Category: General

The African Society for Laboratory Medicine is geared to meet for the ASLM2023 conference, the premier gathering of laboratory medicine and healthcare professionals dedicated to transforming African healthcare. The conference is scheduled to take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in South Africa from 12 to 15 December 2023 for the groundbreaking in-person event first post-Covid-19. The conference will provide an opportunity to learn about the latest trends and innovations in laboratory medicine and healthcare in Africa. Aulora Stally, ASLM2023 Communications Lead, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency, said the conference would offer the opportunity to network with health professionals from around the world, share insights and expertise as well and contribute to the development of strategies for strengthening laboratory medicine systems in Africa. The ASLM2023 conference is being held under the theme: 'Shaping laboratory systems and diagnostics services for the 21st Century: Em bracing the Change.' This theme reflects the importance of laboratory medicine in addressing the challenges of the 21st century such as infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, and strengthening health systems. This year's conference brings together leading experts from laboratories, public health, and clinical fields to discuss the latest technical advancements, policy developments, and shared experiences in laboratory medicine in Africa. The conference will feature a wide range of activities, including plenary sessions, workshops, panel discussions, and poster presentations. This year's conference brings together leading experts from laboratories, public health, and clinical fields to discuss the latest technical advancements, policy developments, and shared experiences in laboratory medicine in Africa. The ASLM 2023 conference will discuss the challenges and opportunities facing laboratory medicine's evolving landscape by the continent's leading healthcare visionaries. Debates will pave the wa y for a modernised approach to laboratory medicine in the 21st century by scrutinising cutting-edge innovations and advancements that will mould its future. Source: Ghana News Agency

Tunisian actress Mouna Noureddine, Egyptian playwright Sameh Mahrane and Jordanian-Palestinian actor and director Hakim Harb are the winners of the 5th edition of the Salah Al-Kassab Award for Arab Theatrical Creation, given each year on the sidelines of the Carthage Theatre Festival (JTC). The winners of this 5th edition were announced on Saturday in Tunis, in the presence of Iraqi theatre-maker Salah Al-Kassab and founder and Secretary General of the prize bearing his name, his compatriot Riadh Sakran. Created in 2018, the Salah Al-Kassab Award pays tribute to theatre pioneers in the Arab world. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunisian actress Mouna Noureddine, Egyptian playwright Sameh Mahrane and Jordanian-Palestinian actor and director Hakim Harb are the winners of the 5th edition of the Salah Al-Kassab Award for Arab Theatrical Creation, given each year on the sidelines of the Carthage Theatre Festival (JTC). The winners of this 5th edition were announced on Saturday in Tunis, in the presence of Iraqi theatre-maker Salah Al-Kassab and founder and Secretary General of the prize bearing his name, his compatriot Riadh Sakran. Created in 2018, the Salah Al-Kassab Award pays tribute to theatre pioneers in the Arab world. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Assembly of People's Representatives (ARP) approved at a plenary session Sunday the proposal for a new article in the draft finance law for 2024, concerning the exemption from road tax (vignette) for buses and vehicles with 8 or 9 seats used by associations that look after people without family support. The new article grants these associations the same privileges as those stipulated in the VAT Code and the annex to Law No. 62 of 1988 on consumer tax. MP Saber Masmoudi said the implementation of this measure will help the Tunisian association of SOS Children's Villages to increase its fleet of vehicles, which currently consists of 7 vehicles spread over 4 centres, adding that the association looks after more than 2,000 children and that this number could increase to 5,000 children by 2025. The MP pointed out that the budget allocated to the association by the Ministry of the Family, Women, Children and the Elderly does not exceed TND 2.5 million. He went on to say that the association had managed to mobilise a budget of TND 12.5 million thanks to donations from Tunisians living abroad. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has launched the 2023 National Adolescent Health Advocacy Week in Cape Coast with a call on stakeholders to increase investment in the promotion of adolescents' health as Ghana strived to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030. The Adolescent Health Advocacy Week is set aside to shine the spotlight on issues affecting adolescent health and to collectively find solutions to them. This year's celebration is on the theme: 'Every Adolescent Counts: Accessible Health Care for All'. Throughout the week, there would be stakeholder engagements with communities, teachers, parents, as well as the media with the aim of identifying and addressing issues affecting adolescent health at both the individual and societal levels. Mrs Justina Marigold Assan, the Central Regional Minister, in a speech read on her behalf, said stakeholders must channel more resources and energy into addressing the health needs of adolescents holistically to ensure no one was left behind in order to secure th e future of the country. She maintained that every young person, irrespective of their background, deserved the right to access comprehensive health care without any impediment, indicating that many adolescents faced numerous challenges in accessing essential healthcare services. 'Adolescents' health care goes beyond mere medical care; it is a holistic approach, which includes mental health, sexual and reproductive health and the provision of accurate information that empowers adolescents to make informed choices,' she said. The Minister observed a gradual but significant shift towards prioritising adolescent health care, including increased awareness, access and engagement but insisted that more needed to be done. 'Together, let us make a lasting impact on the lives of adolescents, for they are not just the future; they are an integral part of our present, deserving health, happiness and the opportunity to thrive,' she said. Dr Mrs Marion Okoh-Owusu, the Central Regional Director of Health Services, not ed that the region had achieved significant success in awareness creation and service delivery for adolescent health in schools, communities, and health facilities. She was, however, quick to add that measures such as providing young people with age-appropriate information and teaching them about the dangers of having sex must be intensified to consolidate the gains. 'Wherever we are, let us make the time for our adolescents. They need to hear from us. 'They see us and they want to be like us but most of them are ill-informed because of peer pressure and other myths they hear from the communities and the media,' she noted. Dr Mrs Okoh-Owusu said the GHS had prioritised and intensified adolescent health care in schools by ensuring that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card was a requirement for admission. 'The school clinics are now functional, and the health service has assigned nurses to support in the provision of services for the schools. 'The schools have also been linked up to some of th e hospitals so that when faced with severe emergencies, they can refer them to the bigger hospitals,' she said. She stressed the need for all stakeholders to get involved in enhancing access to health care for young people in the country as it was not the duty of health professionals alone. Madam Adjoa Yenyi, the Programmes Specialist, Adolescent and Youth Development at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), observed that even though Ghana was making significant progress in adolescent health care, the country was not likely to achieve UHC by 2030. She, therefore, reiterated the urgent need to increase investment in that area to meet the health needs of young people and propel Ghana towards the mark. She noted that because adolescents were part of the general population, they were normally integrated into the mainstream population. 'But there is a need to make a conscious effort to invest in young people's health because when we invest in their health now, we will begin to see the benefits in years to come. 'When we invest in young people now, all the health issues we are addressing; teenage pregnancy, gender-based violence, Sexually Transmitted Infections, diabetes, and the others, there will be no need for the government to put so much money into curing these ailments,' she added. Source: Ghana News Agency