Gold Fields Foundation, Rotary Club hold medical outreach in 5 communities
Doctors taking vitals of patients at the Abekoase site
Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF) on Saturday partnered Rotary Club of Ghana to embark on a medical outreach for about 1,800 people in five host communities in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality of the Western Region.
The annual programme, which covered Samahu, Abekoase, Tebe, Pepesa and Bompieso communities of the Tarkwa and Damang Mines, attracted Rotarians from Tarkwa, Kumasi, Kumasi East, Tarkoradi Anaji and Tamale.
Activities undertaken included health education, breast and prostate screening, eye test, test for blood sugar, blood pressure, malaria and administering of medication.
In an interview with journalists, the Executive Secretary of GFGF, Mr. Abdel-Razak Yakubu, said 70 health officials from the Tarkwa Municipal Hospital, Apinto Government Hospital, Euracare Diagnostic Centre, Huniso and Abosso CHPS Compounds joined officials of the Foundation and Community Relations Department for the outreach.
He said, GFGF spent about GHȻ590,000.00 on this year’s annual medical outreach, as part of its interventions to promote good health and the well-being of host communities.
He added that, health was critical to the economic activities of the community members who provided the labour and also fed the mine.
He told journalists of an exciting story of a breast cancer patient from Damang, who, two years ago, tested positive to the disease, but, successfully went through surgery and is alive and well.
Mr Yakubu said “The Foundation has invested US$2.9M in support of health and wellbeing activities since its inception.
He said six doctors and a nurse who are past beneficiaries of the GFGF scholarships volunteered to assist in this year’s outreach.
A Foundation Committee Member, who is from Rotary Club of Takoradi Anaji, Isabella Miakrah Nyamah, also spoke about the group’s commitment to promote the health of communities.
She said “Today, you see a high turnout of Rotarians and we’re here to reach out to our communities. In the month of October. We also focused on breast cancer care and we want to reduce the incidence of the disease which is on the surge even among teenagers.”
Dr Charles Yiway, from the Emergency Unit, University of Cape Coast (UCC) Teaching Hospital, explained that the community health outreach was critical as it had helped to rope in patients who needed urgent attention.
From Clement Adzei Boye
