Teberebie (W/R), Nov. 1, GNA – AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem (AAI) Mine has embarked on an outreach programme for residents of Teberebie, one of its host communities in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality.
The residents were offered free screening to include dental, eye, nose, throat, ear and breast examination by a team of medical officers from the company and the Tarkwa Municipal hospitals.
Hope for All Foundation, partners of AAI Mine, also provided screening for HIV/AIDS.
About 600 residents benefitted from the free medical and counselling programme and those identified with special cases were referred to the Municipal Hospitals to enable them to seek further medical attention.
Madam Roselyn Dauri, Superintendent, Gender and Social Investment of AAI Mine, said the exercise was to help bring quality healthcare to the doorsteps of residents of the Mines host communities.
She said the outreach also formed part of activities to commemorate this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness month, which falls in October and it was on the theme: “Arise, help spread awareness.”
The programme was part of the company’s contribution to Sustainable Development Goal 3, which is “access to quality healthcare for all” Madam Dauri added.
Touching on breast cancer, Madam Dauri indicated that, “early diagnosis was the most effective way to eradicate breast cancer. Each year, we try to screen individuals for breast cancer in the various communities but last year was exempted due to the COVID-19 outbreak.”
She stated that “with support from the Tarkwa-Nusaem Municipal Health Directorate, we were able to establish a breast care unit at Tarkwa Municipal hospital to provide ready screening for individuals at all times. This is our contribution to women in the Municipality.”
“We have rolled out some health interventions and one of them was putting up an ultra-modern health centre with a maternity block, laboratory and a nurse’s accommodation for residents of Adieyie,” she said.
Madam Dauri said a month ago, the company established a communicable disease centre for the Apinto government hospital, adding that “It is our aim to ensure that all communities within our area of operation derive a form of benefit from us”.
Madam Cynthia Odoom Willson, Physician Assistant and Occupational Health Practitioner at AAI Mine, encouraged the residents of the Teberebie community to adopt a healthy lifestyle and also observe the COVID-19 protocols as the disease was still with us.
She said the Mine had carried out several successful outreach programmes, added that “we hope to provide more healthcare services to citizens living in our host communities.”
Madam Willson urged the communities to take advantage of the events to seek free medical care.
Nana Akuamoah, the Queenmother of Teberebie, thanked AAI Mine for its commitment to ensuring that the living standards of the citizens in their operational areas were improved.
Nana John Appiah, a beneficiary, praised the Mine and pleaded with them to sustain the exercise to help them stay healthy.
GNA