DAILY GRAPHIC

The Graphic reports that the parents of a two-year-old girl, Yaa Adomah, whose right arm was amputated after blood transfusion at the Goaso Government Hospital are demanding compensation of 50 million cedis from the hospital. In its main front page story with a banner headline: "Negligence at Goaso Hospital... Family Claims 50 million cedis", the Graphic says the solicitor for the parents, Mr. Yaw Wiredu-Peprah has written to the hospital indicating that the claim is based on the "unpardonable harm done to the innocent girl by an uncaring nurse". The Graphic says the father of the little girl, Mr. Michael Boakye, told the paper that Adomah was admitted to the hospital on August 3, this year and diagnosed to be anaemic, requiring blood transfusion. He said after the transfusion on August 4, it was detected that the right arm of the little girl had become cold, dark and lifeless. The father said the blood transfusion was carried out by a nurse, Ms Grace Amankwaa, as no doctor visited the patient in the course of the transfusion. Mr. Boakye said when the case was reported to the hospital's doctors, they maintained that the patient be kept in bed until the following day, August 5. GRI

"Swear, saliva can't cause AIDS - Ahadzie", is the headline of another front page story in the Graphic which says there is no medical evidence as of now to support the claim that the HIV/AIDS virus can be transmitted through saliva, sweat, tears and kissing. The Graphic says Dr. Lawton Ahadzie, National Programme Manager of the National AIDS/Sexually-Transmitted Diseases (STDs) Control Programme who made this known noted that in Africa, the main mode of transmission of the virus is through sexual intercourse and to babies of affected victims. The Graphic says Dr. Ahadzie's statement was in apparent reaction to recent claims by Dr. Ronald Sowah, Western Regional Coordinator of Sexually- Transmitted Diseases at the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital in Takoradi that the AIDS virus could be transmitted through sweat, saliva and tears. GRI

In a centre spread story, the Graphic says the Vice-President, Professor J.E.A. Mills, has advised African engineers to relate their structural designs to the needs and resources of their peoples. Prof. Mills said in view of the scarcity of resources available, structural designs for countries on the continent should be functional and economic in nature. The Graphic says the Vice-President gave the advice when he opened the fourth international conference on "Structural Engineering Analysis and Modelling" in Accra yesterday. GRI