education, a Polytechnic, a Nursing and Midwifery Training College, one Community Health Training School, School of Hygiene and two Universities – University for Development Studies (UDS) public institution and Islamic Technical University College, private institution.

For instance, in an area called the Education Ridge covering an area of about 3 km sq, over 20 schools ranging from Kindergartens through Junior High and Senior High Schools, Teacher Training Colleges, the Tamale Polytechnic and Ghana Institute of Languages (GIL) are located there. The numerous trees especially mahogany trees lining up on both sides of the street in this part of the city portrays a tropical rainforest outlook.

All the aforementioned institutions and companies providing range of services to thousands of people on a daily basis, according to Issah Salifu, is enough evidence to conclude that the city is growing at a very fast pace adding that few years ago, many people had to travel to the Southern part of the country to buy certain basic needs and source for other services. But now, a lot of such basic items are available in the local market here through the southern traders and those from Mali, Niger and Nigeria.

The Head of Public Affairs of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly also observed that government functionaries, businessmen and women including tourists can now travel to Tamale to attend crush events, emergency meetings and also transact other businesses. “If you’re seriously sick now and needs good medical attention, you don’t need to travel several miles to Kumasi or Accra to get the best medical services. The Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) which is now more equipped than before is providing essential services to people, adding “even under emergency circumstances which will require one to travel down south to seek health service, commercial flights are there to catch any day”.

Amongst Tamale’s recent state-of-the-art infrastructure include the newly constructed Sports Stadium, replacing the old principal football field – Kaladan Park – with a world-class venue, 3-star GETFund Hotel and modern medical facility at the TTH.

The sector that has also received a major boost like the financial sector is the hospitality industry. There are now more modern hotels and guest houses most of which were developed in the period leading up to the 2008 African Cup of Nations tournament of which Tamale was a host city. In Tamale, one can be treated to both local and foreign cuisines in many of its 2star hotels like Gariba Lodge, Mariam Hotel, Modern City Hotel and Relax Lodge, which make up the 94 hotels and guest houses that are currently operating in the area including 34 restaurants. The city also happens to be the leading producer of cereals, yams and meat in the country and so these foodstuffs sell cheaply in the local markets.

Administratively, Tamale has a Mayor who is vested with extensive Executive powers. The Mayor is appointed by the President of the Republic of Ghana and approved or otherwise by members of the General Assembly, although there has been an increase in public outcry to increase accountability of the office by having the Mayor elected through the ballot box. The current Mayor of Tamale is Alhaji Abdulai Haruna Friday appointed by H.E. President John Evans Atta Mills in 2009.

The city’s architecture is a mixture of traditional and modern styles. While the majority of the houses are roofed with corrugated iron sheets, a good number of them are roofed with grass. English is the official language, but in daily life majority of the people (natives) speak mostly Dagbani and Hausa. Majority of the residents are followers of Islam, as reflected by the multitude of mosques in the city, most notably the Central, Anbarriya and Ahmadiyya Mosques.

With almost a flat topography, one can have a perfect view of the city on any three or four-storey building. In the heart of the city are the Traditional Palaces of the Gulkpe Naa and the Naa Dakpemah where one can catch a glimpse of pure traditional architecture. Not too far from there is the Centre for National Culture – home of traditional artifacts and designed clothes – attracting at least about a hundred of local and foreign tourists a week. All the principal streets in Tamale are tarred with the central dual carriage road heavily lit up during the night. Tamale is the only city in Ghana with bicycle lanes and pedestrian walkways; and indeed, the fastest growing city in West Africa.

HEPATITIS B – A perilous liver disease that cannot be tolerated

Scientific evidence proves that the liver is the largest and hardest working organ in the body of every human. It performs over 500 functions daily to ensure sound and a well-balanced human health. The liver is derived from the word ‘live’ indicating life survives on the liver. The state of the liver has a direct bearing on human health and life expectancy.

However, the liver isn't often the subject of much cocktail party conversation. People love to talk about their blood pressure level, cholesterol level, sugar level, body mass index and diet either at home, workplaces or wherever they meet as a group. But how often do you hear someone say, ‘My liver function test looks good all the time.’

The liver gets very little recognition from the general public and is in fact, often abused by most people and especially modern diets and bad lifestyles.

According to some hepatologists, there is up to 99% chance your liver is not performing at its very best. In fact, this organ manufactures a full quart of bile daily to breakdown fat. It’s also responsible for filtering harmful toxins and substances out of nearly 100 gallons of blood daily and produces more than 13,000 crucial chemicals and hormones.

The liver is also responsible for regulating blood sugar levels, cholesterol, hormones and also stores essential vitamins and minerals. It is also responsible for detoxifying all internal and external environmental pollutants.

However, one must know that a number of diseases can afflict the human liver, including hepatitis – A form of liver inflammation; Liver cancer; Cirrhosis – chronic inflammation often caused by alcohol abuse, chronic hepatitis B and C; Diseases of the bile ducts and Fatty liver disease that can ultimately lead to liver failure. Having hepatitis means that the functions of the liver have been compromised and life expectancy is being reduced. Any of the aforementioned diseases can compromise the functionality of the liver but the most dangerous is hepatitis B (stand to be corrected).

So, in the wake of increasing deaths emanating from the attack of hepatitis B (the commonest liver disease) which can be acquired through various forms including (unprotected sex, transfusion of contaminated blood, body fluids, sharing of tooth brushes, contaminated needles and syringes and tattooing/tribal marking), this article brings to bear, the debilitating effects of the disease, how to seek treatment and what can be done to prevent further spread of the epidemic which if not tackled with a sense of urgency, could seriously compound the fight against HIV/AIDS! The truth is, an HIV/AIDS patient with hepatitis B has very little chance of surviving, according to doctors.

Hepatitis is most simply defined as an inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis has various causes. According to different research outcomes, it can come from a viral infection, an attack by parasites, a transfusion of contaminated blood, or unhealthy substances that are introduced into the human body like alcohol, drugs, or toxins. Hepatitis may or may not be a serious health threat. However, hepatitis in certain circumstances can become chronic and can even lead to liver failure and death when it’s detected very late. Many laboratory investigations have revealed that there are several types of hepatitis, and they are given alphabetical names.

Hepatitis A: It’s a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. It is generally spread by coming into contact with the faeces of an infected person. Hepatitis A is highly contagious, but it doesn't cause chronic liver disease. A vaccine for Hepatitis A is available.

Hepatitis B: It’s called serum hepatitis. Hepatitis B is a blood-borne viral disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (also known as HBV) and is one of the most common infectious diseases in the world. It can be acute or chronic. Most healthy adults (90%) who are infected will recover and develop protective antibodies against future hepatitis B infections. A small number (5-10%) will be unable to get rid of the virus and will develop chronic infections. Unfortunately, this is not true for infants and young children – 90% of infants and up to 50% of young children infected with hepatitis B will develop chronic infections. Therefore, vaccination is essential to protect infants and children. It is passed from an infected person to another through blood and body fluids like semen. Symptoms of the disease may include tiredness, nausea, stomach pain and weight loss. They also can include not feeling hungry or feeling pain in the joints. In some people, the skin and eyes may become yellow. A person’s urine may be dark coloured and the stools or bowel movement may be whitish. Only about 30 percent of people with hepatitis B have any symptoms. A vaccine for Hepatitis B is available.

Hepatitis C: It’s a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). HCV infection sometimes results in an acute symptomatic illness. It can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong chronic condition that can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. HCV is transmitted through contact with the blood of an infected person. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 130 – 170 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus, and more than 350,000 people die from hepatitis C-related liver diseases each year. HCV infection is curable using increasingly effective antivirals. Despite ongoing research, there is currently no vaccine to prevent HCV infection. It is estimated that 3 – 4 million people are infected with HCV each year. Some 130 – 170 million people are chronically infected globally with HCV and at risk of developing liver cirrhosis and/or liver cancer. HCV infection is found worldwide. Countries with high rates of chronic infection are Egypt (22%), Pakistan (4.8%) and China (3.2%). The main mode of transmission in these countries is attributed to unsafe injections using contaminated equipment. There is no vaccine to prevent Hepatitis C.

Hepatitis D: It’s caused by the hepatitis D virus. The hepatitis D virus needs the hepatitis B virus to survive. Sometimes people with hepatitis B also get hepatitis D because both are passed from one person to the other through blood and body fluids.

Hepatitis E: This is caused by the hepatitis E virus. Similar to the hepatitis A virus, it is spread by coming into contact with the faeces of an infected person.

Hepatitis G: Not much is known about the hepatitis G virus or even if it causes illness. It may be transmitted through contaminated blood in blood transfusions.

Medical doctors advice persons who suspect they have any of the types of hepatitis, to go to an approved medical laboratory/hospital for samples of his/her blood to be taken for a test. When the test result is reactive or positive, your medical doctor will ask you to do what is called viral load (Viral load is the amount of virus in the blood). A lesser amount of virus means there is less risk for serious liver disease. If the results of the viral load test shows you have more virus, you may be asked to do a liver function test to determine how healthy your liver is before any treatment is given to you depending on how serious your case may be. A person with hepatitis B is given some of the most effective drugs for the treatment of the disease. But if the laboratory test result for the disease is non-reactive or negative, you will be asked to take the hepatitis B vaccine for protection. However, Hepatitis B viruses cannot be spread by casual contact, such as holding hands, sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses, breast-feeding, kissing, hugging, coughing, or sneezing.

Meanwhile, a recent survey conducted by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana revealed that an estimated four million people in the country have hepatitis B.

The report indicated that sexual contact was not the only mode of transmission of the disease as many believed, but the most common mode of transmission was from mother-to-child.

Records obtained by Savannahnews from the Tamale Teaching Hospital alone showed that between January 2008 and June 2011, 130 people were tested positive of HBV out of which 10 of the cases were chronic. The report showed that persons between the ages of 20 and 49 were those mostly infected by the disease.

It is important therefore, to create nationwide awareness about the importance of the liver and its implications on the health of mankind. It is important to note that, liver problem like hepatitis B is dangerous – and if government is not alarmed, it is certain that it is waiting for a major health disaster.

The government should embark on a free nationwide vaccination of persons who have not yet been infected by the Hepatitis B Virus and also make available vaccines at the various public hospitals across the country for newly born babies to be vaccinated. The disease should be taken care of like other diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, CSM, guinea worm, and among others, coupled with public education in the electronic media. Anything short of this means that the 4 million figure is bound to increase astronomically in the next few years. W.H.O global projections suggest that 10-30 million people will become infected each year by HBV, while an estimated 1 million people will also die each year from the disease and its complications. Approximately 2 people die each minute from hepatitis B. Having hepatitis means that your liver is not hundred percent functional and life expectancy thus reduces at a very fast spate.

By Joseph Ziem