10,250 Ghanaians suffering mental distress, depression

At least 10,250.000 Ghanaians, predominantly women, are suffering from mental distress and depression, the Chief Psychiatrist of the Ghana Health Service, has said.

The number represents 41 per cent of the population.

According to Dr Akwasi Osei, who is also the Chief Psychiatrist in charge of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, mental health had become a silent national crisis owing to very poor quality mental health care.

A health survey in 2010 established that the mental health situation in the country results in, at least, the loss of seven per cent of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) yearly.

He was addressing a workshop on the Mental Health Law (Act 846), in Accra yesterday. He said mental distress and mental depression needed prompt attention.

The workshop was organised by Basic Needs Ghana (BNG), a non- governmental organisation (NG)O), to build the capacity of municipal, metropolitan and district assemblies (MMDAs) to play their roles as outlined by the Law.

The workshop was funded by Star- Ghana in collaboration with UK and US Aid.

Dr Osei said the current mental health problem required a deliberate multi-sectorial national effort to address.

Dr Osei attributed the poor quality mental health care in the country to a number of reasons including the over-centralised nature of mental healthcare facilities.

The three major mental hospitals-Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Pantang Psychiatric Hospital, Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital - are all located in the south.

As a result, “only two out of a hundred people requiring mental healthcare are receiving it,” he added.

Besides, he said, there are only 12 psychiatric doctors nationwide, while the sector receives limited medication, which can only last six months, from the Ministry of Health in two years.

Dr Osei said notwithstanding the numerous challenges facing the sector, the effective implementation of the Mental Health Law, passed in 2012, would help address the problems.

The law decentralised mental health care.

In his opening address, the Executive Director of BNG, Mr Badimark Peter Yaro, said the BNG was organising a series of dissemination exercises for stakeholders on the Mental Health Law, with the objective of helping them understand and identify their respective roles in its implementation.

"Kufuor insulted Ghanaians for complaining of poverty"

Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Murtala Mohammed says unlike former President John Kufuor, who insulted Ghanaians for complaining about economic hardships, John Mahama's National Democratic Congress (NDC) government has accepted the complaints and is working to solve the challenges.

According to him, the NDC believes that Ghanaians have the right to complain and to demonstrate, which is their constitutional right, and last Thursday’s demonstration by Organised Labour was a clear example of that.

Thousands of workers across the country last Thursday demonstrated to protest what they say is the worsening economic situation in the country.

Workers from both formal and informal sectors joined in the march to register their frustration at government's failure to solve the many economic challenges, including rising food and fuel prices, hikes in utility bills, the falling cedi, etc.

Commenting on the demonstration on Alhaji and Alhaji on Radio Gold on Saturday, Murtala Mohammed said the NDC government had no problem with the workers exercising their constitutional right although he felt other channels could have been used to address their concerns.

"There wasn't anybody in government [who] had any problem with the demonstration," and that other channels could have been used instead.

The deputy minister swiftly quizzed the Trades Union Congress (TUC) boss, Kofi Asamoah, where he was “when Kufuor said Ghanaians are lazy when they complained they were facing challenges?”

According to him, former President Kufuor said that, "we were all lazy that is why we are complaining," and a minister in Kufuor’s administration said “we should go and eat konkonte.”

“We had similar problems, but we were insulted and Mr. Kofi Asamoah did not complain… when we were in similar challenges," he said.

He stressed that the “hypocrisy in this country is just too much” and that “we have always faced challenges.”

Murtala Mohammed said the NDC government “has acknowledged and appreciated the challenges Ghanaians are facing," and the government is putting in measures to alleviate poverty and improve the lives of Ghanaians.

The issues are being addressed, he noted; adding that, it will be unfair to say the government is insensitive.

Organised Labour refusing to work for even a day, he explained, cost the nation millions of cedis, and the country cannot afford to make such losses.

This, he said, defeats the purpose for which the demonstration was organised, which was to solve the country’s challenges.

Ghana not recieving disaster alerts due to US$36,000 debt

It appears Ghana would not be able to track looming tremors and earthquakes should any trigger. The Geological Service Department owes its satellite signal prompters based in the United States some US$36,000. The country has, therefore, been cut off any communication if such disasters are imminent.

The concerns have surfaced in the wake of yesterday’s earth tremors in some seismic prone areas in the national capital Accra. Weija and its environs experienced some tremors which frightened residents there.

Speaking to Ultimate Radio, Director of the Geological Service Department Adjei Duodoo said they couldn’t detect it because the station is no longer receiving signals.

“Yesterday we had a tremor, but we couldn’t pick it. We have six remote stations but such information is transmitted through a modern satellite provided by the Hunters Communications of USA. Unfortunately, the subscription fee has not been settled up till now so we have been switched off,” he bemoaned.

“It is about US$36,000 and it is a bulk fund for three years. We are a government subvented organization which prepares its budgets and must receive our monies from the Ministry of Finance.”

Mr. Duodoo was also worried the facility needed some fencing and a gate to secure the place from encroachment and unscrupulous elements which could sneak through the bushes to temper with their machines and even steal them.

He emphasized that the installation was a critical one which needs some amount of isolation from noise and satellite interruptions coming from telecoms and radio frequencies.

Another challenge he stated was to do with the power fluctuations which demand that they power a 250 KVA generator on an extra cost. He outlined that several areas in the country fell on the fault lines where earthquakes could occur.

“We have the coastal bandage fault; we have the Togo – Akuapim fault, and they are intercepting around Weija and McCarthy Hill and we have been recording many Epic Centers around that place. In actual fact, the center of Accra is part. Ridge Hospital, TUC, former Mobil House, former Ambassador Hotel, the Castle, Osu and Makola are all on the fault areas.”

He added that the “Flagstaff house, the CID Headquarters and the Regional Police Premises are earthquake prone areas.” “Tema is also part, Akosombo is part, parts of Akuapim Ridge. Ho and Tito all in the Volta Region are all on the fault region.”

When asked whether the country couldn’t be prompted to take any precautions for any imminent tremors or earthquakes coming in, he stated that the nation can only hope to predict right.

“We can have a tremor of about 3.3 magnitudes. It could increase to 3.5 then to four. Here, we can warn that there could be an imminent one, and we need to get ourselves prepared,” he described.

Ultimate Morning Show Host, Kofi Owusu: “So if we are not able to tell the level of this tremor or any of these things that might happen anytime soon, it means we are living in danger?” Mr. Duodoo, “definitely.”

The deadliest earthquake in Ghana occurred in 1939 specifically In Accra. 17 people died with 133 sustaining injuries. Several buildings were affected with the roofs of the Osu Castle; the then seat of government ripped off.

FOKN BOIS speak on leaked sex tapes

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ok just watched the alleged hannah tetteh son sex tape...um...why was the girl slurring her feelings sounds?...ghana is this where we have reached? to slurrr sounds of our feelings?!?!...no hope for ghana...by the way nice 4x4 17yr old sex in afternoon...maybe it was at koala or marina mall while his alleged mother was shopping for Padman products...we love this nation.. 

Two sex tapes went viral on social media networks. One of the tapes captured a male and a female in a room having a good time whilst the other was done in a car, yesterday, Friday, July 23rd, 2014.

Although names of those engaged in the act have been mentioned, omgghana.com is not yet through with its investigation and so cannot confidently state the viral names mentioned.

Trust FOKN Bois to pass comments on anything that goes viral in this country, after all, freedom of speech.

Mensa and Wanlov who form the group FOKN Bois, have commented on the sex tapes which went viral yesterday and got social media networks buzzing.

This makes these social media network platforms the place to be when such issues come up.

A lot of information are spread faster than fire during periods like this, but most of them are false so be careful in those you consume.

The group through their facebook fan page mentioned names of the people involved and gave some descriptions of the act.

We’ve reduced poverty, but still a long way to go – Veep

Many reforms and investments made by the government have helped beat down poverty, Ghana’s Vice President has said, adding that innovative policies and programmes could help reduce inequalities in the country.

According to him, Ghana’s middle-income status “vindicates the accumulation of growth strategies that have been adopted in this country since independence.”

Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, however, said “a lot still remains to be done.” He was addressing senior public service officers at a three-day conference, which is focusing on renewing the face of the public service for high performance, in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi.

He encouraged public sector workers to join forces with the government to achieve greater strides.

The VP believes Ghana needs to be innovative in tackling the challenges of a changing socio-economic environment, thus, urged the Public Service “to support the government to anticipate these external problems and how they impact on us and how we respond to these challenges.”

He also admonished the public service to purge itself of sloppiness, which has become an entrenched subculture.

That is one of the ways, he believes, the public service can prove it deserves the single spine salary structure, which has improved the welfare of public sector workers, since its implementation started about five years ago.

He said the government will also resource all the public sector to give off their best.

Ghana-Togo border closed for hours as youth clash with police in Togo

Ghana's Eastern border was closed for several hours following violence that erupted in Togo.

An eyewitness, who is also a policeman, Courage Azumah told Myjoyonline.com, Police clashed with some angry youth protesting the arrest of a young man said to be selling fuel on a table.

It is not clear the reason for the arrest, but the youth who were unhappy with the arrest provoked the Togolese police by pelting them with stones.

The police hit back by firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the angry youth.

The youth resorted to burning tyres on the roads just across the Togo border.

The incident which began around 10:00 am, caused lots of inconvenience for traders, most of whom were prevented from crossing the border to Togo and vice-versa.

Some traders who were desperate to cross the border to Togo were said to have used the Beach 9 end of the border and were made to pay monies to some border guards, another eyewitness reported.

According to Azumah, both the Togo and Ghana borders remained closed for several hours as authorities attempted to restore calm in the area.

Not until around 2:00 pm the the borders remained closed.

Attempts to speak to the Immigration at the Ghana end of the border proved futile.

She’s Hot!!! Big Sean Worships Nicki Minaj Ass Photo After Ex’s Secret Wedding

She’s Hot!!! Big Sean Worships Nicki Minaj Ass Photo After Ex’s Secret Wedding

She’s Hot!!!Big Sean Worships Nicki Minaj Ass Photo After Ex’s Secret Wedding
Is the rapper trying to diss his ex, Naya Rivera by praising Nicki?

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TweetNicki Minaj’s recent racey Anaconda cover photo is causing quite an attention around the world but most especially, rapper Big Sean is allegedly praising her ass just days after his ex, Naya Rivera secretly got married to up coming actor, Ryan Dorsey.
On July 24, Nicky posted a raunchy photo wearing nothing but a pink thong and indeed, left nothing to the imagination while promoting her new single, Anaconda, off her forth coming The Pink Print (drops August 14).
Apparently, Big Sean, 26, took to Twitter after seeing the now infamous picture, and definitely seemed to be a fan of Nicki and her huge ASS! Plus did he do it to diss his ex. Naya who just got hitched to someone else but him?
He posted, Now every time I perform it I’m a think of it!
If Big Sean is dissing his gorgeous ex, this would not be the first time. After the former couple called off their engagement back in April, Naya married fellow actor, Ryan Dorsey in a surprise ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on July 19, in front of just 12 guests.
Sean claimed he dodged a bullet by not marrying Naya. On the other hand, Naya changed her last name on Twitter to reflect her new status.
We wonder where all these is headed. Can you tell?
AuthorJoan NgombaWriter, TV Presenter and Producer…Yes! an excellent one at that! Burying my nose, ears and eyes everywhere is what I do! I live entertainment & enjoy talking business. Now, that’s Showbiz!! If you’re getting on board with me, let’s put everything else into consideration and get to work; Coz that’s what brings the Mulla!!