General News of Tuesday, 12 December 2017
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2017-12-12
Mr. Alexander Yaw Danso (right) with some executives of PTA
Parents and guardians of Kumasi Academy are to be compelled to return their wards to school for vaccination after four students died of swine flu.
The Parent-Teacher Association of Ghana is summoning an emergency meeting next week to that effect.
National President, Alexander Yaw Danso, says the move has become necessary as health officials struggle to have students show up for the exercise.
“Taking your ward back home wouldn’t solve the problem and my information is that when they went home, they have been sending them to the various hospitals. Why didn’t allow them to stay here so that they administer the drugs that they are given to the other students,” he said.
Though the Ministry of Health and World Health Organization have supplied antibiotics, some students went home before the drugs could be administered.
They left at the instance of their parents and are yet to return. A team of medical experts has since been on campus to take clinical samples for further investigations.
Mr. Danso led national executives of PTAs to interact with school authorities.
He says parents have no basis keeping the children out of school when medical experts are on hand to provide services.
“I have asked my chairman to convey an emergency meeting with the unit schools, not KUMACA alone. So we will meet them soon and talk to them,” Mr. Danso said.
Mr. Danso commended authorities for handling the issue with “decorum”. He said unti his visit he had been under the impression that the infection broke out in April but little was done about it.
“When I came here this morning, I got to learn that they did their best to contain the situation and they have done their best.”
“They have done their best ; management, teachers , health workers , the PTA, the regional PTA so that impression must be eroded from the minds of the parents that nothing was done, nothing is being done, Mr. Danso emphasized”
In April 2017, four students of Kumasi Academy died of pneumococcal meningitis and led to suggestions that the deaths in December was cased by same.
Meanwhile, the PTA and Ghana Education Service have launched a nationwide insurance scheme with private insurance firm, SAHAM Insurance, for the students.
Each student would contribute seven Ghana cedis a term as premium.
