The Saint Alban Branch of the Anglican Young People’s Association (AYPA) in Tema has embarked on a health screening exercise for members, with a call on the public to undertake regular health checks.

The exercise, which was part of activities marking this year’s Youth Month Celebrations, was inspired by the Association’s tenets of work; thus the screening to promote healthy lifestyles among members and parishioners in general.

Focused on Cervical Cancer, the general health screening, also witnessed females, 25 years and above, taking turns to test for early detection, followed by treatment and control of the condition to lower the risk of serious complications.

Dr Koby Appiah-Sakyi, Chief Executive Officer of Britannia Medical Centre, who led a team of medics to educate parishioners on the need to stay healthy, said, health education was an important undertaking which could prevent chronic diseases and improve quality of life.

He said with gynecologic cancers, including cervical cancer; it was important to recognize warning signs, and get the necessary education to understand what affected persons to further reduce their risk.

Dr Appiah-Sakyi, who is also the CEO of Ghinger Health Care Limited, therefore, encouraged women to pay particular attention to their bodies, to recognize early warning signs and seek medical care.

According to him, in other jurisdictions, the government had structures that provided safety nets for different categories of people to promote good health, but the situation was different in most African countries which necessarily required the citizens to take responsibility for their health.

Venerable Samuel Hansen Addy, Archdeacon of Tema, Anglican Diocese of Accra, speaking to the Ghana News Agency said a healthy church was not only one energized by faith, but one which considered the general health and wellbeing of parishioners as paramount.

Mr Ernest Tetteh Siaw, Branch President, St. Albans AYPA, reiterated the need for the youth of the church to regularly undertake health examinations, and regular screening was recommended as it helped detect conditions early for treatment.