The National Lottery Authority (NLA) has provided the chiefs and people of Lonto in the Sangwai Traditional Area in the Kpandai District in the Northern Region with GH¢9,500 to undertake a health-screening exercise.
The package is also to help enroll a total of 100 vulnerable persons including women, children and the aged in the Lonto community, onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to enable them to access health care.
The health-screening exercise and registration of the beneficiaries for the NHIS formed part of activities to mark the first anniversary of the enstoolment of Nana Kofi Kwasare II, to the Amankrado Stool of the Sangwai Traditional Area.
The occasion was also used to launch a health and education foundation for the area.
Health screening
The inhabitants of the area, comprising the aged, women, men and children, received free medical screening for malaria, blood pressure and diabetes. Those with serious eyesight problems, such as cataract who needed specialist care, were referred to the nearest bigger health facilities while those who were screened with malaria were given medication.
The health screening was undertaken by health personnel from the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital and the Salaga Government Hospital
NHIS subscribers
According to an official from the NHIS responsible for the Kpandai and East Gonja districts, Mr Briamah Mohammed Joe, a total of 98,000 people from the two districts had registered for the NHIS, in addition to the 100 people who were registered during the health screening.
The Corporate Communications Manager of the NLA, Mrs Kesewah Dolpyne, who presented the cheque on behalf of the NLA at the durbar to climax the celebrations which were held together with the health screening exercise at Lonto, said the support formed part of NLA’s corporate social responsibility to support residents in the communities to improve on their health status.
She said the NLA did not only support initiatives to promote health, education and the preservation of the cultural heritage of people in the urban centre, but also in rural and hard-to-reach communities such as Lonto, as a way of giving back to the society.
Appreciation
A member of the Planning Committee of the anniversary, Rev. Kwasi Addai-Naami, on behalf of the chiefs and people of Lonto, thanked the NLA for helping to organize the free health screening exercise for the community to help meet the health needs of the people and stated that the free medical screening would be an annual affair on the calendar for the community.
He said the community had a health centre but the roof of the maternity block was ripped off during a rainstorm recently and therefore, appealed for assistance to enable them to re-roof the building and also rehabilitate the feeder road linking Lonto to Kpandai, the district capital.
Personal hygiene
In an address read on his behalf, the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Limuna, urged the people to observe personal hygiene and always keep their surroundings clean to avoid diseases such as malaria, diarrhea and other communicable ones.
The Chief of the Lonto Traditional Area, Nana Kofiwuram II, also expressed his appreciation to NLA for the support and called on other corporate and benevolent organisations to contribute to a health and education foundation launched by the traditional council to promote health and education in the area.
