By Juliet Aguiar DUGBARTEY, Huniso
Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF) has organised quarter-two of its free medical outreach, reaching over 500 residents at Huniso in the Prestea Huni-Valley municipality of the Western Region.
The beneficiaries were screened and tested for various ailments such as malaria and hypertension among others. Free medication was also given to them, while some were referred to hospital for further treatment.
Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF), speaking to media said healthcare has been one of the m
Also, they were educated on healthy lifestyles to improve upon their health.
Abdel Razak Yakubu, Executive Secretary-Gold ajor focuses of the Foundation since its inception some 20 years ago.
Due to this, he said, the Foundation has created well-equipped medical institutions which have had a significant impact on the people in its host community.
“The Foundation has also trained peer educators in various host communities as part of the adolescent reproductive health initiative, in partnership with the Municipal Health and Education Directorates. As of today, the Foundation has invested over US$3million on improving the health of people in its host communities,” Mr. Yakubu said.
He said despite these noteworthy developments in the realm of health, many groups within host communities still have challenges accessing high-quality medical care.
“As result, the Foundation has responded to this difficulty by launching an annual medical outreach programme that aims to deliver healthcare services right to community members’ doorsteps, hence, today’s programme,” he added.
Dr. Charles Kobina Yirrah, Medical Officer-Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Emergency Department, explained that those diagnosed with minor health problems were provided with medication while those with complicated health issues were given referrals to hospital for treatment.
“During the screening, we observed that of those above 40 years most were hypertensive; we even detained four people. We will be conducting further investigation to find out if they have other conditions that predispose them to this disease,” he pointed out.
He said other cases which the medical team recorded were high sugar level, malaria and general body-pains.
“For the children, some were anemic because of poor nutrition. We used the opportunity to de-worm all children, since most of them were not ill,” he revealed
“l have been part of this outreach programme since 2018 and its good the Foundation initiated it, because most people in the mine’s operational area do not have either time or funds to go to the hospital and seek medical care when sick,” Dr. Yirrah, a beneficiary of the GFGF Scholarship programme from second cycle through to the tertiary level, stated.
He therefore praised the Foundation for prioritising the health and welfare of people living in its host communities.
The Assembly Member of Huniso Electoral Area, Philip Enwurnee, lauded the Foundation for providing quality healthcare to people.
He appealed for all to take advantage of health screening when it’s organised in their neighborhood, because it helps to identify emerging issues in time before they lead to complications requiring emergency treatment.
The Odikro of Huniso, Nana Nveeda, urged the public to make regular health checks and exercise a priority as a proactive measure to identify and treat possible health threats.
According to him, he never knew he had a problem with his eye or that his blood pressure was high till he took part in the medical outreach; and he has thus come to appreciate that it is important for individuals to have routine health check-ups to avoid threatening diseases.
He praised the GFGF for its continued support to local communities over the years.
