The Bongo District Health Directorate has screened 250 residents of Ayopia for various health conditions as part of efforts to take preventive healthcare services directly to communities.
The exercise included screening for tuberculosis, HIV, hypertension, diabetes and other lifestyle-related conditions, with health officials also educating residents on disease prevention and services available under the Free Primary Healthcare initiative.
Of the 250 people who participated in the exercise, 95 underwent HIV screening, while 100 had their blood pressure checked.
Speaking during the programme, Bismarck Kpankpare, a Control Officer at the Bongo District Health Directorate responsible for tuberculosis and HIV services said the outreach was intended to identify health conditions early, particularly among people who do not routinely visit health facilities for screening.
“A lot of people are sick, but they don’t know,” Mr. Kpankpare said.
The exercise formed part of a community health sensitisation forum at Ayopia aimed at educating and empowering young people and other residents to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.
According to the health official, taking screening services into communities allows health workers to reach people who may lack the time, resources or motivation to visit health facilities for routine checks.
The official explained that under the Free Primary Healthcare initiative, health workers can also conduct house-to-house visits to screen adults for common health conditions and identify people who require further medical attention.
The approach, he said, is similar to efforts to encourage parents to take children to child welfare clinics, but places greater emphasis on extending preventive healthcare to adults in their homes.
Health officials believe the approach could improve early detection and treatment while reducing some of the barriers that prevent residents from seeking healthcare.
The Ayopia exercise is not the first community outreach undertaken by the Bongo District Health Directorate, with officials indicating that a similar programme was conducted about two weeks earlier.
Beyond screening, health workers are using the community engagements to educate residents about services available under the Free Primary Healthcare initiative and encourage routine health checks even when people do not have symptoms.
The Directorate says taking healthcare closer to communities is intended to ensure that more residents can identify health problems early and receive appropriate medical attention before their conditions become more serious.
