By Benjamin Makafui Attipoe, Aveyime
The Amazing Smiles Foundation (ASF), a health-related Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) based at Battor in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region in collaboration with the Chief of the Teh Clan of Battor, Togbe Adovor Dzodzegbe Agbenyo Banahene VII and the Paramount Queenmother of the Battor Traditional Area, Mamaga Asieku IV, has organized its sixth (6th) annual free health screening exercise for the residents of Battor and its environs.
The screening exercise which was under the theme, ‘My Health, My Priority’, also attracted some Akosmbo and Kpong dams spillage disaster victims from the Agbetikpo Haven or Camp near Aveyime.
These three (3) month old displaced victims are still living at the camp.
The exercise benefited more than two hundred (200) residents who had their vital signs such as Blood Pressure (BP), Temperature, Weight, Pulse, Random Blood Sugar (RBS) and Vision checked. There were also eye consultations as well as a health talk on teenage pregnancy and the need to attach seriousness to their health which is wealth, according to the health experts.
Basic tests such as malaria were also carried out, accompanied by free treatment at the venue. More than three hundred (300) residents also had either their National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) premiums paid and cards renewed for them or got a replacement of their lost NHIS cards during the screening exercise with support from the Mafi Adidome Office of the NHIS which has oversight responsibility for the North Tongu District.
The exercise was undertaken by four (4) General and Eye Nurses each, as well as one (1) Midwife from the Catholic Hospital at Battor under the leadership of Ms. Celestine Agyemang and Mr Bright Ankutse. That of the staff of the NHIS comprised eight (8) members under its District Manager.
The entire exercise was aimed not only at giving back their widows’ mite to the society but also ensuring that the citizens live and stay healthy. The beneficiaries, who had more underlying conditions, were advised to visit the hospitals for further examination and treatment.
Packs of jollof rice were also given out to the beneficiaries in order to put smiles on their faces as part of the New Year celebrations. Toffees, balloons and other play materials for children were also given out to a number of the kids who followed their parents and guardians to the venue for the exercise.
This year’s event was graced by the Chief of the Teh Clan of Battor, Togbe Adovor Dzodzegbe Agbenyo Banahene VII and some members of the family who have been very supportive of the gesture for all these years.
As part of the one-day event, a health talk on teenage pregnancy and its effects on the child and the family, was given to the clients. A Senior Midwifery Officer at the Battor Catholic Hospital, Ms. Beatrice Blessing Obedie who handled the topic, bemoaned the high rate of teenage pregnancy cases in the district, adding that some of the girl victims were being raped and defiled by older males in the society.
She called on parents to step-up their disciplinary efforts at nipping the canker in the bud in order to protect the innocent girls. Madam Obedie said the recent case the Battor Hospital had to deal with, involved a fifteen (15)-year old girl who suffered defilement from the hands of an elder man. According to her, the tear was so big that the little girl ended up in the theatre for some suturing procedure.
The Paramount Queenmother for Battor, Mamaga Asieku IV regretted that the rape or defilement canker in the district had become a serious issue and urged parents and the victims to be bold to report the culprits so that the issue would be minimized if not completely eliminated.
She pledged her commitment to ensuring that such culprits are brought to book to serve as a deterrent to others. ‘Our single men should go and marry and leave our young girls to grow in decency to become responsible citizens and mothers’, Mamaga Asieku emphasized.
Togbe Adovor Dzodzogbe Agbenyo Banahene VII who is also a Physician in the United States of America (USA), told our newsteam in an interview that his support towards such a laudable vision was to ensure that his people live in an absolute good health, adding that his priority for the people are issues of education and health which are key in the overall development of the people and the society at large.
Togbe Banahene VII called on the people to assist him with constructive ideas and suggestions that would help accelerate the development of the area. He thanked the residents of the area for their prayers and support and hoped that such an effective collaboration would continue to inure to the benefits of Battor and its environs.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Amazing Smiles Foundation (ASF), Ms. Millie Kumasenu told our newsteam in an interview that her NGO, has in the past six (6) years of its existence, been supportive of the vulnerable and less-privileged in the society including giving medical and health support to the elderly in the society.
According to Madam Kumasenu, the Foundation has also supported farmers in the area with some farm inputs and seedlings in order to improve on agricultural yield in the district.
She used the occasion to appeal to the general public, other NGOs, individuals and public spirited organizations and institutions to support their efforts to touch more lives in the coming years.
A number of the residents who benefited from the exercise were very grateful to the organization and the Chief for the gesture. A female teacher and nursing mother from Aveyime, Ms. Doris Wayem described the exercise as a very good one and stressed the need for the citizenry to take advantage of such free health screening exercises to improve their health status.
