The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) yesterday held a free health screening exercise and donated assorted items to residents of Onyaadze in the Gomoa-West District of the Central Region.
The activities formed part of projects initiated in celebration of the Institute’s 40th anniversary celebration.
Dr Michael Ofori, Head of Immunology Department at NMIMR, speaking at the event said the donation and health screening were the institute’s way of giving back to the community, and explained that the activities were held at the Noguchi Memorial Health Centre because that was the birthplace of the institute.
“We brought top researchers and medical staff from the head office in Accra and with the help of nurses at the health centre we were able to attend to all the participants who came,” Dr Ofori added.
During the event two fridges, 10 plastic chairs, two office chairs, examination screen, nebulizer, eight boxes of examination gloves, a box of pipettes, 34 pieces of macintosh and 500 bed nets were donated to the health centre by NMIMR, and to the residents and school children in the area, an assortment of second-hand clothes and footwear were distributed.
Mr Cletus Bayor receiving the items on behalf of the health centre thanked NMIMR for the donation, saying, “They would be put to use immediately to serve the people of Onyaadze and its environs”.
He also pleaded with other organisations to also donate to the centre to aid in efficient healthcare delivery.
The health screening saw over 200 residents in Onyaadze tested for malaria, tuberculosis, blood pressure, yaws, HIV, syphilis, hepatitis, hepatitis B and nutrition.
The residents also received free x-rays as part of the tuberculosis test.
Ms Stella Aikins, Physician’s Assistant at the health centre, expressed her gratitude to NMIMR for the donation, adding that the donation would go a long way to help the centre and all 12 communities that relied on it.
She, however, urged other institutions and government to provide other much needed equipment to improve the facilities of the centre.
FROM FREDERICK GADESE-MENSAH, GOMOA-ONYAADZE
