Tano North: More than 900 farmers in the Tano North Municipality of the Ahafo Region have been screened for various health conditions.
According to Ghana News Agency, the free health screening was conducted by the organisers of the Nightingale Prestigious Awards (NPA) scheme and spearheaded by Miss Freda Asante Asuama, the 2024 overall best winner of the Awards.
Ms Asuama, a public health nurse and midwife at the Wenchi Methodist Hospital in the Bono Region, also distributed 1000 exercise books, sanitary pads, and other educational materials to some selected basic and Senior High Schools in the area. The beneficiaries of the exercise, held at Koforidua, were mostly women farmers, chiefs, and queens, as well as students and pupils from various cocoa-growing communities in the Municipality.
The participants, drawn from communities including Susuaho, Koforidua, Twuahu, and Duayaw-Nkwanta, were screened for high blood pressure, sugar levels, and eye, ear, nose, and throat-related complications. They were also provided with free medications. Those diagnosed with serious complications were referred to health facilities for further medical care.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the side-lines of the exercise, Ms Asuama explained that the event was part of a project she is implementing as the 2024 winner of the NPA. She noted that the project also aims to inspire young people, particularly girls, to take their education seriously and achieve academic excellence. She emphasized that school children need to be aware of their health status.
Ms Asuama highlighted that the distribution of free sanitary pads would help sustain the interest of girls in schools and improve their studies. She also expressed concern about the increasing trend of substance abuse and peddling among the youth, including teenagers, and called for concerted and decisive approaches to tackle the problem.
She noted that substance abuse and addiction could lead to duodenal ulcers, foetal alcohol syndrome, infertility, mental disorders, liver cirrhosis, stroke, and heart enlargement. Ms Asuama urged parents, traditional authorities, community leaders, and religious organizations to come together and find lasting solutions to the issue of drug abuse and peddling among the youth.