That Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo are struggling with the idea of a concrete campaign message for the people of Ghana in this year’s elections cannot be far from the truth, as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, has run back to the overflogged Woyome judgement debt issue, and making it his major campaign message on the ongoing nationwide campaign tour he has embarked on with his running mate, Dr Mahamud Bawumia, beginning from the Eastern region.
Even though expected, Nana Akufo-Addo’s decision to run back to the Woyome judgement debt issue is not only an insult of the intelligence of the people of the Volta region and particularly, their chiefs, who were present at the last regional house of chiefs’ meeting in Ho, where the NPP flagbearer delivered a speech and refuted calls on him to denounce genocidal comments made against Voltarians and Gas by Mr. Kennedy Agyapong, a leading member of his presidential campaign and NPP guru.
As serious as, ‘genocide MP,’ Kennedy Agyapong’s call for the mass slaughtering of Voltarians and Gas in Ashanti region and elsewhere is, on the basis of which it has attracted widespread condemnation from far and near, Nana Akufo-Addo claimed he could not comment on the issue because the case is in court, adding that the court should be the proper forum for the matter to be dealt with, an explanation which left the Volta chiefs in total shock.
Some chiefs and citizens of the Volta region, who spoke to The Catalyst after the meeting had expressed indifference and told the paper that they were sure the NPP flagbearer, by his conduct, was communicating to them, albeit subtly, that he had fully endorsed the genocidal war declaration on them by the Assin North MP. They told the paper that Akufo-Addo, prior to his ambushed meeting with the Volta regional house of chiefs, had made the Woyome judgement debt issue a singsong on his campaign trail even though the case is in court, and that he was only showing he and his party’s usual disrespect for the region. They indicated their belief that the NPP flagbearer would return to business as usual as soon as he resumed his campaign tours. They have been vindicated.
Addressing NPP supporters at a rally at Kyebi on Sunday, Nana Akufo-Addo Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo said there will be nothing like “Woyome scandal” under his presidency as has been witnessed under President John Evans Atta Mills.
He seized the occasion to launch a vitriolic attack on President Mills. Calling the President incompetent, the NPP flagbearer described him as a lame duck president who is not in charge of his own administration, and that is why the Woyome scandal could have happened under his watch.
Nana Akufo-Addo who played an integral part in the Kufuor-led NPP government before becoming the party’s presidential candidate in the 2008 elections and campaigned on a message of ‘all is well’ and therefore ‘we are moving forward,’ slogan said President Mills has failed to solve the numerous problems confronting the country, in the last three and half years and that is why Ghanaians are experiencing hardships.
He called on Ghanaians to vote for him in this year’s elections in order for him to become the president that will restore hope and bring back the economic successes chalked by the Kufuor administration, which did not leave behind any Woyome scandal.
Nana Akufo-Addo’s obsession with the Woyome judgement debt issue is legendary. He had had to postpone the critical issue of choosing a running mate several times in order to allow time and space for his campaign team and the NPP communications outfit to sustain the matter in the media for months running, purely for propaganda purposes.
With the issues of Kennedy Agyapong’s genocidal war declaration and his running mate, Dr Mahamud Bawumia’s ‘bawumianomics’ lecture becoming another albatross around his neck, Nana Akufo-Addo is desperately running for cover under Woyome with the hope that Ghanaians will fall for his gargantuan ploy

In what seems to be his first public statement against the genocidal comments by Assin North MP, Kennedy Agyapong, the flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says he will not condone any ethnic agenda by any member of the party.

Addressing chiefs and people of the Volta region as part of his tour, Nana Addo emphatically stated that he will not tolerate any act that seeks to divide Ghanaians.

Pressure has been mounted on the NPP flagbearer, mainly from officials of the NDC, to condemn the comments by Kennedy Agyapong after the latter  declared war on his radio station, Oman FM.

However, Nana Addo in his address added that contrary to allegations against him, he does not harbour such motives and will not allow any member of the NPP to engage in any act that can plunge the country into violence.

“I want to state here with all the emphasis of my command that I do not have any ethnic agenda and I would not condone any such agenda” Nana Akufo-Addo said.

Read the full text of Nana Akufo-Addo’s speech below

NANA AKUFO-ADDO SPEAKS TO VOLTA REGIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS:
“I AM FOR PEACE, UNITY AND PROSPERITY”

Togbewo, Nananom, Mamawo, novinyewo, medo gbe nami

I am very happy to be here and I want to thank the President of the House for giving me this opportunity to address this august House of Chiefs. For sometime now, I have been hoping to to meet with you and I was mightily pleased when this week, after returning from my trip abroad, the President, the famous Togbe Afede XIV, the Paramount Chief of Asogli Traditional Area, indicated that this meeting would take place today. Thank you. I am most grateful, Sir. I am humbled that so many of you have made the time to come and listen to me. Whoever said my friends were in single digits in this part of the country!

I am Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the presidential candidate for the New Patriotic Party. Hence my presence here. And in coming here, I came with the lady who brightens my life, my wife Rebecca, and whom I recommend to you, especially Mamawo, for her shy but warm and engaging personality.

The Volta Region is home to many eminent people who were leading lights in the various movements and parties that have become today’s New Patriotic Party. Persons such as R G Armattoe, Modesto Apaloo, Kodzo Ayeke, S G Antor, Rev Ametorwobla, Kodzo Dumoga, S K Ohene, J Y Oseibre, Courage Quashiga and many others. It is also the home of Sam Okudzeto, Timothy Amesimeku, Agnes Okudzeto, Osei Nyame, Tommy Ametekpor, and my fellow Legonite, Elizabeth Ohene.

It is well-known that the NPP has not fared well in this region. But, it is also a fact, perhaps, not well known, that this is one of four regions where our share of the votes has been consistently rising since 1992. Indeed, the NPP got its highest share of the popular vote in the Volta Region in 2008, when I was first nominated to lead my party in the presidential race. So, I think it would be fair and modest for me to say aloud that the Volta Region has done enough to prove to me, my party and the rest of the country, that she is willing to adopt me as a true son.

The rest, I believe, is left to me, my vision, my commitment, my party and our programmes to show to you that we seek a genuine relationship. Thankfully for me, the good works of the last NPP government in not discriminating against this region, or any other region for that matter, offers a convenient start for me. It is evidence of our sincerity and determination to build a society of aspirations and opportunities for every Ghanaian, regardless of his or her geography, ideology, or biology.

But, I will be the first to admit that beyond the programmes and policies of the NPP to develop every part of the nation, the posture, attitudes and utterances of our party members are critical to developing this hopefully growing bond between the NPP and Voltarians.

I prefer to believe that our inability to jump the electoral hurdle in the region has been because we in the NPP have not done a good job at communicating our message. I say this because I know that the NPP message ought to have fertile soil in this region. This is the party that has always championed the cause of Ghana as a land of opportunity.

We celebrate the fact that Ghana stands tall among nations as having a rich society of diversity, tolerance and co-operation.  Ours is a society of multi-ethnic and multi-religious diversities who have found the wisdom to live in peaceful co-existence. What is left, however, is how the leaders of this nation of manifest destiny can use the prevailing atmosphere of peace, unity, diversity and harmony to enhance the dignity and prosperity of every Ghanaian.

An interesting feature of our country is that you can find every ethnic group in every region. Ghanaians have never felt restrained by the place of their birth in determining where they live or work in our country.

My running mate, the young, respected economist, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, said something interesting in the speech he gave on Wednesday. He said, in our race for economic development, the competition is not with each other, in other words, it is not between NDC and NPP or Dagombas and Kokonbas, Fantes and Gas, or Ashantis and Ewes, or Akyems and Krobos. The competition is with China, with South Africa, Malaysia, Korea, India, Brazil and other countries in the global economic space. We should never forget this.

Of course, there is and must be a healthy competition between political parties to give Ghanaians a choice between a different set of ideas on how we develop our nation. But this should be nothing more, nothing less than a competition of ideas, commitment, competence and solutions. This competition should never endanger the Ghanaian project.

Education and Skills
As you may be aware, I am determined to institute a free Senior High School systemm and I wish to reiterate this commitment here before you, because I know how dear the education of children is to the people of this region. We need to make Senior High School the required basic school for all children in order to give them a fair chance in life.

In 2005, the first batch of Class One pupils to enjoy free basic education was enrolled. This year, the 2012-2013 academic year, that group of children have just completed their BECE (Basic Education Certificate Examination) and are anxiously awaiting their results in the hope of continuing to Senior High School. After having allowed these children free access to basic education it would be a national tragedy to stand unconcerned for many of them to be denied access to secondary education because their parents could not afford it.

You, in this House, know better than most the tradition of the whole family, the whole clan, the whole village banding up together to send a bright young child to secondary school; you have done it, you have been beneficiaries yourself.

People believe that if that one child is helped to make it, he or she would become the instrument for pulling the whole family/clan/village out of poverty. Often such children have not disappointed. I am determined to ease that burden on such children by allowing every child in every family, every clan, every village access to free education from kindergarten to the secondary level.

There are those who say it cannot be done. Just like there were those who doubted our  capacity to introduce a national health insurance scheme. Leadership, as we know, is about choices. I will choose to spend wisely and efficiently in allocating resources to develop our children for a brighter future. It is the best investment that any society of conscience and of vision can make and Ghana ought not be an exception.

It will be expensive but it is far too expensive now that we allow so many young people on to the streets after Junior High School without any skills for jobs. As they say, if you think education is expensive, try ignorance.

My vision for this country is to build a society of aspirations and opportunities for all Ghanaians. Building such a society entails the provision of universal access to quality education and health in an economy retooled for industrialisation and value-addition.

A society that aims to transform itself into a modern productive player in the global market must get its educational policies right. An educated and trained workforce will help transform our economy, an educated and trained population will give us the confidence required to deal with the rest of the world in the competitive economy. The provision of quality education and skills training will therefore be at the top of our agenda. And in talking about education, let me say how glad I am that a new public university is being developed in this region. I am committed to the principle that every region in our country should have at least one public university. Let me wish the University of Health and Allied Sciences every success.

Transformation of the Economy
During the period of the NPP government, ably led by HE John Agyekum Kufuor, Ghana finally discovered oil in commercial quantities in 2007. An equal focus will be given by the next NPP government to the exploration of the off- and onshore possibilities of oil and gas in this region. We have two options now: one, to treat the oil like we have done to gold and allow it to be exported in its raw material form as crude or; two, use this as a perfect opportunity to transform the structure of our economy through industrialisation and value-added commercial activities.  I am for the latter because we can no longer continue to rely on the production and export of raw materials for our living as we have done for the last century if we are to create jobs and prosperity for the broad masses of our people.

My economic vision will focus on building an integrated industrialisation programme, with a clear bias towards supporting our small and medium scale enterprises with access to science and technology, incentives and markets to make them more productive and competitive. This means our small business people will form the foundations of this new industrial policy: And I will support them.

Ghana should be at the forefront of the industrialisation of West Africa.  We will add value to our bauxite by building an integrated aluminium industry and export manufactured aluminum products.  We will add value to our iron ore by developing a new iron and steel industry.  We will add value to our new found gas by developing a strong petro-chemical industry in Ghana, using both private and public capital.  The development of our salt will be part of this new vision.  Equally part of this vision will be the development of the Volta Basin, which a study by the Geological Survey Department in 2008, during the NPP tenure of office, has shown to be a potentially rich deposit of considerable minerals – cobalt, nickel, diamonds, gold and hydrocarbons. I want to see a West Africa that is working together to create jobs for its people; and providing decent lives for its 350 million population and I want to see Ghana being at the driving seat of that regional project. And here I want to commend the house, under your leadership, Togbega, for the initiative of signing a “sister-region” co-operation pact with a province of China.

Agriculture
It is estimated that three-fifths (59.7%) of the people in this region are in agriculture and related occupations. The agriculture sector, therefore, is one area where success will be felt by the majority of Ghanaians, in the form of improved food security and dependable incomes for the large farming population in the rural areas. However, over the couple of years, the performance of this sector has been very worrying because of its importance in our economy and in particular the number of livelihoods that depend on this sector. The data shows that rather than expanding, the agriculture sector of the economy has seen steadily declining growth from 7.4% in 2008 to 0.8% by 2011.

Thus, the challenge is to apply the same vigour to tackling the decline as we intend to do in education. The NPP sees agriculture as a major wealth creation venture for the Ghana transformation project.

Job Creation
The phenomenon of unemployment among the youth of Ghana is, without doubt, the biggest threat to social peace. We ignore it at our peril. We believe that bold initiatives must be taken to address this problem. And in this respect, the vigorous exploitation in this region of its mineral, tourist, agricultural, salt and water transportation potentials will make a big contribution to job creation.

An NPP administration is committed to creating the conditions that will allow the private sector to flourish as the surest way of generating sustainable jobs for the mass of our youth. But we recognise also that Government has a duty to contribute to the creation of employment opportunities, with the central role to be played by the private sector.

Self-employment will be promoted with support mechanisms such as access to credit, management training, and preferences in public procurement to give hope to the hordes of street peddlers, of kiosk owners, and of lotto and telephone card roadside entrepreneurs.

Working together
Togbega, my own involvement with Voltarians goes a long way back.
I recollect my first journey to what is now Volta Region in 1950. I was six years old and my father took me to Keta to visit his good friend and fellow lawyer, Ben Tamakloe. On reflection, they must have been really good friends because, as I recall it, the roads were not good, but it was a delightful journey for an eager, inquisitive young boy. Those were the days when the great minds of that generation were plotting to free our people from colonial rule.

I recall when in 1977, as General Secretary of the PMFJ, I worked alongside Gen Akwasi Amankwah Afrifa (the bosom friend of a remarkable son of this soil, Gen Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka), my own uncles Paa Willie and Jones Ofori-Atta, Albert Adu Boahen, Komla Agbeli Gbedema, Godfrey Agama, Obed Asamoah, Sam Okudzeto, Johnny Hansen, Nii Amaah Armatefio, and others to fight, with courage but without weapons, against the Union Government concept of Gen Acheampong. We succeeded in helping defeat the idea in order to return our nation to multiparty democracy.

One of the highlights of my career at the Bar was the time in 1979 when I had the honour of defending the late Chief Justice Fred Apaloo, who did his pupilage in my late father’s celebrated Kwakwaduam Chambers, in the Supreme Court against the attempt of the Limann government to remove him from office in the famous case of Tuffuor vs the Attorney-General. I led a group of young lawyers including the then youthful Tsatsu Tsikata, in that case, and we worked successfully together to win that critically important case for the independence of the judiciary.
In all these, what comes out is that, when we work together for a common purpose on the basis of commonly shared principles, we succeed.

Databank is one of the most successful companies in this country and I suggest that it is an example of how we work best when we pull our resources together. This company was started in 1990 as some of you might know by three young men, Ken Ofori-Atta, my cousin, Keli Gadzekpo, the current CEO of Databank and James Akpo, now elevated as Togbe Afede XIV.

I don’t think they stopped to inspect each other’s birth certificates before they got together. No prejudice stood in their way. They were three young men who saw an opportunity and it did not matter where they came from, their ideas and determination to work hard and succeed were more important.

Our prejudices hold us back like iron chains when they stop us from recognizing opportunity when we see it. We must be proud to celebrate our differences and even share the occasional harmless joke about where we come from, but we should never allow the richness of our differences to become a currency of spite and hate.

Let us shout out loud, right from this great hall, to all the four corners of the nation, to every man, woman, boy and girl, a message that is understood in every language, by every ethnic group in Ghana. Deka wor-wor! Deka wor-wor! Unity! Unity! We must be united in our quest for development. United in celebrating our differences. United in respecting each other. United in tolerating each other. United in understanding each other.

We have made many strides but equally so we have made many mistakes, made many wrong turns politically, socially and economically over the last fifty five years. However one thing has always stood clear. We have a DNA as a nation that has at its very core humanity, as exemplified in our national motto of Freedom and Justice, and at the very least our unwritten desire for peace and unity. This has stood the test of time, even under the most testing of authoritarian regimes. Even when many African nations that gained independence after us tore themselves apart through ethnic conflicts, Ghana remained united. Let us preserve this and treasure it, the Ghana Project.

In my three or more decades in frontline politics and, recently, in the course of my Listening Tour across Ghana, our common values as a people, the commonalities of our thoughts, fears, concerns as people and our desire for peace and our hope for the future remain clear to me. In my subsequent Tour of Hope, it is becoming even clearer how hungry Ghanaians are for a message of hope and unity; for a leadership that will deliver security and prosperity. There are bound to be differences of opinions among us, but these differences of opinion should not shake our allegiance to Ghana. Ghana must be first and foremost in all our dealings and thinking. Our nation’s peace, stability, freedom and democracy are more important than anyone’s ambition, including my own.

I have dedicated myself to public service in all my entire adult life, because I believe we can achieve far more for this land and for all her people than we have so far realized and I want to contribute to this collective effort. I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together – unless we build our nation by understanding that we may come from different backgrounds, but we hold common hopes and aspirations; that we may not look the same and we may not come from the same place or speak the same language, but we all want to move in the same direction – towards a brighter future for all our children and their children. A strong Ghana must be based on the strength of its entire people. This is my profound conviction which will always guide my conduct.
We must not allow our stories of national survival, our stories of sacrifice, and our stories of unity to give way to inflamed passions, tribally charged language and selective use of state power.

Recently, when I was out of the country in the United States, a great controversy occurred which created a great storm. My party issued a statement on it and I fully endorse the sentiments expressed by my party in that statement, which binds all members of the NPP. The matter is now before court, and I believe that the public interest demands that we allow the matter to be resolved there, and not continue to fan the issues generated by the statement.

I want to state here, though, with all the emphasis at my command, that I do not have any ethnic agenda to promote, and I will not condone any such agenda.
Since we embarked on our democratic journey in 1992 with the founding of the Fourth Republic by, perhaps, the most famous son of this soil, HE Jerry John Rawlings, our achievements have been significant in many areas. They include two decades of uninterrupted democracy and freedom. They include two peaceful changes of power from government to opposition parties in 2001 and 2009. They include elections that have been hailed across the world as models for the rest of Africa to emulate. They include having the closest election in our continent’s history in 2008, without any major disturbances. They include substantial improvements in our infrastructure, poverty reduction and the introduction of social programmes that have helped the poor.

Despite these achievements, as we approach our sixth election, there are those who are worried that the centre seems not to be holding. Even at the registration stage, there has been violence leading to injuries. There have been statements that have unfortunately aggravated ethnic tensions. As a result, many have questioned our ability to have a peaceful election. They have questioned the ability and the commitment of our security forces to maintain peace. They have questioned the fairness of our state institutions. They have questioned the impartiality and fairness of our religious, traditional and opinion leaders. They have wondered about the virtues and vices of a free press. And finally, they have questioned the commitment of our political leaders—including myself, to peace.

I want to say, here and now, that I am unequivocally committed to peace in our country. That is why in 2008 when I lost the presidential election by the smallest margin in our political history, and indeed in the history of Africa, I accepted the verdict of the Electoral Commission without demanding a recount or inciting my supporters, and thereby avoiding the spilling of even a single drop of Ghanaian blood. My resolve remains the same today.

I believe the fundamental solution to all the anxieties connected to the 2012 election is for the rule of law to be allowed to reign. It is maintenance of the rule of law, which requires the enforcement of law and order without fear or favour, that can guarantee us peace, security and justice. The rule of law, properly so called, is gender neutral, colour blind, non-tribal and non-partisan. The rule of law is the glue that binds a free society together in peace and harmony.

All throughout our political history as a nation, from colonial times to independent Ghana, from the Bond of 1844, to the formation of the Aborigines Rights Protection Society in 1897 and to the formation of the first nationalist political party, the UGCC in 1947, our gallant forbears only had one thing in mind – to chart the course of our collective history, irrespective of our ethnic backgrounds. Their objective was to lay the foundations of our faith to defend, support and be prepared to serve a free and unified nation. To them believing in one nation meant not allowing their energies to be sapped away by either the failures of the past or the challenges of the day. This is the belief that I have inherited, which drives my politics, my personal philosophy and my decision to dedicate myself to the public service of Ghana and to seek the high office of president.

I believe in Ghana’s rich diversity and unity. I believe in the fortitude of the Ghanaian. I believe in Ghana’s manifest destiny.
And so Togbewo, Mamawo, I look forward to partnering with you,  by the grace of God if elected president, to introduce free quality senior high school education, industrialise our country, including developing the resources in the Volta Region and improving the road infrastructure in this region.

Togbewo, Nananom, Mamawo, let us work together to move Ghana forward.

Togbe Afede XIV, President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, and all you eminent chiefs and queen mothers, I thank you sincerely for this opportunity.

God bless you and God bless our homeland Ghana.

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has repeated the call on Ghanaians to ensure regular medical checkups to help reduce deaths through non-communicable diseases.

Dr Kwabena Opoku Adusei, President of GMA, said cancer and cardiovascular related diseases and their attendant deaths were becoming a major health burden in the country.

It is therefore important for the people to accept to make routine visits to the medical facilities for proper examination and early treatment.

Dr Opoku-Adusei made the appeal at the media launch of the second “Susan G. Komen Ghana Race for the Cure, 2012”, in Kumasi.

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is the world’s largest and most successful awareness creation, education and fundraising event for breast cancer and related diseases.

It is being spearheaded in the country by Breast Care International (BCI), an NGO, working towards breast cancer awareness creation, prevention and cure, particularly, in the rural communities.

This year’s race would be held on May 25, to coincide with the African Union (AU) Day, and under the theme “Get involved, together we race for the cure.”

It is expected to attract about 15,000 participants to the principal streets in Kumasi to educate and provide information on the disease. They would encourage especially women to undertake regular self examination and seek early treatment of breast cancer.

Dr Opoku-Adusei, praised BCI for the initiative and pledged the support of the GMA to ensure the success of the event.

Dr Beatrice Wiafe Addai, Chief Executive Officer of BCI, said Ghana ranks 10th in the burden of the disease in Africa.

In year 2010, a total of 2,062 women in the country had the disease.

She said the event will focus on preventing untimely deaths through breast cancer, and appealed to all to take keen interest and actively participate in the event

Variety, balance and moderation definitely spice up most aspects of one’s life but do not be tempted to stretch it too far because it could spell doom for you in certain territories. Imagine settling for “moderate sin” or finding a balance between good and evil and committing yourself to that. I will spare you the details.
If you are reading this article, then you are more likely to die of heart disease (the world’s number 1 killer) than of any other cause. Our world is filled with supplements of all kinds many of which are not regulated. Fad diets that promise you a totally new look in a twinkle of an eye, herbal preparations that can solve all your problems after a few gulps and countless others all in an attempt to “fight” disease and death.
1. Even eating too much healthy food means piling up calories and it will lead to weight gain so always eat in moderation. Moderate eating ensures that you are in control of your portion sizes and you do not overeat. Also watch the rate at which you shovel mounds of food into your belly. It takes your stomach 5 – 10 minutes to tell your brain that it is full, so kindly pace yourself while eating. This will avoid the feeling of restlessness after a meal. Won’t it be great if we always serve our meals such that we dish out slightly less than what we think we can eat? Especially when it is a “free” meal.
2. Your body needs many kinds of nutrients and you cannot get them from a single or few sources. Go to town and pick a variety; eating vegetables does not only mean you indulge in kontomire and garden eggs all the time. Try cabbage, okro and others as well. Many are they who say I hate all fruits except for oranges – it will be a good idea to try bananas, water-melons and a few others. Beware of your limitations though when you have medical challenges such as diabetes, which may limit your choice of fruits. Variety can also mean eating from different food groups such as protein, carbohydrates and fats among others.
3. Do NOT wait to eat only when you are hungry. That can be suicidal. A hungry man or woman is angry, impatient and inconsiderate. You may end up eating or drinking something that you would never do in your “right frame” of mind. Spread your meals over the day and eat something when it is time. To tame hunger pangs you may have healthy snacks in between meals or drink a large glass of water. Our wonderful brain sometimes confuses thirst with hunger.
4. Mild to moderate exercising is great and will boost your immunity as well as reduce your incidence of injuries. Extreme exercise on the other hand will reduce your immunity and may increase the frequency of common colds among many others. It could also increase your risk of injury.
5. Exercising is great but varying your exercises is even better. If you always walk or jog on the treadmill, chances are that you will get bored with time. Contrast that to mixing it up with a cross-trainer and outdoor walking and you can be sure that variety will carry the day. It is good to choose an exercise that one loves but you will be better off if you spice it up with others. I am a big advocate of cardiovascular exercise such as walking, riding a bike and many others but concentrating on that is only a third of the work done. Make time to lift some weights and also don’t leave out flexibility training since that will improve and sustain the range of movement of your joints and reduce injury.
6. Work hard whenever it is time to but keep a balance and spend quality time with loved ones just chatting, playing and having fun. This is a great stress buster. If you do not have people you can unwind with, it may be worth your while to start a search.
As always remember that “Your Health is your Responsibility – Take control”

Source:
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Moms’ Health Club

*Dr Essel is a medical doctor and ISSA certified in exercise therapy and fitness nutrition.
Thought for the week – “Every extra pound shaves off one month from your life span. 60 pounds (~27kg) can cost you five (5) years of life”

References:
1. Essential Heart Guide 2012 – Mayo Clinic
2. Health by Choice Not Chance by Dr Aileen Ludington et al.

The National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana is deemed as one of the legacies of the John Kufuor administration. Seeking the mandate of the people in the 2000 elections, Kufuor promised to abolish what was known at the time as the “cash and carry system” of health delivery. Under this system, patients – even those who had been brought into the hospital on emergencies – were required to pay money at every point of service delivery. Imagine being sent to a hospital with a bleeding accident wound and being asked to pay before a doctor attends to you. People died. In some cases, lives were lost for the simple reason that friends and relatives were not around to make the required advanced payment.

So when Kufuor won the election of 2000 he was determined to get rid of “cash and carry”, replacing it with an equitable insurance scheme that ensured that treatment was provided first before payment. Despite Kufuor’s determination his government was only able to pass to National Health Insurance Act about three years after his election. But he lived up to his promise to abolish “cash and carry” and today, the Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana is seen as one of the positive legacies Kufuor will be most remembered for.

Under the law, there is a National Health Insurance Authority which licences, monitors and regulates the operation of health insurance schemes in Ghana.

Types of health insurance

There are three main categories of health insurance in Ghana.

The first and most popular category is the district mutual health insurance scheme, which is operational in every district in Ghana. This is the public/non-commercial scheme and anyone resident in Ghana can register under this scheme. If you register in ‘District A’ and move to ‘District B’, you can transfer your insurance policy and still be covered in the new district. The district mutual health insurance scheme also covers people considered to be indigent – that is too poor, without a job and lacking the basic necessities of life to be able to afford insurance premiums.

Apart from the premium paid by members, the district mutual health insurance schemes receive regular funding from central government. This central government funding is drawn from the national health insurance fund. Every Ghanaian worker pays two-and-a-half percent of their social security contributions into this fund and the VAT rate in Ghana also has a two-and-a-half percentage component that goes into the fund.

To sign up for the district mutual health insurance scheme, you need to get to the district assembly where you reside or look for the offices of the scheme and register. You will fill a form, offering some basic personal information and you will be asked to present at least two passport pictures. You will need to fill forms for dependants above below 18 as well.

The second category of health insurance comprises the private commercial health insurance schemes, operated by approved companies. You can just walk into any of such companies and buy the insurance for yourself and dependants – just as you would a car. Commercial health insurance companies do not receive subsidy from the National Health Insurance Fund and they are required to pay a security deposit before they start operations.

The third category of health insurance is known as the private mutual health insurance scheme. Under this, any group of people (say members of a church or social group) can come together and start making contributions to cater for their health needs, providing for services approved by the governing council of the scheme. Private mutual health insurance schemes are not entitled to subsidy from the National Health Insurance Fund.

Benefits of health insurance

If you register under any of the schemes, you will be given a card which you can use to seek treatment in any hospital in the country. When you visit a health facility with the card, you are treated and offered the services you have signed for without you having to pay for anything – unless you ask for an extra service, like a private ward. Your bills are then sent to your scheme provider (district, private scheme or mutual scheme) which then pays the money to the hospital. You can also use your card to buy prescribed drugs at accredited pharmacies or licensed chemical shops without paying at the point of delivery – the pharmacy will contact your service provider to take its money.

At least, that’s how the system is supposed to work on paper. But there have been reports of some hospitals and pharmacies turning patients away, complaining that the public health insurance schemes owes them huge amounts of money. Some of the big hospitals in the country have often been compelled to issue public statements warning that their operations could grind to a halt if the Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) doesn’t speed up the payment of their claims. The NHIA has assured that it is working on these problems and in due course, they will be resolved.

Whatever form of health insurance you sign up to entitles you to some minimum services. These are:

• Out-patient services – general and specialist consultations reviews, general and specialist diagnostic testing including, laboratory investigation, X-rays, ultrasound scanning, medicines on the NHIS Medicines list, surgical operations such as hernia repair and physiotherapy.
• In-patient services – General and specialist in patient care, diagnostic tests, medication-prescribed medicines on the NHIS medicines list, blood and blood products, surgical operations, in patient physiotherapy, accommodation in the general ward and feeding (where available).
• Oral health – pain relief (tooth extraction, temporary incision and drainage), dental restoration (simple amalgam filling, temporary dressing)
• Maternity care – antenatal care, deliveries (normal and assisted), Caesarean section, post-natal care
• Emergencies – these refer to crises in health situations that demand urgent attention such as medical emergencies, surgical emergencies, paediatric emergencies, obstetric and gynecological emergencies and road traffic accidents.

Excluded Services

Your health insurance does not entitle you to all medical procedures and health services. If you require any of the following you may need to pay more:

Appliance and prostheses including optical aids, heart aids, orthopaedic aids, dentures etc.
• Cosmetic surgeries and aesthetic treatment
• Anti-retroviral drugs for HIV
• Assisted Reproduction (e.g. artificial insemination) and gynecological hormone replacement therapy.
• Echocardiography
• Photography
• Angiography
• Dialysis for chronic renal (kidney) failure
• Organ transplants
• All drugs that are not listed on the NHIS list
• Heart and Brain Surgery other than those resulting form accidents
• Cancer treatment other than breast and cervical
• Mortuary Services
• Diagnosis and treatment abroad
• Medical examinations for purposes other than treatment in accredited health facilities (e.g. Visa application, Education, Institutional, Driving license etc)
• VIP ward (accommodation)

The presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) says the party is partly to blame for the seeming hostile attitude by residents of the Volta Region towards the NPP.

Nana Akufo-Addo said the posture and attitude by some party officials have largely contributed to the dwindling fortunes of the NPP in the Volta Region.

The flagbearer was speaking during a meeting with the Volta Region House of Chiefs on Friday.

The meeting comes at a time when relationship between the NPP and residents of Volta Region have further been strained following the ethnocentric comments made by the NPP Member of Parliament for Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong.

One of the Chiefs in an angry reaction to the comments by Agyapong said the people in the Volta Region will start no war or throw cudgels, machetes but will live to read the obituaries of their enemies.

But Nana Addo told Volta Regional House of Chiefs: “I want to state here with all the emphasis at my command that I have no ethnic agenda or condone any such agenda.”

He said he supported the decision by the party to dissociate itself from the comments made by the Assin North MP.

He would not comment on the details of the statements, preferring rather to have the courts deal with the matter.

Nana Addo however admitted his party has not done enough to mend the strained relationship between the NPP and people from the Volta Region.

He said beyond the programmes of the NPP for equitable development across all regions in the country, the party has failed to communicate well with the people in the Volta Region.

A journalist who was present during the meeting told Joy News the chiefs appeared impressed with the frank discussion with Nana Addo.

According to him, the chiefs asked series of questions with one asking Nana Addo’s personal opinion on the controversial comment made by Kennedy Agyapong.

The journalist reported Nana Addo as saying he would not support any ethnocentric comment by any member of his party and backed the court to continue with its job of prosecuting the case.

The NPP Campaign manager, Boakye Agyarko described the meeting as fruitful, explaining it was to lay before the House of Chiefs the vision of the NPP for the country and for the region.

Agyarko said the people of Volta Region, like all others, will be looking for progress and opportunities to make life better for themselves and their families and that will play a major role in choosing which party to vote for.

A Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Ransford Gyampoh applauded the move by Nana Addo to dissociate himself from the comments of the MP and to take steps to patch strained relationship with the Volta Region House of Chiefs.

He was however skeptical the move would change the voting patterns of the people in the Volta Region.

If anything, it will rather convince floating voters,” he said.

The Junior Doctors of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) have reiterated their call on the health minister to change the leadership of the hospital.

President of the Junior Doctors Association, Dr. Lawrence Osei Tutu told XYZ News, that the Doctors have lost confidence in the board and management of the hospital.

According to him, board and management lack the urgency to take and implement decisions which tend to affect operations at the hospital.

Recently, the junior doctors embarked on an indefinite strike over poor working conditions at the hospital.

The call for change in leadership was also captured in the petitions made in the letter to the sector minister and all parties involved.

Dr. Osei Tutu said they expect government to act swiftly to save the hospital.

There are emergency situations and you require urgent attention and the pace at which solutions are provided are not effective at all so the house decided that the board and management should go.

This is something that we have already said and for more than five weeks now nothing has happened

Mr Ngabalan Takpayur, a political activist whose continued absence from home led his wife, Mary, 32, to take her life about three weeks ago, has written he is domiciled in Italy.

A close family member, who pleaded anonymity, told newsmen in Techiman on Thursday that after Ngabalan, 31, heard that his wife had committed suicide at Ayimana in Techiman, and wrote to the family that he was domiciled in Italy.

About three weeks ago Mary, a mother of three, took a poisonous concoction called ‘karat’ after years of waiting in vain for the return of the husband who fled the country in 2007 over police investigations.

Ngabalan was mentioned to the police as the supplier of locally manufactured pistols during a disturbance involving supporters of the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress at Kpandai in the Northern Region.

Police personnel detailed to the scene of the disturbance arrested six persons in possession of the pistols and ammunition and during interrogation they mentioned Ngabalan as the source of the weapons.

The family member said Ngabalan expressed shock over the death of his wife in the letter.

Source: GNA

President John Atta Mills has returned home after holding talks with his colleague ECOWAS Heads of State in an emergency meeting held in Dakar, Senegal.

The ECOWAS leaders discussed the current political turmoil in both Mali and Guinea Bissau as they sought answers to the trend of military juntas on the continent.

Beyond the bigger ECOWAS agenda, President Atta Mills and President Sall of Senegal pledged to deepen the fraternal bonds existing between Ghana and Senegal; bonds that are rooted from the period of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and President Leopold Sedar Senghor

A deputy Information Minister says the New Patriotic Party and its flagbearer cannot “eat their cake and have it” and must pay the full electoral penalty of what has become the first ‘genocidal’ comment by a politician.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said Nana Addo cannot refuse to condemn the comments made by Kennedy Agyapong in his infamous war declaration and still hope the NPP will not be punished electorally by the people in Volta Region for the same comment.

The NPP flagbearer held a meeting with the Volta Region House of Chiefs during which he outlined his party’s vision for the country and for the region.

Nana Addo was quick to dissociate himself and the party from the comments made by Kennedy Agyapong, assuring of his unflinching desire to uphold a country rich in multi-ethnic and religious diversity.

Asked what his opinion was on the statement made by Kennedy Agyapong the NPP flagbearer said the issue is before court and would rather not make any public statement on the matter, except to emphasise that his party will not condone ethnic divisive comments from any member.

Some political analysts have applauded the gesture of the NPP flagbearer but the deputy Information Minister told Joy News Nana Addo was blatantly “opportunistic,” and “insincere” and his gesture only meant to buy votes from the chiefs and people of the Volta Region.

He said the NPP flagbearer cannot remain silent on the Kennedy Agyapong matter by taking refuge in the courts and jump on roof tops and move from one radio station to another to make comments on the Woyome matter which is equally in court.

That he said smacks of double standards and an insult to Ghanaians.

Okudzeto Ablakwa said the NPP cannot hold a hero’s welcome to Kennedy Agyapong at their party HQ, compose songs and celebrate him and at the same time turn around to lure residents of Volta Region for votes.

He said the NPP leader has no moral authority to condemn the comments by Kennedy Agyapong when he is on record to have started the ethnocentric comments with the infamous “Yen Akanfo” to wit “We Akans” and the “All-die-be-die comments.