Monthly Archives: August 2017

Alternative Medicine – The New York Times

Posted: August 16, 2017 at 6:14 pm

Latest Articles

An ancient Chinese therapy called cupping is leaving its mark purple, bruise-like dots on Olympic athletes in Rio.

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS AND KAREN CROUSE

Curcumin, which gives turmeric its bright yellow-orange color, is said to aid digestion and quell inflammation, but whether it really helps remains unproven.

By RONI CARYN RABIN

Many hospitals give probiotics to patients, even though there is little evidence that these so-called beneficial bacteria are safe and effective.

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

Women receiving acupuncture showed some easing of menopausal symptoms, but the effects were no better than that of a sham treatment.

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

A new documentary pulls back the curtain on some of Americas most popular over-the-counter dietary supplements.

Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez was a fascinating figure in the world of cancer, one whose beliefs and treatments have fierce critics but whose insights have shed light on the mysteries of the illness.

By BARRON H. LERNER, M.D.

Like other forms of physical activity, tai chi may be an effective method for helping to reduce the risk of heart disease.

By RONI CARYN RABIN

Melatonin has been shown to be effective in randomized clinical trials, but it may work better for some sleep problems than others.

By RONI CARYN RABIN

A new study has shown that both cognitive behavioral therapy and tai chi may reduce both insomnia and inflammation.

A yearlong federal investigation into the dietary supplement industry has resulted in a crackdown on more than 100 companies accused of selling tainted or misleading products.

By PETER LATTMAN and ANAHAD OCONNOR

Sick people need all sorts of strategies, alongside medical ones, to deal with disease.

By SUSAN GUBAR

More and more doctors agree that such treatment can help ease back pain, and while all doubts have not been swept away, the author gave it a try.

By KATHERINE ELLISON

Banned in several countries, it is sold in the United States despite often lacking correct details on quantity, or anything about side effects.

Surgical patients who listen to music even while they are under general anesthesia have less anxiety and need less pain medication during recovery than those who do not, a large review of studies has found.

Vitamin D supplements may be ineffective in improving bone density or bone strength in postmenopausal women, a clinical trial has found.

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

People with chronic back, neck or joint pain commonly seek acupuncture and chiropractic care for relief, but many dont tell their doctors about it, a new study reports.

By RONI CARYN RABIN

Ethan Nichtern and his father, David, both teach meditation. The practice has shaped their bond through the years.

By ERIC V. COPAGE

More than half of the 22 top-selling probiotic supplements that researchers analyzed contained gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye that is harmful to people with celiac disease.

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

The Food and Drug Administration sent letters to the makers of eight dietary supplements on Thursday warning them that their products contain a synthetic, amphetaminelike stimulant that medical experts say is potentially dangerous.

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

Some leading vitamin stores announced that they were pulling from their shelves a group of controversial supplements that may contain the amphetamine-like stimulant BMPEA.

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

An ancient Chinese therapy called cupping is leaving its mark purple, bruise-like dots on Olympic athletes in Rio.

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS AND KAREN CROUSE

Curcumin, which gives turmeric its bright yellow-orange color, is said to aid digestion and quell inflammation, but whether it really helps remains unproven.

By RONI CARYN RABIN

Many hospitals give probiotics to patients, even though there is little evidence that these so-called beneficial bacteria are safe and effective.

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

Women receiving acupuncture showed some easing of menopausal symptoms, but the effects were no better than that of a sham treatment.

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

A new documentary pulls back the curtain on some of Americas most popular over-the-counter dietary supplements.

Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez was a fascinating figure in the world of cancer, one whose beliefs and treatments have fierce critics but whose insights have shed light on the mysteries of the illness.

By BARRON H. LERNER, M.D.

Like other forms of physical activity, tai chi may be an effective method for helping to reduce the risk of heart disease.

By RONI CARYN RABIN

Melatonin has been shown to be effective in randomized clinical trials, but it may work better for some sleep problems than others.

By RONI CARYN RABIN

A new study has shown that both cognitive behavioral therapy and tai chi may reduce both insomnia and inflammation.

A yearlong federal investigation into the dietary supplement industry has resulted in a crackdown on more than 100 companies accused of selling tainted or misleading products.

By PETER LATTMAN and ANAHAD OCONNOR

Sick people need all sorts of strategies, alongside medical ones, to deal with disease.

By SUSAN GUBAR

More and more doctors agree that such treatment can help ease back pain, and while all doubts have not been swept away, the author gave it a try.

By KATHERINE ELLISON

Banned in several countries, it is sold in the United States despite often lacking correct details on quantity, or anything about side effects.

Surgical patients who listen to music even while they are under general anesthesia have less anxiety and need less pain medication during recovery than those who do not, a large review of studies has found.

Vitamin D supplements may be ineffective in improving bone density or bone strength in postmenopausal women, a clinical trial has found.

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

People with chronic back, neck or joint pain commonly seek acupuncture and chiropractic care for relief, but many dont tell their doctors about it, a new study reports.

By RONI CARYN RABIN

Ethan Nichtern and his father, David, both teach meditation. The practice has shaped their bond through the years.

By ERIC V. COPAGE

More than half of the 22 top-selling probiotic supplements that researchers analyzed contained gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye that is harmful to people with celiac disease.

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

The Food and Drug Administration sent letters to the makers of eight dietary supplements on Thursday warning them that their products contain a synthetic, amphetaminelike stimulant that medical experts say is potentially dangerous.

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

Some leading vitamin stores announced that they were pulling from their shelves a group of controversial supplements that may contain the amphetamine-like stimulant BMPEA.

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

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Alternative Medicine - The New York Times

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Alternative medicine has its own benefits – The Straits Times

Posted: at 6:14 pm

I was terribly disturbed by the report (More harm than good; Aug 15) which gave the impression that nearly all complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are harmful.

This will potentially deprive patients of an avenue to seek better outcomes for their health conditions.

The report mentions studies that were carried out, but as we know studies can be biased, depending on who funds them. It is nice to give a textbook answer but what is more important is to find out whether CAM benefited the patient, and if so, in what way.

The news report cites studies on arthritis and how patients had suffered from delayed treatment because they had first sought CAM.

However, I have also seen patients recover solely from diet change and herbs.

I agree that herbs may interact with medications. This is why patients should seek qualified CAM professionals for advice, who are also trained in herb-drug interactions.

In contrast, most medical doctors are not trained professionally in herbs and diet.

I am not trying to defend CAM. All kinds of medicines, whether is conventional or natural has value and we should not drive a wedge between the two groups.

Sebastian Liew

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Alternative medicine has its own benefits - The Straits Times

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Alternative medicine doubles risk of cancer death – Australian Journal of Pharmacy (registration) (blog)

Posted: at 6:14 pm

Researchers from the Cancer Outcomes, Public Policy and Effectiveness Research (COPPER) Center at Yale School of Medicine and Yale Cancer Center studied 840 patients with breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal cancer in the National Cancer Database (NCDB) a joint project of the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons and the American Cancer Society.

The NCDB represents about 70% of newly diagnosed cancers across the United States.

The researchers compared 280 patients who chose alternative medicine to 560 patients who had received conventional cancer treatment. The patients were diagnosed from 2004 to 2013.

Conventional treatment was defined as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and/or hormone therapy. Use of alternative therapies was undertaken alone, rather than in conjunction with conventional treatment.

The patients who used alternative therapies alone were two and a half times more likely to die within five years of their diagnosis: 54.7% compared to 78.3% of those who used conventional therapies were still alive at the end of five years.

The risk of death spiked to 5.68 times more likely for those with breast cancer who used only alternative treatments.

The growth of interest in pursuing alternative medicine instead of conventional cancer treatment has created a difficult situation, the researchers say; there is limited research evaluating the effectiveness of alternative medicine.

We became interested in this topic after seeing too many patients present in our clinics with advanced cancers that were treated with ineffective and unproven alternative therapies alone, said the studys senior author, Dr.James B. Yu, associate professor of therapeutic radiology at Yale Cancer Center.

Lead author Dr Skyler Johnson said that the research provides evidence that using alternative medicine in place of proven cancer therapies results in worse survival.

It is our hope that this information can be used by patients and physicians when discussing the impact of cancer treatment decisions on survival.

Dr. Cary Gross, co-author of the study, called for further research, adding, Its important to note that when it comes to alternative cancer therapies, there is just so little known patients are making decisions in the dark.

We need to understand more about which treatments are effective whether were talking about a new type of immunotherapy or a high-dose vitamin and which ones arent, so that patients can make informed decisions.

The research was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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Alternative medicine doubles risk of cancer death - Australian Journal of Pharmacy (registration) (blog)

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Talk to your doctor before taking supplements – CapeGazette.com

Posted: at 6:13 pm

Q. I've been reading about athletes using steroids to build themselves up. Do these drugs work for older men?

First, some background on steroids. There are two types of steroids: corticosteroids and anabolic steroids. Corticosteroids, such as cortisone and prednisone, are drugs that help control inflammation. Anabolic steroids, such as androstenedione or andro, are substances that can help the body make muscle.

Corticosteroids, which are like hormones that your adrenal glands produce to fight stress, are used to treat arthritis, asthma, lupus, multiple sclerosis, eczema and some kinds of cancer.

Anabolic steroids are drugs that are like the body's natural male sex hormone testosterone. Testosterone directs the body to produce or enhance male characteristics. Medical uses of anabolic steroids include some hormone problems in men, late puberty and muscle loss from some diseases.

When anabolic steroids increase the levels of testosterone in the blood, they stimulate muscle tissue in the body to grow larger and stronger. The effects of too much testosterone can be harmful. Some of the negative effects are rage, liver disease, high cholesterol, severe acne, baldness and infertility.

So-called natural steroids such as DHEA that are sold as over-the-counter supplements at many health food stores can have the same harmful effects as synthetic steroids. The only difference between natural and synthetic steroids is that synthetic steroids are made in a lab and are chemically altered.

Prior to January 2005, anabolic steroid supplements containing androstenedione also were available at health food stores. Because of safety issues, however, these supplements now cannot be sold without a prescription.

Because some hormone levels drop with age, there's a theory that this decline causes us to age. Declining levels of testosterone, the male sex hormone, have been linked with decreased energy and sex drive, muscle weakness and osteoporosis. But, can you reverse aging by restoring your hormones?

DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is a hormone secreted by the adrenal gland. DHEA levels in the body begin to decrease after age 30. Your body converts DHEA into the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone. Proponents say it slows aging, increases muscle and bone strength, burns fat, improves cognition, bolsters immunity and protects against chronic diseases.

There is no convincing medical evidence to support these claims about DHEA. Even short-term use of DHEA may cause liver damage.

There is sufficient evidence supporting the use of DHEA in the treatment of adrenal insufficiency, depression, induction of labor, and lupus.

There is a lack of available studies on the long-term effects of DHEA. However, DHEA may cause higher-than-normal levels of androgens and estrogens in the body, and theoretically may increase the risk of prostate, breast, ovarian, and other hormone-sensitive cancers. Therefore, it is not recommended for regular use without supervision by a licensed healthcare professional.

Don't believe advertisements that tell you supplements are natural remedies, implying that they can't hurt you. Some people try supplements such as coral calcium, ginseng and echinacea to stop aging. There isn't any evidence to support the claims for these supplements either.

Talk to your doctor before taking any supplement. Ingredients in supplements can cause harmful interactions with your medications, and serious side effects.

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Talk to your doctor before taking supplements - CapeGazette.com

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First pass for Minehunter Service Life Extension – Australian Defence – Australian Defence Magazine

Posted: at 6:12 pm

The Commonwealth has granted First Pass approval to extend the service life for Navys Huon Class Minehunter Coastal vessels, and Thales Australia is to deliver and support new deployable mine countermeasures (MCM) over the next 15 years.

The Head of Navy Capability, Rear Admiral Jonathan Mead, said the project forecast in the Defence White Paper 2016 will ensure Defence is able to provide an effective maritime mine countermeasure capability out to the 2030s.

Minehunters play a vital role in protecting Australias ships, harbours and infrastructure from the threat of sea mines, RADM Mead said.

First Pass approval is a major milestone for this project that will see the life of the Minehunters extended to ensure there is no gap in mine warfare capability as we determine the replacement vessels.

The Huon Class have proven highly capable, supporting Defences international engagement strategy through participation in exercises and operations to secure our sea lanes and disposing of WWII explosive remnants, and they will continue to serve Australia for years to come.

In addition to its mine warfare role, the Huon Class vessels play a unique role in Defence assistance to the civil community and in 2011 provided support in response to severe flooding in Queensland, including the disposal of debris that posed a navigational hazard, RADM Mead said.

The Australian Defence industry will be heavily involved in the future of the platforms. Negotiations are underway with Thales Australia to engage them as the Prime Systems Integrator to deliver the project. Under Thales lead there will be opportunities for other Australian companies to support the Minehunters through their service life.

The Huon class were built by Thales Australia, formerly ADI, and were introduced into service in the early 2000s.

With regard to deployable MCM, RADM Mead said the prevalence and increasing sophistication of sea mines means the RAN must continue to improve the way it finds and disposes of these mines.

New autonomous and remote-controlled technologies deployed from within the maritime task force provides the opportunity to find and dispose of sea mines more safely and efficiently, RADM Mead said.

In the 2030s, Defence will seek to replace its specialised mine hunting and environmental survey vessels with a single fleet of multi-role vessels embarking advanced autonomous and uninhabited systems.

RADM Mead said these newly introduced systems are the first step in realising a future capability which would allow the Royal Australian Navy to clear sea mines with minimal risk to its people and assets.

Thales Australia Ltd will deliver and support the new equipment over the next 15 years, RADM Mead said.

The new capability will primarily be based and sustained at HMASWaterhenin Sydney, NSW.

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First pass for Minehunter Service Life Extension - Australian Defence - Australian Defence Magazine

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Doxycycline time release capsules – Shelf life extension program doxycycline – Filipino Express

Posted: at 6:12 pm

Doxycycline time release capsules - Shelf life extension program doxycycline
Filipino Express
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Doxycycline time release capsules - Shelf life extension program doxycycline - Filipino Express

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Australian Navy receives first pass approval for Huon-class minehunters – Naval Technology

Posted: at 6:12 pm

The Government of Australia has granted first pass approval for the service life extension of the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) Huon-class minehunter coastal vessels.

Navy Capability head rear admiral Jonathan Mead said that the project will ensure that the RAN is capable of providing an effective maritime mine countermeasure capability by 2030.

Mead said: Minehunters play a vital role in protecting Australias ships, harbours and infrastructure from the threat of sea mines.

First Pass approval is a major milestone for this projectthat will see the life of the minehunters extended to ensure there is no gap in mine warfare capability as we determine the replacement vessels.

"First Pass approval is a major milestone for this project that will see the life of the minehunters extended to ensure there is no gap in mine warfare capability."

The Huon-class have proven highly capable, supporting defences international engagement strategy through participation in exercises and operations to secure our sea lanes and disposing of Second World War explosive remnants, and they will continue to serve Australia for years to come.

The Australian Navys Huon-class ships also provide defence assistance to the civil community.

Thales Australia originally constructed the vessels, which came into service with the RAN in the early 2000s.

Negotiations are currently underway with Thalesto contract the company as theprime systems integrator forthe project.

The Huon-class minehunter coastal ships previously provided support during severe flooding in Queensland in 2011, including disposal of debris.

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Australian Navy receives first pass approval for Huon-class minehunters - Naval Technology

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US cities rush to take down Confederate monuments after Charlottesville – The Independent

Posted: at 6:11 pm

In the fallout from the violent rally in Charlottesville last weekend, a renewed sense of urgency to remove Confederate monuments has taken hold in towns and municipalities across the country.

Under the cover of darkness, workers in Baltimore removed four statues memorialising Confederate figures, after the city council voted unanimously to make moves immediately. Statues in Lexington, Kentucky, are set to be taken down as well, pending approval from a state historical board. A woman in Durham, North Carolina was recently arrested for allegedly tearing down a statue there.

We cannot continue to glorify a war against the United States of America fought in the defence of slavery, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper later wrote in a post on Medium in what was a light condemnation of the events in Durham, and a call for official action. These monuments should come down.

The movement to take down the statues which some argue represent a violent and racist history, while others say are simply a tribute to Southern heritage echoes the zeitgeist seen in 2015, after nine black churchgoers were murdered in cold blood by a white supremacist hoping to start a race war. Photographs of the killer showed him posing with the Confederate flag, sparking outrage that led to efforts across the South to remove that flag from public grounds. The recent rally in support of keeping a Confederate monument also drew blood, and now the rush to remove the monuments is the topic of discussion in manycommunities with similar statues or plaques.

The debate over Confederate monuments isnt exactly new, however. Public displays honouring Confederate figures and ideas can be seen all across the United States, and many localities have been considering removal for a long time.

There were some victories for the anti-Confederate monument camp in the absence of national tragedy, too: New Orleans removed four statues earlier this year, for example. Activists in Hollywood, Florida, tell The Independent that their years-long effort to rename streets honouring Confederate figures is on the verge of succeeding.

But, the very fact that this is being debated after a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville ostensibly to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee turned terribly wrong, shows how polarising the issue can be. Tensions were so high in Charlottesville that the planned rally needed to be disbursed almost immediately after its scheduled starting time, but clashes continued between demonstrators and counter protesters. That violence culminated in the death of a woman after a white supremacist allegedly drove his car through a crowd.

There are more than 1,500 Confederate monuments or symbols on public grounds around the country, according to the Southern Poverty Law Centre. That includes more than 700 monuments, and more than 100 public schools named after Confederate generals.

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US cities rush to take down Confederate monuments after Charlottesville - The Independent

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Personal and Politically Charged, the Press Release for Kara Walker’s New Show Is a Work of Art All by Itself – artnet News

Posted: at 6:11 pm

The title of Kara Walkers upcoming solo exhibition at New Yorks Sikkema Jenkins & Co., even by Walkers baroque standards, is ostentatious: Sikkema Jenkins and Co. is Compelled to present The most Astounding and Important Painting show of the fall Art Show viewing season! But its the extraordinary press release for the show that has already caused a stir on social media.

The first half of the release is written in the style of an old-timey advertisement for a sideshow attraction. It reads, in part, as acritique of the blockbuster status of Walkers previous exhibitions, such as her 2014 Creative Time installation, A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby.

That35-by-75 sculpture, of a conspicuously naked black women rendered in tons and tons of white sugar, seemed to capture the cultural zeitgeist, attracting crowds and becoming an Instagram sensation during its run at an abandoned Brooklyn sugar factory.

Earlier this year, Walker toldNew Yorkmagazine that she was surprised to find that visitors to the exhibition were just as quick to gawk at her, when she stopped by, as at the mammoth sculpture.

That interview also hinted at Walkers struggles with her fame.Were in too much of a celebrity culture, she said, but at least that means I can be a disappointment to others.

Kara Walker, A Subtlety (2014). Courtesy Creative Time/photographer Jason Wyche.

Walker catapulted to fame in 1994, at the age of just 25, with her show at New Yorks Drawing Center, Gone:An Historical Romance of a Civil War as It Occurred btween the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her Heart. The exhibition introduced her signature, paper cut-outs in the style of vintage silhouettes, depictingcartoonish scenes of horror and debauchery from the Antebellum South.

Famously, that work attracted protest from artists including Betye Saar, a veteran of the Black Arts Movement whose letter condemning Walkers work askedAre African Americans being betrayed under the guise of art?.

Kara Walker, Gone, An Historical Romance of Civil War As it Occurred Between the Dusky Thighs of Young Negress and Her Heart (1994). Courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art.

The new press release preemptively anticipates (or courts) more contemporary criticism, with a tone at once defiant and ironic:

Students of Color will eye her work suspiciously and exercise their free right to Culturally Annihilate her on social media. Parents will cover the eyes of innocent children. School Teachers will reexamine their art history curricula. Prestigious Academic Societies will withdraw their support, former husbands and former lovers will recoil in abject terror. Critics will shake their heads in bemused silence. Gallery Directors will wring their hands at the sight of throngs of the gallery-curious flooding the pavement outside. The Final President of the United States will visibly wince. Empires will fall, although which ones, only time will tell.

Kara Walker, U.S.A. Idioms(2017), detail. Courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co.

But the textthen shifts into a more personal and world-weary register in a second section, in which Walker begins by addressing the motivation for the unusual press release itself:

I dont really feel the need to write a statement about a painting show. I know what you all expect from me and I have complied up to a point. But frankly I am tired, tired of standing up, being counted, tired of having a voice or worse being a role model.

Read the full exhibition press release here:

Kara Walker: Sikkema Jenkins and Co. is Compelled to present The most Astounding and Important Painting show of the fall Art Show viewing season! is on view at Sikkema Jenkins & Co., 530 West 22nd Street, New York, September 7October 14, 2017.

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Personal and Politically Charged, the Press Release for Kara Walker's New Show Is a Work of Art All by Itself - artnet News

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Government is keen on establishing a digital economy – Minister – Ghana News Agency

Posted: at 6:10 pm

By Amadu Kamil Sanah, GNA

Accra, Aug. 16, GNA - Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the Minister of Communications, said Government was keen on establishing a digital economy which would improve efficiency of government business.

She said the Ministry of Communications was currently implementing a number of projects under the e-Transform initiative namely e-Immigration, e-Parliament, e-Procurement, Tertiary Institutions Connectivity Programme and e-Justice to achieve that goal.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful who said at the inauguration of the Board of Directors of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) in Accra, urged the Board to be proactive and efficient in its operations to ensure success in their endeavour.

The Board, which is chaired by Dr Mohammed-Sani Abdulai, include, Mr Jeffrey Konadu Addo, NITA Acting Director-General, Mr Gerard Nana Kwakwa Osei-Tutu, Dr Gezer Osei Yeboah-Boateng and Mr Emmanuel Mensah-Bonsu.

Other members are Mr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, Ms Ama Daaku, Mr Kwasi Agyei Tabi, and Mr. Ernest Andam Brown.

Section 9(1)(a) of the NITA Act, Act 771, 2008, enjoins members of the Board to submit to the Agency a written declaration that includes details of their shareholdings, debentures or other interests in a company whether directly or indirectly owned, public or charitable appointments as well as directorships held by the member.

The Act also enjoins members to inform the Agency of any change in respect of that members shareholdings, debentures or other interests in the company whether directly or indirectly owned by the member, and not knowingly make a false declaration.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said the successful implementation of the e-Transform initiative depended on the efficient management of NITAs infrastructure and call on Board and management to work to ensure high service level attainments.

She said the Ministry of Communication have set a target to enforce the usage of Government Domain name across all Government Agencies and Department for the transaction of official business and NITA is expected to facilitate the achievement of the target.

The Communications Minister said to be able achieve all these targets, NITA needed to operationalise its regulatory mandate which has not been done since the law was passed in 2008.

She said Governments intended to scale up the use of technology at all levels to facilitate the implementation of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-led socio-economic agenda for which reason, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo has constituted the Board to deliver on this mandate guided by the principles in the NITA Act of 2008 (Act 771 and Act 778).

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said the President, in constituting this Board, considered the diverse expertise and experience of members and have no doubt that members would implement innovative strategies to resolve the challenges of the Agency and transform it into an effective organization capable of leading the implementation of the Digital Ghana Agenda.

She said Government has made significant investment in building an extensive ICT infrastructure that has been placed in the care of NITA and expected that this will be managed efficiently and profitably.

The Public Services Commission has approved the administrative structure and scheme of Service to enable NITA engage qualified professionals into the Agency. I entreat the Board to support the management in its effort to build the requisite capacity for the agency.

In view of the urgency of attracting and retaining requisite skilled manpower to manage government IT assets, I urge the Board to reengage the Public Service Commission to improve upon the conditions of service of your staff, she said.

The Minister said, her outfit have informed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to seek NITAs input before acquiring any IT solution, application, platform or device to ensure the interoperability of the government IT architecture to end the culture of working in silos.

She urged the board to expedite work to ensure effective discharge of its mandate by Setting the standards for all IT applications, systems, devices procured by MMDAS, Enhance your regulatory functions as soon as possible by passing and implementing the requisite LIs and Establish Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to ensure secure online transactions, enhance delivery of online services and enhance e-government implementation, mindful of the ongoing work in this regard.

They are also to Establish an effective customer complaints unit to address complaints from the public and MDAs on the quality of its service, develop an effective marketing strategy for use of the National Data Centre as a secure and safe infrastructure for data storage, Manage Governments broadband infrastructure effectively to provide efficient services to its client and Recover subscription fees and charges for the supply of Bandwidth to MDAs.

Dr Abdulai assured the Minister of the Boards commitment to re-position NITA by building its human resource based to promote the government digital economy agenda.

He said the Board recognised the importance of ICT in a growing economy and that the responsibility of building a quality service delivery would be achieved through revisiting NITAs business strategy and leverage the Community Information Centres to become learning centres of its various locations.

NITA was set up under the National Information Technology Act (Act 771) of 2008 and mandated to regulate the deployment of ICT, Promote standards in technology applications and ensure high quality of technology service among government agencies at the national, regional and local levels in a harmonized manner.

It is also to Promote private sector partnership in ICT deployment, ensure security of networks at all times, advise the Ministry on policy review in the ICT sector and Investigate, resolve disputes between license holders under the Electronic Transactions Act referred to the Agency by license holders and to certify all agencies established under the Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772).

GNA

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