Miss World Africa 2013 reaches out to needy
The first medical outreach organised by the Naa Okailey Shooter (NOS) Foundation came off at Basengo-Kalbeon near Bolga in the Upper East Region.
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Over 2,500 people from Basengo-Kalbeon, Tongo and their environs benefitted from the two-day, free medical screening exercise.
As early as 3 a.m., members of the community had gathered on the school park anxiously awaiting the arrival of the team from Accra, and as soon as the team arrived it immediately went into action treating people and giving them free medications.
Number of People
According to Dr David Acheampong at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, the team was overwhelmed by the number of people who turned up for the programme, as some had to travel long distances before getting to the park.
The beneficiaries had thorough medical examinations conducted by a team of doctors and nurses from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Treatment of people
An elated Miss World Africa 2013, Miss Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter, described the event as very successful and said the beneficiaries were treated for malaria, hypertension and skin infection.
She said dewormers were also given to children, cholesterol levels were checked, haemoglobin and blood glucose level, blood pressure and body mass index, among other conditions, were also scrutinised.
She said the people were also given free medicines, courtesy Pharmanova Ghana Limited, that took care of various conditions, while those with complicated cases were referred to an established health facility in the region.
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Vision and Mission
Touching on why the team decided to hold the exercise, Naa Okailey Shooter, who is the Founder of the NOS Foundation, said it was in fulfilment of its vision and mission to provide free medical care for rural communities which were not able to access quality health care.
Naa Okailey Shooter indicated that the foundation was committed to bringing quality health care to the doorstep of persons who could not afford to have one through the benevolence of well-meaning Ghanaians.
Series of programmes
“This is the first in a series of many programmes we will be carrying out, and the numbers we have seen here speak to our vision. We are encouraged by this, and would work towards making quality health care affordable,” she said.
Naa Okailey Shooter expressed her appreciation to T.T Brothers, Pharmanova, Midland Savings and Loans and First Response Diagnostics for supporting the outreach and called on other organisations to emulate their gesture.
She also commended Pastor Prince Jacobs of the Fountain Gate Chapel and all the other volunteers, especially those from the Eden Security who were also on hand to support the two-day exercise.
Quality health care
The Managing Director of Eden Security, Mr Paul Quartey, one of the major sponsors of the programme, said the foundation underscored the need for quality health care and that attracted his company to come on board because of the laudable idea of giving back to society.
He said for some time now his outfit had been trying to find a means of using its corporate social responsibility package to give back to society.
Mr Quartey indicated that when the foundation came knocking on their door with the brilliant idea of providing free medical care, “we knew this was a laudable project that needed support.”