MyHelp-YourHelp Foundation, a Christian charitable organisation (NGO) with focus on education, health and social services has organised a free health screening for the people of Ashaiman and its environs in the Greater Accra Region.
The health screening, which was held over the weekend saw more than 700 people, including children being screened for various diseases including malaria, hypertension, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS.
The beneficiaries were also sensitised to heart diseases, stroke, alcoholism and drug abuse, among others.
Those whose conditions needed further clinical diagnoses and treatment were referred to bigger health facilities.
The foundation also teamed up with the National Health Insurance Scheme to register residents without health insurance onto the scheme, while those with expired membership had it renewed for them.
Speaking with journalists after the exercise, the head of the medical team of the foundation, Dr Riches Esiape, said the gesture had helped to inform the people on their health status.
“Surprisingly we found a lot of children with blood in the urine and we intend to alert the District Director of Health,” he said, adding “based on the discovery, we are suspecting that the children with blood in their urine might be swimming in the river bodies around the neighbourhood.”
DrEsiape, who is also the Medical Manager of Cocoa Clinic, has therefore, advised parents in Ashaiman and its adjourning communities to discourage or prevent their children from swimming in the nearby water bodies, calling for a mass treatment for the children in the Ashaiman areas.
The founder and Chief Executive Officer of the foundation, Mr Nicholas Cofie, explained that the foundation was established to make a difference in the life of the less fortunate people in communities by providing access to life’s basic needs including healthcare, quality education and other basic human needs.
He said the exercise was targeted at providing an opportunity for people, especially those who could not afford frequent medical check-ups due to financial constraints, to have access to medical care.
He said he was excited about the successful outcome of the screening, stressing that the screening was a social responsibility of the foundation to the community.
Mr Cofie commended Cocoa Clinic, Widama Pharmacy, Dannex Ayrton Starwin PLC and Kafnam Company Ltd for supporting the exercise with medical kits and drugs for the exercise, saying their sponsorship greatly contributed to the success of the event.
By Benedicta Gyimaah Folley
