The Ghana Medical Relief (GMR), a nonprofit making humanitarian organization based in the United States of America on Monday, 24th July, 2023, begun a five-day medical screening of about ten thousand (10,000) people across the northern region.
The benevolent group is also expected to register underprivilege individuals onto the National Health Insurance Scheme.
The region zoned into four, will see persons from the 15 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies taking turns within the exercise period to be screened by the team of medical professionals and volunteers.
The organization is aimed at improving healthcare in deprived communities and delivering better health to the people in Ghana.
Dr Samuel Owusu, Founder and President of the GMR, in a media interview during the opening ceremony at the Tamale Teaching Hospital said his outfit in the last five years have provided free health screening and other services to communities in the country.
“It’s been wonderful to be here today. The idea to be here is sort of being able to provide as much screening as we can to the community. Last year, the Ghana Medical Relief was at Agogo to provide medical services to over 6,700 people; this year, I am pleased to announced we’re going to screen and provide healthcare to about 10,000 people” he said.
In addition, THE CUSTODIAN has gathered that a total of about two thousand people are expected to be registered onto the National Health Insurance Scheme as part of the weeklong program.
Dr Samuel Owusu said the team will test the people for the most common and prevalent conditions such as hypertension and diabetes.
The US based Obstetrician and Gynecologist said patients will also be given free medicine after going through the screening process.
He emphasized there are collaborations between the US team and their Ghanaian counterparts on patients who may require further medical treatment.
The Northern Regional Minister, Shani Alhassan Shaibu, for his part welcomed the intervention by the Ghana Medical Relief team and encouraged them to make the exercise an annual activity.
“I am most grateful to the medical relief team especially Dr Owusu for keeping his word and bringing the team here to support the less privilege. When they first came, they said they needed to attend to about 10,000 people but I said we can attend to 20,000 or more people and I think that five days was not going to be enough since this is a rare opportunity that we have found. I know most people need your services but I want to plead that if you could do ours a yearly activity” he pleaded.
Meanwhile, the Regional Director of Ghana Health Services (GHS), Dr Braimah Abubakari said all District Directors of GHS and head of health facilities have been tasked to get patients from their respective areas to also benefit from the exercise.
Dr Braimah disclosed the Ghana Health Service has also introduced wellness clinics at various hospitals across the country and intimated the medical screening exercise will complement the effort of the service.
“This exercise is very important to us because as a service in Ghana now, we have what we call Wellness Clinic that has been established across all our hospitals in the country, where we have set up places for screening not necessarily for those who are sick but people can go there and get their blood pressure checked, blood sugar, weight and all the indices checked and will be advise if there are any risk” he explained.
