As part of activities marking its 10th anniversary celebrations, the Pentecost University College (PUC) has successfully ended a five day medical outreach programme.

It was aimed at providing free medical care for residents of the Sowotuom community and its environs.

The five-day event, which ended on Saturday, was conducted by a medical team comprising, doctors, nurses and paramedics drawn from the PUC Nursing Department, the Pentecost Hospital, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital branch of Pentecost Students’ Association (PENSA), as well as Fidelity Bank.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mrs Sabina Abena Bilson, a Lecturer at PUC’s Nursing Department, noted that issues relating to health were one of the community’s major challenges, and there was a need for people to periodically check their health status.

She said beneficiaries of the exercise were taken through hypertension, hepatitis B, malaria, diabetes, eye testing, body mass indexing, blood pressure checking, breast and dental screening.

Mrs Bilson said they were offered free medication as well as educated on the importance of living healthy; while those with severe cases were referred to the Pentecost Hospital for further checkups.

She told the GNA that the team embarked on a publicity campaign a week ago to meet the chief; however, nursing students in her department also embarked on community studies, adding that “this is a follow up exercise we offering, as part of our anniversary celebrations; and this is a good opportunity to help them with their health needs, free of charge”.

Mrs Bilson commended the Sowutuom Chief, Nii Osabu Akwei I, for mobilizing his community members to partake in the exercise.

The Sowutuom Chief expressed his gratitude to the University for the kind gesture extended to the community.

He also described it as the first health screening exercise he had ever witnessed in the Sowutuom Community.

He told the GNA that issues relating to sanitation were among the challenges facing the community and appealed to government to provide the communities with dustbins as promised by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

He said “when the bins are placed at vantage points, the people will do the right thing”.

The five day event organised in line with PUC’s corporate social responsibility programmes for the Sowutuom community, registered over 1,200 residents.

Other events to mark the anniversary celebrations include; a clean-up exercise, public lecture and an anniversary service in November; fundraising dinner, alumni homecoming/ musical concert, graduation and climax of the celebration with a thanksgiving service in December.