Dedicate a percentage of common fund to children with SEN - GES

 

Mr Ahmed Alhassan, Planning Officer at the La- Nkwantanang – Madina Municipal of the Ghana Education Service, has called on the District Assembly to dedicate a percentage of the common fund to children with special educational needs (SEN).

He explained that most of children with special educational needs within the municipality were unable to attend school due to the lack of facilities within the schools in the assembly

The La-Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Assembly has a Special Unit which has enrolled 37 children but only 10 of the children are regular attendees to school, some of the children come once in a month, others feel reluctant to attend school because of the lack of facilities that support their education.

Mr Alhassan made the suggestion at the district consultative meeting to discuss the district education plan.

The La-Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal of the Ghana Education Service (GES) brought stakeholders in the education sector together to discuss the Annual District Education Operational Plan (ADEOP).

Mr Alhassan said that it was difficult providing the children with SEN with the appropriate support they needed in school due to the lack of resources and urged the school management committees to sensitise parents of children with special needs on the available resources at the District Assembly to enable them access it.

He also urged the assembly to support the schools to prepare for what he called “Education in Emergency”, citing the Covid-19 pandemic as an example, he said most government schools were found wanting when Covid came and schools were closed.

“Sometimes, there are floods, rains or certain emergencies that force the schools to shut down, in such instances there is the need for an Education in Emergency plan in place,” Mr Alhassan said.

He said there was the need to train teachers in emergency preparedness to enable them deliver educational services during emergencies.

Present at the meeting were officials of the district assembly, community based organisations, school management committees members and parents teachers association, district education officers, religious leaders and some NGOs operating in the educational sector within the municipality.

The Special Mothers Project is a registered, not for profit organization, engaged in advocacy on children with cerebral Palsy and their families

The project provides an online platform for parents to connect and share information as well as engage in peer counseling.

Establish a medical jurisprudence system in Ghana – Dr Adomako

 

Dr Isaac Adomako, a specialist at the Salvation Army Hospital in Agona Duakwa has called for the establishment of a medical jurisprudence system in Ghana to deal with medical negligence in our healthcare system.

He said a lot of healthcare workers tend to be careless when administering care because they know that even if something goes wrong they will be covered.

“In Ghana, many healthcare workers or doctors are not held responsible for negligence but in developed countries healthcare workers tend to be more careful because they know they can be sued and their license revoked should something go wrong,” Dr Adomako said.

Medical jurisprudence is the branch of law that studies the relationship between medical facts and legal issues. Medical witnesses may testify in front of courts, administrative tribunals, inquests, licencing agencies, boards of inquiry or certification, or other investigative organisations.

Dr Adomako explained that with the establishment of a medical jurisprudence system in Ghana, there will be a breed of medical doctors who are also specialized in law to ensure that patients are treated right and also have a place to report to should they feel they are not treated well.

He expressed believe that establishing a medical jurisprudence system in Ghana will help sanitise our healthcare system and reduce the many cases of medical negligence that occurs in our hospitals.

Salvation Army poised to lead in CP Care and Management

 

The Salvation Army Healthcare system in Ghana is positioning itself to serve as a model in terms of Cerebral palsy care and management.

The organization with the support of Cerebral Palsy Africa, a Netherlands based non governmental organization is therefore developing a manual to serve as a training guide for health professionals on how to handle children with cerebral palsy in health facilities

Mr Raymond Badu, Country Director of Cerebral Palsy Africa at a day’s workshop on the manual development said they hope that the manual will be as practical, friendly and easy to use as possible to encourage its usage.

The workshop brought together medical doctors, emergency care nurses, physiotherapists, community based rehabilitation professionals, a parent of a child with cerebral palsy, a midwife and a senior administrator at the Salvation Army.

The participants shared their experiences and knowledge on cerebral palsy as well as practical suggestions they could implement to enhance the lives of families nurturing children with cerebral palsy.

Mr Badu who is also the head of the Salvation Army Rehabilitation Centre at Agona Duakwa said he hopes that once the manual is developed, it will help establish a protocol of care in all Salvation Army facilities for children with cerebral palsy.

“I hope that it will also serve as a model for the whole country to follow,” he said.

The Salvation Army has been involved in the care of vulnerable groups in Ghana. The organisaton currently has 13 health facilities dotted around the country and three rehabilitation centres.