Gold Fields Ghana Foundation healthcare drive renews NHIS cover for 265 Awudua residents

More than 260 people in Awudua and nearby communities in Ghana’s Western Region have regained access to healthcare after benefiting from a free medical outreach organised by the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation.

A total of 265 residents registered for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), renewed their membership or replaced their cards during the one-day exercise.

The programme was delivered in partnership with Unilever Ghana and Diagnostic Centre Limited, and included free screening for Hepatitis B, HIV, tuberculosis and other conditions. It formed part of activities to mark World Hepatitis Day.

The outreach was conducted under the Foundation’s Health Engagement Access Link (HEAL) Programme, which cost more than GH¢452,000 to implement.

Foundation officials said the initiative was intended to address the difficulties many residents face when trying to access specialised medical services by bringing healthcare closer to the communities.

Alongside the NHIS services, 180 people were screened for Hepatitis B, while 121 underwent HIV testing. The exercise also provided 98 eye care consultations, 70 Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) consultations, 50 dental screenings and 46 tuberculosis screenings.

Residents were additionally offered blood glucose, blood pressure, malaria, typhoid and haemoglobin tests. Ultrasound scans, X-ray services, spirometry and free medication were also made available during the outreach.

A central part of the programme was the provision of laboratory and diagnostic services without charge. Diagnostic Centre Limited sponsored all the tests carried out through the partnership, including Hepatitis B and HIV screening, haemoglobin and blood glucose tests, typhoid screening, ultrasound scans, X-rays and spirometry.

The arrangement meant residents could receive specialised diagnostic investigations without having to pay for them.

Unilever Ghana supported the health education element of the event by donating personal and household hygiene products to beneficiaries. The items included toothpaste, bathing soap and laundry soap.

The donations were intended to reinforce messages about oral and personal hygiene after the completion of the medical exercise.

Executive Secretary of the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation, Abdel-Razak Yakubu, said the organisation was focused on reducing the practical barriers that prevent people from receiving medical care.

“We bring the hospital to the doorstep of the community folks. That’s our focus: preventive healthcare,” he said.

The HEAL Programme is part of the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation’s wider community investment strategy. Its aims include improving access to quality healthcare in host communities, while encouraging disease prevention and the early identification of health conditions.

The Awudua outreach therefore combined insurance support, clinical consultations, diagnostic testing, health screening and medication in a single community-based programme. Through the exercise, the Foundation and its partners sought to make essential services more accessible to residents who might otherwise struggle to obtain specialised care.