Friday 21st June,2013…….the NNSS was privileged to welcome Reach For Change Ghana Program Manager Giulia Tavolato to our offices in Tamale.
CALL SYSTEM TAKES OFF
18th June 11:12 pm…..Hurray, Our long-awaited call system for newborn care(referral and feedback management) started today.Its still early days yet but the prsopects are huge!
We say a big thank you to Madam Deborah Akakpo and Madam Lovelace Owusu of Tigo Ghana for tirelessly working to ensure our dream just take shape.
We are truly grateful.
EXPANSION OF CALL NETWORK..18 DISTRICTS 35 FACILITIES
WITH THE ADDITION OF NEW FACILITIES TO OUR NETWORK THIS WEEK, THE NUMBER OF FACILITIES ON OUR NETWORK STANDS AT 35 ACROSS 18 DISTRICTS. THIS EXCLUDES THE TWO NATIONAL AMBULANCE STATIONS WE ARE HOPING TO CONNECT THIS WEEK.
PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR PHONE DIRECTORY BELOW. (PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL ANY OF THE FACILITIES TO CONFIRM OUR CLAIMS OR OTHERWISE)
PRESENTATION TO LABOUR WARD AND NICU OF TAMALE TEACHING HOSPITAL
In the course of the week we presented two of our phones (donated by Tigo) to the Labour ward of the tamale teaching hospital and the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
MEETING WITH THE NATIONAL AMBULANCE SERVICE
The NNSS team this week met with staff of the Tamale office of the national ambulance service. Our aim is to collaborate for effective referral system management.
Our initial target is to cover 2 stations of the ambulance service out of the 17 stations in the northern region. The two stations are the tamale main office and the Bimbilla station.
It is our hope that this pilot phase will help us assess our strategies better for expansion. We expect to conclude the agreement by mid-week. More soon.
“I SAW YOU ON TV” (Part Two)
Sunday June 9, 11:54 pm
A few days ago I posted the first part of what I titled “I saw you on TV”. This was intended to show the vigorous work schedule of a change leader amidst seeming success and recognition.Below is the concluding part of the events of last week……………
Advisor Session at Last! I was at Tigo Ghana office on Wednesday morning for my Advisor Session. It was a great experience. Amma, Nass,Ebo and Richard Gorvett were amazing. I hope to share more on the session in my subsequent posts.
Soon after the session I was running up the Tigo stairs to check on the status of the Closed User Group (CUG) call plan for our newborn call system. I must commend Deborah and Christopher in the Tigo CSR office for being extremely patient despite all the “worry” I cause them with this. I was asked to wait for a final call from another lady so I am keeping my fingers crossed.
And that was not all for my Wednesday. By 1:30 pm I had shuffled to the other side of town conducting an interview to select a Representative for the Accra area. The day finally ended with the typing of the advisor session proceedings and emailing to my advisors at about 9pm.Whew!
Bad day in a Public Office. Someone donate a TV set! My Thursday began at the Registrar General’s department, checking on the progress of our registration process started close to 4 months ago. And my word! I wish I had stayed home! First, the receptionist, continued with her phone call when I greeted her as if I had magically become invisible. After about 10 minutes I gave up and proceeded to another lady who”tossed” me back to the registry. Then I was told to wait for the occupant of an empty seat to her left. I gave up and left for the airport enroute to Tamale. Someone please tell those ladies to watch some TV to see the Tigo/Reach for Change “movement”(funny. Isn’t it)
Bad News to Start a Day…….and then Good News! As early as 8.30 am I was on the phone with Tigo officials regarding our CUG. I was told I had to wait one more week. I was crushed. My team members lost some steam. The donated phones had already been distributed to health facilities and they were anxiously waiting on me to start using them! Nevertheless we pulled ourselves together and got back to work. I was however thrilled when one of my Team informed me they had successfully organized a Parents Class Session while I was away in Accra.
I was thrilled because it strengthened my belief that building strong institutions is much better than merely having strong personalities. Rejuvenated, we went ahead to start our Strategic Dialogue.
It was at the end of this session when another man popped in bearing the words “I saw you on TV”.
The Lesson: This recap of events of the past week challenges me all the more. The seeming success and recognition a change leader gets comes at a price.
“I saw you on TV”…..Yes, it feels great to see your work succeed, but A GREAT SHOWROOM MUST BE MATCHED BY A ROBUST WORKSHOP. #Food for thought#
Strategic Dialogue
Fresh with info from the advisor session, I met with my team yesterday 7th June. This was intended to be the first part of our Strategic Dialogue.It was a very fruitful session.We are continuing today.
Watch out for details in my upcoming posts.Thanks
“I SAW YOU ON TV” (part one)
“I saw you on TV”. Those are words I hear on a daily basis since Tigo/Reach for Change started showing their latest documentaries. But coming from my mother-in-law last Friday, I had to seize the moment and blow the trumpet I just bought you know! (Tell me who on earth would have done different).Call me a loud mouth. I agree. I am the man! Got to show her how wide Tigo/Reach for Change makes me smile. A few hours ago, one of our staff came bearing the same words. I stood still and shook my head “If only they knew what it means to be a Change leader”
My readers will by now know that I am used to short, snappy blog posts. Today let’s do something different. After all, change is the only constant thing in life, and diversity they say, is the spice of life. So walk with me. Help me retrace the difficult steps I have taken this week as a Change Leader, in between those two exclamations of “I saw you on TV”.
Negotiating on the Runway. As early as 8am on Monday I had already arrived in Accra from Tamale, two clear days ahead of my first advisor session. What else could I do? I was so excited about my first advisor session. As soon as we disembarked I received a call from Tigo offices. Right there on the tarmac, enroute to the arrival lounge, I was negotiating a deal for the Closed User Group (CUG) for our newborn call network. I was so excited that I went to the Tigo offices right after dropping off my luggage at home. I was told to wait for a call to confirm. I waited with bated breath.
Drama at Korle Bu. Being high in spirits, I set off straight to the Korle-Bu teaching Hospital. My aim? To introduce the NNSS to the NICU staff and hope to get an experienced staff to consider volunteering as a resource person for our programme. Walking with my chest out in my NNSS T-shirt I walked through the hospital hoping to see my luck shine and someone exclaim “I saw you on TV”. Hmm, if wishes were horses………. . Ei! So if they did not recognize the face, how about the organizations’ T-shirt which I was parading around like a gallant Korean soldier. The reception at the NICU was good but after that, the least said about it, the better. I was practically tossed from one person and office to the other. I left the hospital feeling like my occiput (back of my head) had suddenly become heavier. So embarrassed, I left the place and didn’t even bargain with the Taxi driver. I just wanted to get home. And he too, I am sure he does not watch TV much. He charged me VERY WELL.
And so, that was how my Monday ended, a mixture of emotions in the first two stations of my twelve-station journey within two exclamations of “ I saw you on TV”.
Scared in the midst of Doctors. On Tuesday Morning at 8 am, I was on the premises of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS) at Ridge in Accra. With my desire to be the best I can be for children, I try to take advantage of opportunities to be a better doctor for children. I was here for an interview. As I walked up the stairs, three different colleagues resonated the phrase “I saw you on TV”. Some went on to say “Charlie the Tigo money, please don’t forget me”. Interesting isn’t it? In any case, my real problem was with the panelists. Did those consultants also watch TV? Will they articulate that phrase at well. If you are familiar with the medical profession in our country, I am sure you can draw your own conclusions by now. A culture with a silent rule of invisible oppression that stifles wonderful ideas, choking them with the fear of challenging the status quo. In any event my interview went well.
Designing Posters at Nkrumah Circle.Straight from Ridge, I headed for my graphic designer at Nkrumah Circle to pay for a set of posters I was making for the NNSS Newborn Call System. As usual the taxi driver did not appear to watch a lot of TV. He charged me the full fare.This is how I ended my Tuesday
Wow. How time fIies! Its already tomorrow. Its past 12 midnight. Will pause here and explain stations five through twelve in part two of this post. I yearn to complete this but as you know the woman-in law I was bragging to at the beginning of this post expects me to be a change leader in other ways! Until we meet again in part two of this post, please follow Reach For Change and Tigo in the media, learn and support all the change leaders so you can also say “I saw you on TV”.