Dozens of residents in the Ho municipality of the Volta
region thronged the forecourts of the Asogli State palace at Ho Bankoe, where the
Vodafone Ghana ‘healthfest’ train made a stopover at the weekend to provide
free health care.
The initiative put together by the Vodafone Ghana foundation,
saw mostly local paramedics screened hundreds of persons including the aged, some
of whom reported to the venue as early as 5am.
The screenings were done for ailments such as Diabetes,
Hepatitis B, Tuberculosis and HIV in a virtual health post setup, which has sections
for registration, Body Mass Index, Blood Pressure Checks, Laboratory,
Consultation and Pharmacy as well as a gymnasium and kids play corner.
The almost 800 patrons were also taking through
health education on various lifestyle diseases and HIV.
Mr Courage Botchway the regional Data Officer at the
National HIV Control Programme, spoke about importance of knowing ones HIV
status, so that carriers, including pregnant women could be put on routine
lifesaving treatment.
Mr Daniel Asiedu, Corporate Communications Manager
of Vodafone, described the massive turnout as ‘very impressive and overwhelming’
and said the Healthfest is another indication of the telecom giant’s commitment
to bringing quality health care to the door step of underprivileged Ghanaians.
According to him Vodafone’s health programmes including
the popular television series ‘Healthline’ is aimed at bridging distance and
cost between the people and health care delivery.
