Preparation of School Heads in Ghana: Making a Case for Theoretical Knowledge

This paper examined the preparation of school heads in Ghana. It looked at the academic and professional credentials of the school heads and the criteria for their appointment. The paper also looked at the nexus between the role expectations of school heads and school improvement.  It explored the career path to school administration and the knowledge base of school head preparatory programmes in some selected countries from a discourse analytic perspective. The paper identified the acquisition of theoretical knowledge and core technical skills in leadership and management by aspiring school heads as sine qua non for practitioners to meet the expectations of their job. Policy recommendation included the revision of the criteria for appointing school heads in Ghana to include the requirement for formal academic preparation in educational administration. The paper recommended a comparative study of the administrative styles and problem-solving techniques of school heads who took courses in educational administration and those who did not. Keywords: School administration, preparation programmes, theoretical knowledg

Dilemma of Access and Provision of Quality Basic Education in Central Region, Ghana

A survey research was conducted to find out if reported improvements in access to education in Ghana are reflected in comparable improvements in delivery of quality education. The study examined theoretical constructs on adequacy and quality assurance in education to ascertain the state of quality provision in education, and whether there is a significant difference in existing quality provisions in education and what the quality provisions should be as perceived by the study respondents. Questionnaire and quality indicators observation check list were used to collect data from the study respondents consisting of heads of basic schools in the Central region of Ghana who were selected by simple random sampling technique. Data collected were analyzed using both descriptive statistics and gap analysis that utilized paired samples t test procedure.Major findings reported in the study showed that reported improvements in access to education do not correspond to improvements in the provision of educational facilities to assure the delivery of quality education. Also, there was statistically significant difference in existing quality provisions in education and what the quality provisions should be. Keywords: Educational Access, Enrollment, Quality Provisions, Educational Infrastructur

The National Cardiothoracic Centre, Accra Ghana: Proceedings of the second International Update Course in Cardiology - improving the coverage of cardiology services

Many developing countries now face the growing phenomenon of the double burden of disease. Most are still grappling with infectious diseases resulting from poor environmental sanitation and lack of access to good drinking water like malaria, cholera, and enteric fever. At the same time changes in diet and lifestyle in general in these countries is resulting in increasing numbers of people with obesity, sedentary life styles, increased salt intake from fast foods, increased smoking and consumption of alcohol and fizzy drinks, hypertension and diabetes. To increase the scope and depth of cardiovascular care in Ghana, the National Cardiothoracic Centre, (NCTC), organised the 2nd International Update Course in Cardiology for cardiologists and general practitioners, with emphasis on a practical approach to cardiology. Post conference evaluation indicated that the course was very useful especially for practitioners in district and regional hospitals. Close to 98% of the participants revealed that the update course will greatly impact positively on their management of cardiovascular diseases

Comparative Legal Analysis of the Medical Negligence Landscape: The Ghanaian and Commonwealth Criminal Jurisprudence

This paper on comparative legal analysis of the medical negligence landscape: the Ghanaian and commonwealth criminal jurisprudence provides a comprehensive analysis of medical negligence and assault in various countries. The case of gross medical negligence is a serious issue that requires immediate attention. Through the analysis of various authorities it becomes evident that there are three main areas contributing to this problem: inaccurate diagnosis and delayed treatment, failure to communicate effectively with patients, and lack of proper supervision and training. The impact of gross medical negligence on patients is profound and far-reaching. It not only causes physical harm but also inflicts emotional and psychological trauma on those affected. In Ghanaian criminal jurisprudence, it is crucial to address this issue to restore public trust in the healthcare system and ensure justice for victims. By implementing stringent legal measures, including vicarious liability, we can uphold professional standards, deter future negligence, and provide recourse for those who have suffered as a result of gross medical negligence. One strength of this article is its extensive coverage of different jurisdictions. By comparing Ghana, the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, the authors provide a global perspective on the issue. This allows readers to understand how different legal systems handle cases of medical negligence and assault. Additionally, the inclusion of multiple studies conducted by different researchers adds credibility to the findings. The authors have effectively synthesized these studies to present a cohesive analysis. Overall, this article serves as a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding how different countries approach cases of gross medical negligence and assault. Keywords:Gross Medical Negligence, General, Medical Negligence, Double Jeopardy, Ghanaian Criminal Jurisprudence, Medical Assault, Vicarious Liability, Criminal Law, Tort, US Jurisprudence, UK Jurisprudence, Canadian Jurisprudence DOI:10.7176/JLPG/136-03 Publication date:September 30th 202

Analysis of Ghana's Public Health Act 2012 and AI's Role in Augmenting Vaccine Supply and Distribution Challenges in Ghana

Objective: This study examines reforming Ghana’s dated Public Health Act to enable responsible AI adoption improving equitable vaccine access.Method: A blended CRuPAC-CREAC analytical framework grounded in statutory language, precedents and academic literature is utilized. Results: Current Act provisions grant the Health Minister broad oversight powers interpretable to permit AI supply chain innovations, but lack explicit permissions, priorities, assessments and safeguards to govern responsible development. Scientific Contribution: This pioneers structured public health law analyses assessing AI governance gaps and reform solutions in Ghana grounded in peer country models.Practical Significance: The evidenced recommendations provide legislators and advocates a framework for balancing permission and oversight of impactful technology.Conclusion: While the Act could allow AI vaccination optimizations, targeted modernizing amendments codifying guidelines for responsible innovation can profoundly accelerate equitable access.Recommendations: Legislators should enact laws expressly permitting, prioritizing and governing high-impact health AI based on reforms in India, EU and Rwanda. Keywords: algorithmic governance, vaccine equity, legal reform, emerging technology, LMIC regulation DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/139-03 Publication date: January 31st 202

User-experience in design and use: enhancing the experience of media content with programmable surround lighting

Table of contents\ud 1 Introduction 4\ud 1.1 Affect and UX 4\ud 1.2 Framework for UX design and evaluation 6\ud 1.3 Programmable surround lighting to enhance UX 6\ud 1.4 UX evaluation 9\ud 1.5 Rationale and research questions 12\ud 2 Method 12\ud 2.1 Design 13\ud 2.2 Participants 13\ud 2.3 Materials and equipment 13\ud 2.4 Procedure 17\ud 3 Results 17\ud 3.1 Aggregated comparisons 18\ud 3.2 Comparisons by clip 27\ud 4 Discussion 29\ud 4.1 The effect of surround lighting on UX 29\ud 4.2 Assimilation effects 33\ud 4.3 Evaluation method 35\ud 4.4 Future work 36\ud 5 Recommendations 38\ud 6 Conclusion 38Programmable surround lighting has the potential to enhance user-experience of media content, but there is a lack of research demonstrating this. Building on existing work in user-experience and Kurosu’s framework for user-experience design and evaluation, we developed a method for testing people’s experience of video content with added programmable controlled surround lighting. We employed simple video content to evoke a response of positive or negative affect. Using a repeated-measures design (N = 33), we manipulated the colour of surround lighting to enhance the affect response (yellow and green for positive affect; red and purple for negative affect) and then tested the benefits of added surround lighting. Yellow surround colour enhanced positive affect in response to video content and red surround colour enhanced negative affect. There was evidence of assimilation effects as a result of alternating coloured (e.g., yellow) and white surround lighting on affect. This work has implications for the choice of surround lighting colour to enhance user-experience, research design and substantive future research.\ud Keywords (up to 6): user-experience evaluation; magnitude-based inference; programmable surround lighting; media content; data analysis; comparative testin

Decentralised strategy setting and action planning for environmental sanitation in Ghana

This paper shares the experience in the preparatory activities carried out for the preparation of a National Environmental Sanitation Strategy and Action Plan for Ghana. The procedures and framework for preparing the comprehensive strategy and action plan are described including national, regional and district-level management and quality assurance of the process. This initiative is different from the usual sanitation limited to “hygienic disposal of human excreta” as the strategies and related action planning elements cover all aspects of environmental sanitation including solid waste, human excreta, sullage conveyance and drainage, environmental sanitation education and enforcement management. An important proposition of exercise is that where effective collaboration, sharing and peering can be forged amongst sector institutions and coordinated well it is possible to bring diverse expertise at national level to tackle each and every issue of environmental sanitation adequately

Public Health Act and Vaccine Manufacturing in Ghana

Objective: To analyze Ghana's Public Health Act 2012 applying the CRuPAC policy review methodology regarding its adequacy and provisions for enabling domestic vaccine manufacturing, especially considering shortages during the COVID-19 response.  Method: Granular examination of Ghana law's relevant sections pertaining to infectious disease control, biologics regulation and health emergency directives. Contrasted with vaccine manufacturing policy approaches from India, Brazil and Mexico. Assessed against imperatives around ethics, equity and WHO technological capability transfer guidance.Results: Determined Act originally lacks explicit clauses directly addressing vaccine development ecosystems. However, stop-gap utilization of certain clauses governing inoculations, public health emergencies and biologics were justifiably invoked amid COVID to facilitate interim domestic production. Long-term sustainability requires dedicated institutes, private incentives and public infrastructure policies akin to analog countries. Contributions: Structured analysis revealed legal limitations but also ethical grounds for temporary interventions expanding vaccine access, until amended legislation transforms the Act into an instrument actively enabling self-reliance.Practical Significance: Informs resource allocation and policy reforms for vaccine equity globally post-pandemic. Provides developing country policymakers a framework to scientifically evaluate laws regarding health security aims. Keywords: Vaccine manufacturing, Health legislation, Public policy, Equity, Self-reliance DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/139-05 Publication date: January 31st 202

Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the first cohort of COVID-19 recoveries at two national treatment centres in Accra, Ghana

Introduction COVID-19 is a new disease, knowledge on the mode of transmission and clinical features are still evolving, new tests are being developed with inherent challenges regarding interpretation of tests results. There is generally, a gap in knowledge on the virus globally as the pandemic evolves and in Ghana, there is dearth of information and documentation on the clinical characteristics of the virus. With these in mind, we set out to profile the initial cohort of COVID-19 patients who recovered in Ghana. Methods: We reviewed clinical records of all confirmed cases of COVID-19 who had recovered from the two main treatment centres in Accra, Ghana. Descriptive data analysis was employed and presented in simple and relational tables. Independent t-test and ANOVA were used to determine differences in the mean age of the sexes and the number of days taken for the first and second retesting to be done per selected patient characteristics. Results: Of the 146 records reviewed, 54% were male; mean age of patients was 41.9 ± 17.5 years, nearly half were asymptomatic, with 9% being severely ill. The commonest presenting symptoms were cough (22.6%), headache (13%) and sore throat (11%) while the commonest co-morbidities were hypertension (25.3%), diabetes mellitus (14%) and heart disease (3.4%). Conclusion: COVID-19 affected more males than females; nearly half of those infected were asymptomatic. Cough, headache and sore throat were the commonest symptoms and mean duration from case confirmation to full recovery was 19 days. Further research is required as pandemic evolve