Accra, Nov. 9, GNA - The Right to Information Coalition (RTI) on Monday commended government for its commitment to pass the bill into law by the end of the year.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra, Nana Oye Lithur, Convener, RTI Coalition of Ghana, said the clear timeframe by Government was an indication that Ghana would set the pace for other West African nations to emulate. Nana Oye said people's right to access information had been widely recognized as an essential pre-requisite for an effective and functional democracy.

In Ghana, this is echoed in Article 21 (1) (f) of the 1992 Constitution which provides for every individual's right to information subject to such qualifications and laws as are necessary in a democratic society. She said the RTI was therefore an Act to provide for the implementation of the constitutional right to information held by a public agency and a private body.

This is subject to exemptions that are necessary and consistent with the protection of the public interest in a democratic society. This will foster a culture of transparency and accountability in public affairs, to contain corruption and to provide for related matters. Nana Oye said: "This law places an obligation on public agencies and private bodies to provide to any person access to information and in response to a formal request received, in a timely, inexpensive and reasonable manner."

She said the Coalition in collaboration with the African Commission of Health and Human Rights Promoters (CAPSDH) had set November 12 for engagement with health professionals.

The November dialogue on the theme: "Hippocratic Oath within the Framework of the Right to Information," seeks to create a platform for health professionals and human rights activists to have a diagnosis of the oath and scrutinize the RTI bill under the microscope, which will set the pace for combining health knowledge with knowledge of law and ethics. Speakers will be Mr Akoto Ampaw, Executive Member of the Right to Information Coalition of Ghana, officials of the Ghana Medical Association, Ghana Bar Association, Ghana Registered Nurses Association, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Police Hospital, 37 Military Hospital, Ghana AIDS Commission and Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice. Other discussants will be from Ministry of Health, Ministry of Information, Attorney General and Ministry of Justice, Ghana Journalists Association, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Ghana), Judicial Service, Ridge Hospital, and RTI Coalition. It will be chaired by Professor Kwame Karikari of the Media Foundation for West Africa. In an interview Dr Edmund Delle, President of CAPSDH, said the dialogue was to create a platform for human rights and health advocates to begin the process of sharing experiences; to stimulate the creation of collaborative networks for research, education, communication and advocacy; and strengthen national solidarity among people working in health and human rights fields. He said deliberations from the monthly dialogue would be published in CAPSDH's monthly newsletter, which would serve as educational and resource material for the public. CAPSDH is a non-governmental organization dedicated to the defence and promotion of the ideas enshrined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. 9 Nov. 09