The President, who is on a two-day working visit to the Upper West Region as part of 7-day tour of northern Ghana, was responding to demands made on him by the chiefs and people of the Dorimon traditional area at Jambusi in the Wa West District.

Responding to some development challenges expressed by the chiefs and people of Dorimon at Jambusi, the President said, unlike his predecessors, he inherited an ailing economy contrary to what was touted by the erstwhile NDC government.

“What we are saying is that, all the things that you have put to me are things that I am very concerned about – extending the school feeding programme, establishing a nurses training college—but a lot of them depend on the state of our public finances. And the truth of the matter is that, I am not a lucky son, I did not inherit a rich father. The inheritance I got from my predecessor was an empty treasury so I’m having to work my way from the bottom up.”

He however assured Ghanaians of his commitment to honour all his campaign promises.

“We are determined to realize all the commitments that we made to the people of Ghana before they gave us this vote because we want the people of Ghana to understand that not all politicians are liars, and not all politicians make promises to get the votes. But there are some who make promises and commitments because they know that if you give them the chance they can do it. They told me that I couldn’t do the free SHS that I was lying to the people of Ghana, that it was an election gimmick. Well the gimmick is out today,” he said.

The President used the opportunity to commission a $55.50 million water project at Wa.

The Water Project, which was constructed with a facility from the Korean Exim Bank, will supply 3.3 million gallons of water per day to the 100,705 residents of Wa.

Commissioning the project, President Akufo-Addo described it as a very happy day for him, especially as the project was started “at the time of the great Ghanaian leader, John Agyekum Kufuor…but, unfortunately, after he left [office in 2008], it took five years under the NDC governments before the construction of the project began.”

“God has his own way of doing things. A project that was begun by Kufuor is going to be commissioned by Akufo-Addo. That is the way the Almighty works.”

President Akufo-Addo further urged residents of Wa to “look after the project and make sure you use the water with care. Turn off the taps [when not in use], continue to conserve water, and settle the little bills that would come, so that the project would continue to run and provide you with the service.”

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By: Latiff Mahama/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Be considerate in your demands – Akufo-Addo tells Ghanaians appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the hospital, the exercise is in line with the Mental Health Authority Act which emphasizes the need for every mental health patient to be taken off the streets.

The programme dubbed “operation, clear the street and unchain mental health patients” will be carried out by the Ghana Mental Health Authority in partnership with other institutions.

In an interview with Citi News, the Chief Psychiatrist at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Dr. Akwasi Osei outlined the steps to be taken to carry out the exercise.

According to him, the hospital will start the exercise on a pilot basis in Accra.

He further revealed that the exercise will be carried out by some psychiatric doctors who would be assisted by psychiatric nurses, social welfare officials, the Police and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).

Dr. Osei said the psychiatric hospital would have to first locate where the patients are before they can carry them to the hospital adding that the patients will be sent to their respective families after they have been treated.

“We would first locate where they are and then go for them and bring them to the psychiatric hospital. In terms of uniting them to their families, when they are well, they would be able to tell us where they come from, their families, so we can take them to their respective homes,” he said.

“In their current state where they are in tattered clothes, they can’t tell where they come from but when they are treated, they can tell us where they come from,” he added.

Although Parliament passed the Mental Health Bill to ensure that standards, conditions and rights are relevant for the facilities in order to prevent the abuse of people with mental disorder, including physical and sexual abuse, most of mentally challenged patients still do not have access to basic care.

By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Mentally challenged patients to be cleared off the streets appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.