GRAPHIC OFFERS FREE HEALTH SCREENING AT ASAFO (PAGES 24 & 49)

Story: George Ernest Asare, Kumasi

Authorities of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) have called on the management of Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) to collaborate with the hospital to offer periodic medical screening to the public to help maintain good health in the metropolis.
This, they said, would not only give meaning to the primary health care concept and enhance productivity, but would also accelerate sustainable national development.
A paediatrician at KATH, Dr Anthony Enimil, made the call on behalf of KATH during a free medical screening initiated by GCGL at Asafo in Kumasi last Saturday.
It was organised in collaboration with KATH, Kina Pharma, JM Addo and Sons, Primax and Coca-Cola.
KATH provided medical staff and drug and the other sponsors provided drugs, soft drinks and other essentials.
In all about 500 residents of Asafo and its environs including children benefited from the exercise.
About five of them who were diagnosed with severe hypertension were referred to KATH for further medical attention.
Other diseases diagnosed were poor eyesight, malaria and diarrhoea. Children suffering from worm infection were de-wormed.
The exercise, which was hailed by residents of the suburb and its environs, was the third in a series organised by the company as part of its corporate responsibilities to give back to the public. It is the first to be organised outside the Greater Accra Region. The other two were organised at Adabraka in Accra.
Dr Enimil commended GCGL for their sense of initiative. He called on the public to take advantage of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to enable them to source for quality health care at affordable cost.
He said as members of the scheme, they could easily access medical care at regular intervals to enable them to maintain good health.
He pointed out that due to irregular medical check-ups associated with the public, some people who were infected with diseases failed to detect them early until the disease became complicated, making treatment more expensive at times.
Referring to the five severe hypertension cases detected during the exercise, Dr Enimil said they could have collapsed and died without knowing that they were severely ill and needed urgent medical attention.
The Public Affairs Manager of the GCGL, Mr Albert Sam, commended KATH and other sponsors for supporting GCGL to conduct the exercise.
He pointed out that the exercise, which coincided with the first anniversary celebrations of Graphic Nsempa, was meant to reward the public for their tremendous support to the growth of the company and would therefore be extended to the other regions.
He said the initiative of GCGL to publish Graphic Nsempa was to partner the people of the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions in their development initiatives.
He, therefore, urged residents in those regions to patronise the paper, which hits the newsstands on Mondays.