Old Tafo (Ash), June 12, GNA – About three thousand people drawn from Old Tafo and other communities within the Greater Kumasi area have undergone a health screening exercise to enhance their wellbeing.
The exercise, organised by the Vodafone Ghana Foundation under its ‘health-fest’ initiative, saw the beneficiaries screened for hypertension, diabetes, hepatitis B, malaria and HIV/AIDS, at the Old Tafo Government Hospital.
It also created awareness and tests for knowing one’s sickle cell status, with the beneficiaries of the exercise being registered onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Dr Mrs Stella Agyenim-Boateng, Board Director for the Foundation, in an interview with the media, called for intensified education on sickle cell in order to whip up knowledge about the disease in the Ghanaian society.
The Foundation believed that a healthy people was a prerequisite for the progress of any nation, she observed.
It was against this backdrop that Vodafone has set aside June, this year, to promote healthy lifestyles, and also work with stakeholders to reduce maternal mortality by offering free ultrasound screening.
The Foundation, as part of the programme, donated some sanitary items and a television set to the Old Tafo Government Hospital.
Ms Geta Striggner-Quartey, Director of Legal and External Affairs, Vodafone, said over the past six years, the Foundation had given a special focus to the Ashanti Region by undertaking a number of socially impactful initiatives.
In pursuance of its objectives, the company has themed this month (June), “BOA ASANTEMAN”, to underscore the need to address key sustainable development issues in the region, including education, health and environmental sustainability.
According to the Vodafone Director of Legal and External Affairs, the company had stepped up its outreach programme for the benefit of the people, saying the authorities would not relent in abiding by its corporate social responsibilities.
GNA