Over a thousand vulnerable residents of Subri in the Western Region, a community with acute need for medical care access have benefitted from a comprehensive medical outreach by Gold Fields Ghana Foundation, in collaboration with the Rotary Clubs of Tarkwa, Anaji, and Bogoso.

This was part of an effort to bridge healthcare access gaps and raise awareness of critical health issues.

The medical outreach organized as part of Breast Cancer Awareness, featured extensive healthcare services, including breast cancer screenings, diabetes and blood pressure management and NHIS registrations and was aimed at enhancing community health access.

Speaking at the outreach, on Friday, November 1, Abdel Razak Yakubu, Executive Secretary of the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation, highlighted the persistent challenges faced by residents of Subri in accessing healthcare.

“Access to healthcare is a major challenge…It’s not just about having health facilities in place; people often struggle with even money to travel to access the few available facilities.”, he said.

He also indicated the high cost involved in reaching the nearest National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) office in Tarkwa, approximately 100 cedis per person, as a significant barrier for the residents of Subri.

Yakubu however mentioned that the foundation has invested over GHS220,000 in the outreach programme to bring NHIS registration directly to the people of Subri.

“Our goal is to eliminate the travel barrier for registration or renewal by bringing NHIS services to the community. The foundation therefore covered the premiums for the first 500 registrants and pledged to support NHIS capacity building to reach more remote communities in the future”, he noted.

Unit Manager for Health Services at Gold Fields Ghana, Dr. Magdalene Bakari, led educational sessions on self-breast examinations, emphasizing early detection of breast cancer.

She also encouraged the community members to incorporate regular check-ups and self-screenings into their routines as well as the importance of consistent blood pressure monitoring and proactive healthcare habits.

The Tarkwa Rotary Club President, Nathaniel Northa, shared on behalf of the Rotary clubs the importance of their collaboration with Gold Fields over the last five years
to bring healthcare to people in need especially the Subri community to improve the lives of those with limited healthcare access.

Spokesperson for NHIS, Ebenezer Atuahene highlighted the outreach’s impact in reaching children and adults who were previously uninsured or needed renewals.

“Many children here in Subri were not on the scheme, and most adults required renewals…Thanks to the foundation’s support, we registered or renewed over 500 people on-site, and we plan to return to capture the rest of the community,” he assured.

The outreach event offered a broad range of medical services provided by a team of doctors, lab technicians, a dentist, and an optometrist.

Attendees received screenings, consultations, and medications, all aimed at enhancing the health and well-being of Subri’s residents.