The Rotary Club of Tarkwa on Saturday, March 25, embarked on a medical screening for inmates of the Tarkwa local Prisons as part of its 6th Anniversary celebrations.
The exercise, which was in line with some areas of focus of Rotary International which are Disease Prevention and Treatment as well as Peace-building and conflict prevention brought together doctors and other health practitioners who screened over 150 inmates and officers of the Tarkwa local prisons.
The inmates were screened for hypertension, diabetes, malaria, hepatitis B, and other ailments.
Doctors were at hand to consult and dispense medications for common ailments.
Several inmates were presented with cases of skin infections, a condition that was attributable to the congestion of prisoners and poor ventilation within the prison cells.
The President of the Rotary Club of Tarkwa, James Desmond Mclean-Arthur, in his address, stated that the exercise had become necessary because the club had recognised prisoners as a forgotten population when it came to accessing healthcare and owing to the poor living conditions in the prisons the inmates were at risk of contracting and spreading various ailments.
He emphasised the need for other philanthropic organisations and benevolent Ghanaians to come to the aid of the Tarkwa local prisons by donating detergents and other toiletries to reduce the spread of diseases and infections among inmates.
He further assured the Tarkwa local prisons of the Club’s continued support towards improving the living conditions of inmates as we serve humanity.
On behalf of the Ghana Prisons Service and the inmates, the Commanding Officer of the Tarkwa local Prisons, DDP Simon Adzah expressed his gratitude to the Rotary Club of Tarkwa for their intervention.
He stated that the exercise was very timely and would go a long way to improve the health conditions of inmates.
DDP Adzah recounted other donations made to the Tarkwa local Prisons by the Club in past years and thanked members of the Club as well as their sponsors for their efforts.
The Rotary Club of Tarkwa, which was chartered on March 24, 2017, has been at the forefront of several service projects within the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality and continues to support numerous developmental initiatives in the area.
As part of activities to mark its 6th Anniversary this year, the club also intends to procure two (2) Firefly Phototherapy Machines for the Tarkwa Government Hospital to treat newborn babies with jaundice.
Speaking to the media after the exercise, the President of the Club thanked Ami Memorial Hospital, Kekule Pharmacy, Westlink Pharmacy, Healthspring Pharmacy, Madibra Pharmacy, and all the donors who contributed towards making the exercise a success.
He also used the opportunity to urge members of the public and philanthropists to donate towards the initiatives of the Club.
The exercise ended with the donation of medications to the infirmary of the prison.
Refreshments were also provided for inmates, prison officers, and the medical team.
