General News of Thursday, 24 March 2011

Source: GNA

US delegation undertakes outreach programme

Accra, March 24, GNA - A delegation of family doctors of the Park Nicollet Health Services from Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States undertook a health outreach programme at Apedwa and its surrounding communities at the weekend.

The seven-member delegation led by Dr Samuel Asante-Buabeng, a Ghanaian medical officer spent two weeks on a medical mission, assessing the health needs of the people of Apedwa as well as the surrounding communities including Nkronso, Akooko and Amanfrom. The people were treated for minor diseases and screened for HIV and AIDS, Diabetes and High Blood Pressure in addition to talks on Adolescent Reproductive Health and how to keep their environment clean to avoid communicable diseases such as cholera. They were also educated on how to avoid the non-communicable ones including the cancers that come with lifestyles and habits such as drinking, smoking and poor dieting.

The outreach programme came with some items which were donated to the Apedwa Health Center to help ensure the efficient running of the facility.

The items which were procured locally on the request of the health centre included a table top fridge, two standing fans, two radios sets and two wall clocks.

Dr Asante-Buabeng said the group planned to establish a laboratory for the Health Center and stock it with equipment to facilitate the work of the centre.

The group has planned to provide laptop computers to help the health staff undertake community outreach programs in and around Apedwa.

According to Mrs Margaret Atuahene, a lecturer at the School of Public Health, University of Ghana and Nkosoohemaa of Apedwa, members of the group who visited the Kyebi Government Hospital on a familiarization tour planned to establish a relationship with the Hospital where doctors from training institutions under the University of Minnesota would come to Ghana, precisely to the Kyebi hospital to offer medical services.