Over 400 residents of the Madina Municipality in Accra have benefitted from a free health screening and a health walk organised by Crisis Intervention Africa Foundation.
The exercise focused on Post Trauma Stress Disorder (PTSD). The residents also benefitted from free general health screening and immunisation services, including malaria test, eye screening, blood pressure check, ear, nose and throat diagnoses, dental healthcare, blood sugar, body mass index (BMI), hepatitis B and many more. They were further provided with free general consultation and medication according to their ailments.
The exercise was under the theme ‘Addressing Trauma as Means of Fighting Mental Disorders’ and was supported by the foundation’s partners – including Adom City Estate, Tobinco Pharmaceutical Company, Mega Lifesciences Company, Sunny FM, among others.
The Vice Board Chair of the foundation, Abdul-Latif Bogobiri, said the intervention is part of the foundation’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) to not only accentuate the issue of PTSD in society, but also to advocate for it to become part of mainstream public health discourse to be addressed, adding that it also aimed at serving the basic health needs of the disadvantaged and underserved in society.
According to him, the foundation chose Madina as the place for the screening because apart from it being densely populated, it has a huge market area and is home to a lot of underserved people who are unable to afford the high cost of medical care.
“We deal with trauma-related issues, and we will continue to engage the public by organising health talks in churches and in mosques within our communities and workplaces to conscientise them about the effects of PTSD, the triggers, and how to deal or cope with them. We have helped a lot of people in the situation psychologically through training, orientation and one-on-one engagements,” he said.
Apart from the disadvantaged in society, people from diverse fields of endeavour, notably the security services such as Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and the military, took part in the screening exercise.
He bemoaned the situation wherein workers unfortunately get abused by some unscrupulous bosses at the workplace leading to trauma; but said with organisations such as his championing the cause of PTSD, there is immense hope.
Worryingly, he noted that children are not free from the scourge of PTSD, elaborating that some of them are subjected to verbal abuse while others just exist without parental care. “Such children have no one to approach and tell their issues to, so right from childhood they have been traumatised but they can be treated to fit into society again.”
He underscored the need for every individual to prioritise their health needs and adopt the habit of checking their health status regularly. While expressing satisfaction about the huge turnout, he disclosed that a sum of GH¢75,000 went into organising the exercise.
In his closing remarks, he thanked the board members of the foundation for their loyalty, and expressed gratitude to the sponsors for supporting the foundation financially and logistically. He added that the health screening exercise will be carried out on a quarterly basis.
