More than 2,000 people, mostly women and children, drawn from a cluster of communities in the Volta Region, have benefited from a five-day free medical screening organised by a non-governmental organisation (NGO), International Needs Ghana.
The medical screening was conducted by a team of 25 medical experts made up of doctors, nurses, paramedics from Ghana and the USA, who checked the sugar levels of the people and screened them for malaria, diabetes
, hypertension, skin diseases and pneumonia.
The patients were offered free treatment and free drugs.
The exercise was organised in deprived communities such as Kuve, Agbeve, Kebenu, Mepe and Lasivenu.
Those with more serious conditions such as eye problems, diabetes and hypertension were referred to clinics or hospitals for treatment.
Deworming
The doctors provided medicines to deworm all the people who came for the medical screening, and also food supplement to those who suffered from malnutrition.
In an interview, the head of programme of the NGO, Mr Cromwell Awadey, disclosed that the programme was conducted every year , in collaboration with partners from other countries.
According to him, this year, the organisation spent GH¢75,000 on organising the medical exercise aimed at providing free medical screening and healthcare services for people who needed quality health care.
Mr Cromwell stated that although everybody in the community who wished to be medically examined received assistance, the focus was on women and children because the programme was expected to increase their life expectancy, reduce infant mortality and improve maternal health in the communities.
A nurse with International Needs, U.S, Mrs Terry Heyward, observed that most of the people never visited health facilities and were, therefore, ignorant of their health status.
She said majority of the people, especially the elderly, who were diagnosed to be hypertensive, did not know they had that problem.
Appeal for CHPS compound
The beneficiaries, who said they were enthused about the support from the organisation, urged the team to continue with the good work but also made a passionate appeal to the government to establish a Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound in the area, to meet their health needs.
International Needs, Ghana, for 30 years, had made great strides in reaching many communities in Ghana with various development projects, bringing hope to many individuals and families by providing skills and empowering the vulnerable persons to make a living.
The organisation is particularly committed to ensuring that women and children were protected from socio-economic and socio-cultural abuses.
