Volta GJA Provides Free Health Care for Kpoeta-Ashanti

 some of the nurses and volunteers at work

The Volta Regional Chapter of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) has undertaken a day’s medical outreach at Kpoeta in the Ho West District of the Volta Region.The medical outreach which saw over a hundred residents receiving free medical care for various ailments and diseases was organised on May 3rd, 2016 to commemorate the World Press Freedom Day in the region.The team moved to the community to interact with the residents and provided them free healthcare with assistant from nurses in the Ho-West District, particularly from the Kpedze Health Center and Kpoeta CHPS compound. There were three volunteers from Blu-Med, Africa who also assisted.

A group of journalists unpacking Mosquito Nets

The Press Fredom Day medical Outreach was funded and supported by the Ho West MP, Emmanuel Bedzra, the Volta Regional Coordinating Council, Gold Finger Restaurant, the Volta Regional Health Directorate, the Ho West Distract Assembly among others.After a free health screening and diagnosis, treatment was available to all who participated in the medical outreach. Medicines and medical supplies such as anti-malarial drugs and mosquito nets were distributed to the over 100 residents who were screened.Kpoeta is predominantly a farming area made up of four communities, including the popular Kpoeta-Ashianti and Kpoeta-Atsim due to the resemblance of the names to the Akem and Asante kingdoms in the Eastern and Ashanti regions respectively.“in fact some people erroneously call the two communities as Ashante-Kpoeta and Akyem-Kpoeta, but I always correct them,” says the Assemblyman of the area Constantine Agbo.

The Tsigame Waterfall

The community which also has a stunning, but untapped water fall called “Tsigame,” also grows forest crops and spices like nutmeg, xylopia (commonly known as African Grains of Selim).The Outreach was held at Kpoeta-Ashainti which is at the central point of the traditional area. According to Constantine, the health outreach was a timely intervention since most of the residents were often plagued by Malaria and other ailments.He said their farming and artisanal skills had not been able to sustain them as the living standard in the area remained low. This made it difficult for them to frequently visit the only CHPS compound in the area or the Health Center at Kpedze (about four km away), unless it was very critical.

Eric Uche Giving Health Education

The In-Charge at the Kpoeta CHPS Compound who also was leader of the medical Team, Eric Uche also noted that Malaria recorded the highest among OPD cases annually. He was excited that the medical outreach had come at just as the rains were about to set in a period which sees a lot of Malaria cases due to the geographical location of the area.The Acting Chairman of the GJA in the Volta Region, Anthony Bells Kafui Kanyi advised residents to be weary of Malaria and ensure they adhered to the advice of the community health nurses. They should also feel free and confide it the nursing regarding their health issues and always ensure they slept under treated mosquito bed nets.He also urged them to adhere to good personal hygiene and put up sanitary facilities in their homes to stop open defecation.Mr. Kanyi used the occasion to lament about level of unprofessionalism in the region due to the reluctance of media owners to employ well trained personnel. That notwithstanding, the Regional GJA is hopeful of undertaking a series of capacity building programmes for media personnel, especially as the general elections drew close. 

Some Journalists descending the rocky path to the Waterfall