Hands of Gold Foundation (HOGF) an Accra-based non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has donated equipment and consumables to the Ankaful Psychiatric hospital.
The items included, BP Apparatus, Digital/Infra-red thermometers, Suction machines, Clinical Weighing scales, Stethoscopes, Bedside screens, Nebulizer waste bins and wall clocks.
A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Sunday said consumables however, included psychotropic medications, assorted cake soaps, bar soaps, soft sweeping brush, floor mops, long scrubbing brush, lavatory brushes or sacks of detergent, drinking cups, street broom, hand scrubbing brushes and boxes of bottled mineral water.
Presenting the items, the Manager, Administration and Policy coordination, Mr Rex Kumordzi said the gesture was to support mental healthcare delivery in the country.
He said HOGF recognised the alarming increase in mental illnesses in the country and the need to support care givers to treat persons who suffer the unfortunate ailment.
Mr Kumordzi said it was important that members of the public showed care and compassion to each other to complement advocacy efforts of those in charge of mental care in the country.
'Mentally challenged persons are also the most vulnerable in society and it is our duty as citizens to ensure their protection, well-being and overall mental health,' he emphasised.
Mr Kumordzi explained that the decision to go to the aid of the hospital formed part of activities to commemorate the third anniversary celebrations of the Foundation.
He however, expressed the hope that the items would go a long way to benefit the mental facility and its in mates and help reduce the burden on the day to day administration of the hospital.
On his part, the Principal Nursing Officer of the hospital Mr Charles Ofosuhene expressed gratitude to the foundation for supporting the facility at this point in time.
Mr Ofosuhene who also doubles the Quality Assurance Coordinator of the hospital appealed to individuals and corporate institutions to support the numerous mental homes particularly in the hard and trying times.
He assured that the donated items would be used to the benefit of the inmates and prayed that HOGF adopted the hospital for regular support.
More than 2,000 residents of Oduman and its environs in the Ga West District of the Greater Accra Region, yesterday, benefitted from a free health screening and medical care exercise organised by the Hands of Gold Foundation (HOGF)
The exercise which saw beneficiaries screened and treated for Hepatitis B, Typhoid, Malaria, Ulcer, Diabetes and High Cholesterol levels, formed part of activities to mark this year’s commemoration of International Women’s Day.
The beneficiaries were also offered free eye screening and treatment.
Residents who did not have a health insurance were registered onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and others had their health insurance renewed.
This year’s IWD celebration is on the theme: “Embrace Equity”.
Speaking to the media at the event, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of HOGF, Mr. Benjamin Opuni, said it was their modest contribution towards the empowerment of women.
He said the important role of women in society required that they must be in good health at all times and that was why the screening exercise was scheduled to coincide with the International Women’s Day.
He expressed satisfaction with the turnout and pledged that the HOGF would continue to advocate for support for the interest of women.
The Medical Laboratory Scientist at the Oduman Polyclinic, Mr. Hakeem Umar Toniah said the screening exercise was one that afforded the residents the opportunity to have fore knowledge about their health status.
He explained that hypertension, diabetes and hepatitis seem to be prevalent in the area, stressing that, “So far, from the numbers we have screened, it looks as if those with hypertension are more, followed by diabetes and then hepatitis.”
Mr Toniah said it was important for people to check their lifestyle in order to reduce the incidence of hypertension and diabetes in the country.
On her part, the Finance Director of HOGF, Mrs. Akosua Adjei said the focus was more on women and children.
She said her outfit over the years has been supporting women and children both financially and materially.
In a related development, the foundation has made a donation to the labour ward of the Oduman Polyclinic.
The items included bed sheets, detergents, soaps, tissues, toilet rolls and pampers.
More than 2,000 residents of Oduman and its environs in the Ga West District of the Greater Accra Region, yesterday, benefitted from a free health screening and medical care exercise organised by the Hands of Gold Foundation (HOGF)
The exercise which saw beneficiaries screened and treated for Hepatitis B, Typhoid, Malaria, Ulcer, Diabetes and High Cholesterol levels, formed part of activities to mark this year’s commemoration of International Women’s Day.
The beneficiaries were also offered free eye screening and treatment.
Residents who did not have a health insurance were registered onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and others had their health insurance renewed.
This year’s IWD celebration is on the theme: “Embrace Equity”.
Speaking to the media at the event, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of HOGF, Mr. Benjamin Opuni, said it was their modest contribution towards the empowerment of women.
He said the important role of women in society required that they must be in good health at all times and that was why the screening exercise was scheduled to coincide with the International Women’s Day.
He expressed satisfaction with the turnout and pledged that the HOGF would continue to advocate for support for the interest of women.
The Medical Laboratory Scientist at the Oduman Polyclinic, Mr. Hakeem Umar Toniah said the screening exercise was one that afforded the residents the opportunity to have fore knowledge about their health status.
He explained that hypertension, diabetes and hepatitis seem to be prevalent in the area, stressing that, “So far, from the numbers we have screened, it looks as if those with hypertension are more, followed by diabetes and then hepatitis.”
Mr Toniah said it was important for people to check their lifestyle in order to reduce the incidence of hypertension and diabetes in the country.
On her part, the Finance Director of HOGF, Mrs. Akosua Adjei said the focus was more on women and children.
She said her outfit over the years has been supporting women and children both financially and materially.
In a related development, the foundation has made a donation to the labour ward of the Oduman Polyclinic.
The items included bed sheets, detergents, soaps, tissues, toilet rolls and pampers.
Hands of Gold Foundation, an Accra based Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), has presented quantities of sanitary pads and educational materials to students in Labone and Accra Girls Senior High Schools.
The donation of the items forms part of the foundation’s Get a Pad, Get educated, Get a life (3G) project launched last year.
As part of the 3G project, the foundation aims to provide about 30,000 school girls in underprivileged communities across the country with monthly supply of sanitary pads to cater for their monthly flows.
In addition, the beneficiaries are to be provided with menstrual hygiene education and its associated management practices, and regular free health screening in addition to free books and stationery.
Presenting the items to the girls, a board member of HOG, Mr Larry George Botchwey, said despite the extensive education, action and advocacy done in this space, about 53 per cent of adolescent girls in some underserved and marginalised communities still found it difficult to afford sanitary pads.
This, he said, was due largely to the high cost of sanitary pads in the country which had been occasioned by the high taxes on the production and import of sanitary wares, especially sanitary pads.
Mr Botchwey stated that the donation was to make sanitary pads accessible to all, especially girls in underprivileged communities as a compliment of the other aspects of education needs being catered for by government.
He added that it was important that the girl child was retained in school and one of the surest ways of achieving this was for the government to ensure that sanitary pad was affordable in the country.
“I therefore appeal to our government to meaningfully reduce or completely remove the 12.5 per cent VAT and 20 per cent luxury tax on sanitary products,” he added.
He also encouraged parents and teachers specially to make the conversation on menstrual hygiene education a regular one in individual homes and schools.
Mr Botchwey also appealed to government and its affiliate organisations to come up with well-structured programmes and policies that would support corporate institutions and private individuals with innovative ways of producing low-cost, biodegradable and reusable sanitary products in order to ease the financial burden menstruating women faced.
The Headmistress of Labone Senior High School, Mrs Rejoice Acolor, whose school was the first to receive the package expressed her gratitude to HOG for the support.
She said it was unfortunate that many people often discounted the importance of menstrual hygiene in the education of the girl child, stressing that some of the students absent themselves from school during that period of the month largely because they were unable to afford sanitary pads.
Mrs Acolor noted that the items would go a long way to help boost the confidence of the girls and also enable them concentrate on their academics.