5,000 receive free medical treatment in Offinso South

Offinso (Ash) June 26, GNA - More than 5,000 people in the Offinso South have received free medical treatment under a health outreach programme initiated for underserved communities by the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Dr Owusu Achaw Duah. They were screened for hypertension, diabetes, general health concerns, prenatal examination and eye tests and supplied with free drugs and eye glasses.

Professor Lisa Trujillo, founder of "Charity Beyond Borders", a United States-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), led a 16-member team of Health Care Professionals to carry out the exercise. In addition to the free clinics, they also donated hospital equipment and provided medical education to over 200 doctors, nurses and students of three health institutions, the Aninwah Medical Centre in Kumasi, Offinso Saint Patrick's Hospital and Midwifery School and the Martin Luther King Medical Centre and Allied Health College in Accra. They were taken through neonatal resuscitation, midwifery, basic life support, patient assessment, mechanical ventilation, lung volume expansion, respiratory medication delivery, air-way clearance and infection control.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Professor Trujillo described the exercise as "hugely successful", saying, it provided strong foundation for future coordinated efforts between the NGO and the country for quality health care delivery. "We were able to meet with many community groups and were overwhelmed with the kindness we received. We extend our gratitude to all those, who welcomed us with open arms." Dr Duah, himself a physician, said ensuring that people in the Constituency got easy access to quality health care, was one of his key priorities.

The MP said it came out during the clinics that cataract and glaucoma were common among the people and these could be corrected if the patients sought early medical treatment. He encouraged the people regularly exercise their bodies in order to stay healthy.