Human rights advocate Prof. Kenneth Agyemang Atteffuah has faulted successive Presidents for failing to adhere to the constitutional provision in their State of the Nation Address to Parliament. Prof. Attaffuah observed that, successive presidents have virtually ignored Article 34 of the 1992 Constitution which puts an obligation on the President to explain the strategy government hopes to utilize in promoting human right issues in the country. He mentions that most Presidents in their State of the Nation Address to Parliament have paid little attention to issues regarding the realization of fundamental human rights, especially the right to health, which forms part of the socio-economic and cultural rights of the people. Speaking to Adom News in an interview after commissioning wards for the Community Hospital in Ashongman Estates, Prof. Attafuah urged the media to focus more on these rights instead of dwelling so much on political rights of people, although they are also vital to the development of the nation. According to him, the rights to education, good health, employment, worship and to live a life free of poverty which form an individual’s social, cultural and economic rights, are critical to nation building and must not be relegated to the background no matter the circumstances. He noted that former Presidents as well as current President John Mills have all used the opportunity to rather make political statements at the expense of these rights. “Only a few of the issues they talk about, meet the constitutional requirements. Most of them go to talk about partisan issues and leave out issues concerning fundamental human rights”, Prof. Attafuah stated. Prof. Attafuah commissioned one of five (5) newly built wards for the Community Hospital, Ashongman Estates in the Ga East Municipality of Accra. The five wards include two (2) general wards for women and children, as well as three (3) private wards. With the addition, the hospital which was established nearly two (2) years ago, has now increased its bed capacity from 35 to 60, while 40 more beds are expected to be added by December this year to further increase the capacity to 100. Story by Jerry Tsatro Mordy/Adom News