Kayayei, children receive free health screening in Madina

Madina, Jan. 25, GNA – La-Nkwantanang Madina Municipal Health Directorate has organized a health screening exercise for local head potters commonly known as Kayayei and their children.

The beneficiaries were screened for various diseases including malaria, anaemia, malnutrition, as well as Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).

They also received free medical consultation and were provided with drugs after diagnosis. They were also educated on infant and young child syndrome.

Those whose cases were found to be serious were referred to the hospital for further examination and treatment.

Madam Faridatu Alidu, La-Nkwantanang Municipal Health Nutritionist, said the motive for the exercise was to improve health care among the head potters in the Municipality.

She further said the exercise was also to raise awareness among the kayayei to consistently seek health treatment for their wards, adding that, most of the children were not being given the appropriate complementary food leading to high incidence of malnutrition among them.

She said although the target was treating children between six months to five years, mothers of the children were also treated for sexually transmitted diseases.

Madam Alidu said the event was also to sensitize the adolescent girls between the ages of 10 to 19 years among the Kayayei’s on the Girls Iron Folic Tablet (GIFT) supplementation programme, an initiative of the Ghana Health Service aimed at providing the needed iron and folic acid supplements to adolescents girls.

Madam Vida Wewupadi Agoriwo, La-Nkwantanang Municipal Health Promotion Officer, said, the adherence to Covid 19 protocols among the head potters, and other residents in the Municipality was poor as most of the people did not wear the face mask while some claim they did not believe that the virus truly existed.

She said as part of raising awareness in the community, she and her team visited some individuals, markets, and churches in the Municipality to conscientize them on the COVID-19 as the disease was on the rise, saying that most cart pushers said they could not wear the facemask because of the nature of their work.

She added that some churches which were not adhering to the protocols in the Municipality demanded that the Assembly submitted a letter to them before sensitizing congregation.
GNA