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Kufuor Scholars organize health screening exercises in Ashanti Region
Members of the Kufuor Scholars Program have organised health screening exercises for some residents in the Ashanti Region.
Over 130 residents of Besease in the Ejisu Municipality, and 120 residents of Darbaa in the Atwima Nwabiagya Municipality benefitted from the screenings.
The residents were screened for blood pressure, glucose levels, body mass index, among others, by a specialist team of medical doctors who accompanied the Scholars to the community. They were additionally screened for malaria, hepatitis, and typhoid, as well as given primary eye and dental care.
The doctors offered the residents advice on how to manage some of these conditions and urged them to prioritise their health. The scholars also interacted with the residents on how to stay healthy and fit.
Coordinator of the Kufuor Scholars Program Dr. Pascal Brenya explained the health screening exercises were organised by the scholars as a way to give back to society. “In our bid to create a better Ghana, we need to teach our scholars the essence of being social assets and the craft of giving back to society,” Dr. Brenya said.
The health screening exercises were led by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Chapter of the Kufuour Scholars Program, with support from Elizabeth Danso and Baratu Mohammed from the University of Ghana and University of Cape Coast chapters respectively.
One of the scholars Ella Brown said, “my exposure and conversation with the aged in Besease has taught me the need to always be in a youthful state of mind, and the essence and benefits of proper dieting as a young person.”
Despite their diverse fields of study in arts, business, and even the sciences, the scholars worked together to ensure residents who came for the health screening programme got good initial health care.
“We are electrified about the fact that we’ve had to reposition ourselves outside our field of study to help calculate the body mass index of participants and provide other health tips,” one of them said.
Another scholar Dennis Kofi Nazar was excited about the opportunity given them to give back to society. He said, “even though the exercise was hectic and demanding, the opportunity given me to serve has renewed my zeal.”
Some of the residents who benefitted from the exercise expressed their gratitude to the management of the John A. Kufuor Foundation and the Kufuor Scholars for the care, company, and thoughtfulness that inspired the health screening exercise.
Chief Executive Officer of the John A. Kufuor Foundation, Prof. Baffour Agyeman-Duah said although the purpose of the exercise was to provide some level of initial healthcare to the people of these communities, it also taught the scholars about the need to interact with people outside their immediate environments.
“It was of utmost importance that the Scholars were exposed to the impact of sharing time, expertise, love, or a simple conversation with older people and not only the vulnerable. The point of the exercise was to prove to the Scholars that we can never run out of something worthwhile to give,” he said.
Story by Daphne A. Alirah