KHI Marks World Diabetes Day With Free Health Screening at Fufuo. The Fufuo community has been a beneficiary of the free health screening exercise organized to mark the world diabetes day 2024. Each year, the Kidney Health International (KHI) marks the annual day with a massive public education and a screening exercise.
As a matter on interest, the KHI decided to push a bit into the hinterland with this year’s program.
Together with her sponsors, the KHI embarked on a massive public health education in 13 churches in the community before the one-day event. These visits were made possible by the collaborative effort of the Unit Committee secretary, Albert Baafi.
He led the programs manager, Mr Sylvanus Gatorwu, into the churches within the community on a sensitization and health education campaign which lasted for three weeks.
The Chief and elders of the community encouraged the members of the Fufuo community to partake in the campaign. Their interest was so high that for the first time in the history of the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), a community suspended all funerals and marriage to make way for a successful screening exercise.
Health Education
During the program Dr Elliot Koranteng Tannor, Director and founder of the Kidney Health International, took some time to educate the teaming crowd about prevention strategies for kidney disease. He touched on certain practices like abuse of pain killers and taking excessive salt, which all have the potential of causing kidney disease.
To prevent kidney disease, Dr Tannor encouraged participants to drink enough water, reduce the intake of salt and then consult their doctors before taking any medication.
This ensured that people who did not benefit from the health education within the three weeks campaign prior to the screening also benefited from the education that was given to the community.
Sponsors
For the world diabetes day 2024 event, The Kidney Specialist Centre was the title sponsor. Other supporting sponsors who helped to make the world diabetes day free health screening for the year 2024 a success are Cipla, Gopens Pharmacy, Til Healthcare, Lancet, Gilat Pharmacy, ADD Pharma, Indus Life, Keep the Faith Enterprise and Darly D Enterprise Sciences, were supporting sponsors of the program at Fufuo.
The Wisconsin University partnered to transport the volunteers to the Fufuo community for the event.
In all 32 volunteers took part in the exercise, these were made up of doctors, nurses, staff of the Kidney Specialist Centre, 9 students from Wisconsin University and some volunteers of the Kidney Health International
Over 300 people were screened for early warning signs of kidney disease. And for the first time, the kidney functions of participants were also checked as part of the screening exercise.
The KHI has always taken keen interest in such days since diabetes ranks number one among the causes of chronic kidney disease globally.
After the exercise, the team passed by the magnificent Barekese Dam for a sight seeing relief before proceeding to Kumasi