The University of Ghana College of Health Sciences (UGCHS) has embarked on a medical and dental screening exercise for students, staff and members of the community at the Salvation Army Cluster of Schools in Accra. 

The exercise formed part of the college's activities to mark this year's Day of Scientific Renaissance of Africa (DSRA).

The School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Public Health, School of Pharmacy, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and the West African Genetic Medicine Centre joined forces to roll out the exercise.

It had the theme, 'Integrating Research, partnerships, and community engagement for equitable health outcomes.'

Exercise

As part of the exercise, health professionals screened beneficiaries for blood pressure, blood sugar levels, weight, eyesight, dental and other health conditions.

There were doctors present who offered medical advice and referred patients who required specialised attention to appropriate facilities.

The healthcare personnel also educated students on dental and personal hygiene.

Healthy Living

In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Professor Yaw Afrane, who led the exercise, urged Ghanaians to embrace routine health screening and preventive healthcare practices to avoid complications arising from undetected illnesses.

He also encouraged members of the public to take advantage of health screening opportunities and to initiate routine checks at medical laboratories.
Prof Afrane compared regular health checks to vehicle maintenance and encouraged people to prioritise their health in the same manner.

“We love to take our cars for servicing, but hardly do we take ourselves to go for screening to know what is actually wrong with us. If we normalise regular check-ups, it will greatly help us to live longer, healthier lives," he said.

He also added that the college had deployed doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals from its constituent institutions to provide treatment and counselling to beneficiaries.

Prof Afrane said the college expected hundreds of people to benefit from the outreach, recalling that the college screened close to 1,000 people during a similar exercise at the Madina Cluster of Schools last year.

“We came well prepared to help students, teachers and members of the surrounding community to identify health conditions early and ensure that affected persons received prompt treatment or referral,” he added.