By Muniratu Akweley Issah, GNA
Accra, Oct. 29, GNA – The Zonta Club of Accra II, in partnership with HelpAge Ghana, has provided free medical screening and consultations to older persons to improve access to essential healthcare and promote healthy ageing.
The screening included eye examinations, with medication and spectacles provided where necessary, breast examinations, blood glucose testing and malaria tests.
The outreach, held at the HelpAge Centre in Osu, formed part of activities marking the 30th anniversary of the Club, celebrated on the theme: “30 Years of Empowering Women and Girls through Advocacy, Service and Partnerships”.
Nana Eduwa Appiah, President of the Zonta Club of Accra II, said the initiative reflected the organisation’s commitment to supporting people at every stage of life, particularly older persons whose contributions to families, communities and the nation deserved recognition and appreciation.
The programme, she said, provided an opportunity to deliver essential healthcare services to older persons while demonstrating compassion and appreciation for their contributions to society.
Ms Appiah expressed gratitude to HelpAge Ghana, sponsors, healthcare professionals and volunteers for supporting the initiative, adding that the Club remained committed to improving lives through meaningful partnerships and community-focused projects.
Madam Ethel Boakye-Wilson, the Executive Director of HelpAge Ghana, commended the Club for its continued support for older persons.
She said the outreach provided important services, including breast examinations and eye screening, with spectacles and medication for beneficiaries who needed them.
Madam Boakye-Wilson noted that older persons were often overlooked in community support initiatives despite their need for healthcare and other essential services.
“Most of the time, people don’t know that the elderly also need support, as children’s homes do. But with the elderly, we even have older people who are neglected, living in family homes,” she said.
She called on corporate organisations, institutions and individuals to channel some of their corporate social responsibility initiatives towards older persons to improve their welfare and access to healthcare.
She explained that HelpAge Ghana did not operate a residential home but supported older persons in their communities, reaching beneficiaries across 22 communities in Accra and extending assistance to other parts of the country through its affiliates.
Donations received in Accra were sometimes distributed to older persons in other regions to ensure that support reached more vulnerable people, she added.
Madam Boakye-Wilson said society must take ageing seriously, as everyone would eventually grow old and deserve to live with dignity, good health and security.
“Age demands action. Anything we want to do for older people, we should put seriousness and action into it for us all to enjoy our old age and live happily,” she said.
After the screening, beneficiaries received packages and participated in recreational activities, including music and a dancing competition.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Muniratu Akweley Issah
Email: [email protected]