From Isaac Akwetey-Okunor
Residents of the regional capital, Koforidua, came out in their numbers last Friday to participate in a free health screening exercise put together by the Vodafone Foundation Ghana.
The young, old and even children took their seats as early as 7:00 a.m. and waited patiently to be screened. As at 12 noon, over 200 people had gone through screening for Blood Pressure (BP), HIV and diabetes among other ailments.
The participants were also schooled on the need to take their health and diet serious by representatives of the Nutrition and Food Science Students Society (NFSSS) of the University of Ghana, Legon. Participants suffering minor ailments were given medication, while others were referred to hospitals for further medical attention. The medical personnel, made up of doctors, nurses and pharmacists, were drawn from the Koforidua Central Hospital.
The nationwide free health screening campaign, an initiative to bring quality health delivery to the doorsteps of Ghanaians, has so far travelled to five regions – Ashanti, Volta, Brong Ahafo, Northern and Greater Accra. Throwing light on the exercise, the Vodafone Foundation and Sustainability Manager, Afriyie Ofori-Okorea, reiterated that Vodafone was not only concerned about business, but committed to giving back to society.
“Ghanaians, and for that matter residents of Koforidua, have demonstrated unshakable loyalty to the company since its inception, and it would be nice, as our tradition, to give back to the people for their continued commitment towards the company,” she disclosed.
She continued: “For us at Vodafone, we do not only concentrate and focus on business, but also concerned about the overall development of the people, particularly, their health, since there would be effective productivity there is sound health”.
The Vodafone Foundation and Sustainability Manager said that the Vodafone Foundation was established in 2009 to drive sustainable social interventions in communities all over Ghana, and since its establishment, it had championed social and impactful investment programmes in the country.
These include transforming the Korle-Bu Cancer Ward into a state-of-the-art cancer treatment facility, building an ultra-modern community library for a cluster of schools at Asofan, providing incubators for the Tamale Hospital, assisting NADMO disaster recovery efforts by providing fibre glass speed boats, and promoting mental health awareness.
It has also introduced HealthLine 255, a medical call centre run by doctors and nurses to provide advice to millions of Ghanaians on health issues. Another project of the Foundation is World of Difference, which seeks to mobilise people to take time out and work for a charity of their choice.
A participant, 70 year old Madam Naomi Boateng, paid compliments to Vodafone Foundation Ghana for organising the programme, adding that but for the free health screening, she would not have been able to afford going to hospital for it.
According to her, not only is the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) malfunctioning, but the stress and challenges that old people go through when they visit the various health facility was enough to discourage them from accessing health care. She appealed to the management of the Foundation, not only to observe the programme annually, but, if possible, every three months, to keep them healthy until the good Lord calls them (the aged) to eternal glory.