By Francis Ofori
Accra, April 17, GNA – Chartered Institute of Supply Chain Management (CISCM), in collaboration with the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) has organised a health walk and a free medical screening exercise to create awareness on occupational health and safety.
The event, which was held on Saturday, was also in partnership with the Legon City Mall, formed part of activities laid out for the celebration of this year’s World Supply Week and an opportunity to engage other entities.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Richard Asante Amoah, Lead Executive of CISCM noted that the organisation prioritised the health of its workers hence the need to engage other partners to make this occasion a memorable one.
According to him, being medically sound would not only make one fit, but would go a long way to enhance the productivity of individuals in the sector.
“This is a critical initiative from us as the executive committee and as an institute. As part of the week’s celebration, we will also engage with industries and have the women converge with an interaction as to how women can participate in the integrated supply chain manage, he said.”
He appealed to the government to implement a policy structure which would focus on producing local content to speed up the economic development of the country.
“The government should support us to get an integrated supply chain executive instrument that would support all of us so that we can be able to have full force in regulating,” he added.
Mr Armoah advised businesses to join forces during this time of economic difficulties to boost the country’s financial strength.
Dr Marian Opoku-Agyakwa, the head of Family Medicine at UGMC also highlighted the importance of making health a priority among individuals.
“Infectious diseases are on a rise, hepatitis and HIV AIDS, these are illnesses that are transmissible through blood and other body fluids, and we are seeing it in the statistics, people are coming to hospitals with these infectious diseases, she said.”
The specialist noted the reason for the awareness creation was to curb the rate at which people were being infected by these diseases and to help save the lives of those who had already been infected.
She urged individuals who were reluctant with health checkups to be cautious not to cause harm to themselves.
Madam Barbara Owusu-Hemeng, Head of Public Relations and Client Services at the University of Ghana Medical Centre also noted that the hospital was keen on promoting a very proactive approach to reduce the rise in non-communicable diseases in the country hence the need to partner CISCM to create awareness.
She said UGMC was on the verge of launching a digital device which would help the public monitor their health statuses digitally.
“We encourage everyone to be up and doing, even if it is 30 minutes to one hour, just exercise and make sure you do your checks every time, even if you do not want to, once every year is fine, she urged.
As part of the celebration, there would be a “Women in Supply Chain forum” to encourage more women in integrated supply chain leadership, after which the celebration would be climaxed with an induction ceremony.
The event had support from McDan group, EPP Group and Bethel Logistics Company Limited
GNA