Uhas spearheads campaign on healthy living among Ghanaians

Uhas students on a health walk

The Head of Nutrition and Dietetics  Department of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Eunice Berko-Nartey has advised Ghanaians to  adopt routine physical exercise in order to minimize the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

According to her, diseases such as stroke and hypertension is on the rise especially among  young adults due to bad eating habits and lack of regular physical exercise.

She therefore asked everyone to pay critical attention to their wellbeing by adopting healthy lifestyle.

Mrs. Berko-Nartey was Speaking to Starr news  during community campaign organized by UHAS dubbed   'Healthy Eating Advocacy Drive' in Ho.

The campaign started with a massive walk by students, residents and personnel of the security agencies through the principal streets of the regional capital and was climaxed at the forecourt of the regional hospital with health screening for participants.

UHAS Land owners to demonstrate over unpaid compensation

Individuals, whose lands were taken for the construction of permanent campus for University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) at Sokode-Lokoe near Ho in the Volta region, are up in arms against government for long delay in the payment of their compensations.

Government through an Executive Instrument (EI) compulsorily acquired the lands for the first public university in the region, which was established an Act of Parliament in 2011.

Though the construction of permanent structures on the land, which begun in 2013 have been completed this year, the land owners are yet to be compensated.

To this end, the individuals who have come together under the UHAS land owners association have resolved to demonstrate at the permanent campus on Wednesday, November 18, same day President Mahama is expected to commission the campus.

“We are compelled to demonstrate on Wednesday, November 18 at the university premises to make government and the general public aware of the unfair and illegal treatment of UHAS land owners, with regards to the compensation which we are constitutionally owed,” the group said in a press release on Monday.

UHAS is making steady progress- Prof. Binka

The vice chancellor of the University of health and allied science (UHAS) in the Volta region, Professor Fred Binka has noted that, the university is progressing steadily in delivering on its mandate of training world class health professionals to meet  the country’s healthcare needs.

According to him, the university which is in its third year,  has a seen a “steady but huge increase in the number of applicants who wish pursue their dreams of becoming health professionals.”

“Last year we received 2011 applications for the 2014/2015 academic year and we were only able to offer places and enrolled 458 students. This year the total number of applicants have doubled. We had 4124 applications to which 829 have been enrolled”

Speaking at the  fourth matriculation ceremony of 829 fresh students for the 2015/16 academic at the university’s newly completed permanent campus at Sokode-Lokoe in Ho, Prof. Binka also underscored the impact of the first public funded university in the region, is making on people across the a cross the region through its community service programme and assured the students of wholistic theoretical and practical  training.

UHAS lecturer who committed Suicide buried

The Late Winfred Korku Ametefe (c)facebook

The mortal remains of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) lecturer, who committed suicide has been buried in Ho on Saturday.

Winfred Korku Ametefe’s, body was found hanging in his official residence at Ho VORADEP Village last Tuesday by the Police, after some residents in area complained of a bad stench emanating from the deceased’s apartment. He is believed to have committed the act three days before the body was found.

The burial which took place at the Ho public cemetery Saturday morning was preceded by a brief solemn burial service at the Elorm E.P Church at Ho-Bankoe.

In attendance, were members of the UHAS community, as well as relatives and friends of the 41 years old lecturer, most of whom, are yet to come to terms with his sudden demise.

One of his close allies narrated that, “Winfred, is an extrovert, who is very cordial with everyone. There was no day that you’ll see him moody; so I'm very shock to hear such a tragedy could befall him.”

Varsity of Health, Allied Sciences gets substantive Council

The first substantive Governing Council for the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) Ho have been inaugurated in Ho last Wednesday.

The 13-member council replaces the University’s Implementation Committee, which acted as interim Council, since its establishment by an Act of Parliament (ACT 828) in 2011.

The Council which has a-three-year tenure to be renewed once is under the chairmanship of Prof. Kofi Anyidoho of the University of Ghana-Legon, who was also chaired the interim council.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman, who inaugurated council, commended the interim Council for the “remarkable progress” made and urged the substantive Council to be guided by provisions in the University’s Act in all its deliberations.

Other members on the Council are Mrs Justice Agnes Dordzie of the Court of Appeal, Togbe Tepre Hodo IV, Legal Practitioner, Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, Vice-Chancellor of University of Ghana, Dr. Yaw Adu-Gyamfi, CEO Danadams Pharmaceuticals Industries and Dr. Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, Catholic Health Services.

Others include Prof. Fred Binka, Vice-Chancellor UHAS, Mr Paul Dzandu, Deputy Executive Secretary National Council on Tertiary Education (NCTE), Mr Dzidzeme K. Sedanu-Kwawu, representative of Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS).

The rest are Mr Emmanuel Adjei, Chief ICT Officer UHAS, Mr Kwabena Sakyi, representative of the Federation of Universities Senior Staff Associations of Ghana (FUSSAG), Dr. Francis Zotor, representative of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), and Mr Daniel Y. Sarfo, representative of the Students Representative Council (SRC).

Book and Research allowance brouhaha; ‘We won’t be pushovers’- UTAG tells Gov’t

Dr. Bekoe swearing inn UHAS-UTAG

The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) have sent yet a strong signal to government that, the association will not back down in the “fight” against the scrapping-off of the book and research allowance for its members.

Dr Samuel Ofori Bekoe National President of UTAG said on Wednesday that members of the Association are professionals who are committed to their work and know the tools needed for the job and “would not be pushovers to allow people who do not know anything about tertiary education to dictate to them”.

Government in the 2013 budget announced the cancellation of the book and research allowance and replacing it with a national research fund. This decision however did not go down well with the two tertiary education teachers associations, with the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana declaring an indefinite strike for the past 8-weeks.

But speaking at the inauguration of the 10^th UTAG branch at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho, Dr. Bekoe said the book and research allowance were part of the condition of service of members of the association and government has no right to unilaterally take away the allowances, noting that, it was against international labour laws.

“Government must listen to us because anything short of this will not auger well for all of us and if government cannot do it, it must move out for the one who can do it” he stated.

Chinese ambassador toured UHAS permanent campus

Ambassador Buohong, (2nd right) being briefed by site officials

The Chinese ambassador to Ghana madam Sun Baohong last week inspected construction work on the permanent campus of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) at Sokode-Lokoe near Ho, in the Volta region.

The project which is been executed by a Chinese Technical team, Yanjian Group, includes the construction of lecture halls, auditorium, multi-purpose science laboratory, administration block and residential facilities for both staff and students and it is expected to be ready for occupation by 2015.

Ambassador Baohong who was impressed with the progress of construction work, said the project is the ‘first large-scale’ China aid construction in the Volta region and expressed confidence in the Yanjian Group to do a good job, as it has done with previous ones including the Foreign Affairs Ministry office complex in Accra.

She urged the workers to exert work hard to ensure smooth and early completion of the project, which according to her is ‘distinct’, because of its propensity to drive the development of new communities in the area.