Ghanaian pathologist, Prof. Agyeman Badu Akosa
The Sovereign Head of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, has awarded Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa and a Deputy Director of Nursing Services (DDNS)Hilda Naa Sakya Commey as Officers in the Order of St John.
Prof. Akosa, the Former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), together with DDNS Commey, a Former CEO, St John Ambulance, were honoured as Officers in the Order of St John, while nine others were also admitted as Members of the Order St John.
In a release issued by the St John Ambulance Ghana to the Ghana News Agency on Monday, September 20, in Accra, it said the awards were in recognition of their outstanding service to humanity through St. John Ambulance.
It said St. John Ambulance Ghana was established in 1937, subverted under the Ministry of Health (MOH), and operated as an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) provider in the area of First Aid Services, Ambulance Services, Community Health, and Youth Development.
St John offers First Aid Training to organisations and individuals to equip them with skills to prepare for any medical emergencies, as part of its pre-hospital care mandate.
They also conduct health education in many Ghanaian languages on radio and television stations nationwide, as well as provide first aid services to both the playing body and spectators in all football stadia in the country and any mass gathering. Volunteers are the strong pedestal of the nationwide organisation.
The release said the agency was also a member of the Association of St John worldwide. HRM Queen Elizabeth II was the Sovereign Head of the Order of St. John.
Every year, the Queen gives awards to people who have performed distinguished service through the St John Association worldwide and this explains the current recognition and awarding of 11 distinguished personalities in Ghana.
“By convention, every Director-General of the GHS was the Council Chairman of St John and has the mandate to supervise its activities. The mandate given by the MoH is to make the GHS coordinate the activities of the agency in line with its overall activities nationwide.”
It said the award winners had supported first aid education in various forms during their tenure in office either as Director-General of GHS, or Council Member, or Staff or a Volunteer in the community.
The other award winners include Dr. Ebenezer Appiah Denkyira, Former Director General, Ghana Health Service, DDNS Esther Abla Mawufenya Anyidoho, Former CEO, St John Ambulance, Dr. Anthony Kwame Apedzi, Current CEO, St John Ambulance, Emmanuel Kwasi Asante, Ashanti Regional Coordinator, St John Ambulance.
The rest are Mr. Eric Obu Buetey, Volunteer of St John, Obuasi, Dr. Gilbert Nyaledzigbor, Former Council Member, St John Ambulance, Madam Dorothy Christiana Quist, Staff, Lawyer Dometi Kofi Sokpor, Former Council Member and Legal Advisor, and Samuel Laryea, Volunteer and Head of Teshie Division, St John.
The release said the award winners were approved by the Queen on August 24, 2020, and listed in the London Gazette of September 10, 2020, and each one of them received a medal and a certificate from Buckingham Palace.
“For Prof Agyeman Badu Akosa, the award is very significant as he has been awarded a Companion of the Order of Volta in Ghana and now, Officer of the Order of St John from the Buckingham Palace. All these awards are in recognition of his contribution towards healthcare delivery in Ghana and beyond, and thanked the Queen for the award, on behalf of the award winners.”
It said that the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Her Excellency Ms Harriet Thompson was delighted to have presided over the award ceremony as one of her major duties since she assumed office in Ghana, and encouraged St John to continue with the First Aid Service and its charity work.