By Edmund Smith-Asante, ACCRA
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| Dental examination at the screening |
Sanitation workers in and around
James Town, Chorkor and Kaneshie, all in Accra, last Saturday went through
medical screening for the early detection and prevention of diseases that are
associated with their work.
Numbering about 1,000 and clad in
their blue and orange work attire, the Zoomlion workers went through breast
examination and screening for hepatitis, diabetes, hypertension, eye, dental
and respiratory diseases, among other diseases and also received medication.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mrs
Sarah Kyei, the National Co-ordinator of the Zoomlion Foundation, said “apart
from the social atrocities that sanitation workers in this country face, they
are exposed to certain health problems by virtue of their occupation.
These health hazards include
exposure to harmful gases such as methane and hydrogen sulfide, cardiovascular
degeneration, infections such as hepatitis, skin problems, respiratory system
problems and many more.”
She noted that the medical screening,
which was conducted as part of their corporate social responsibility, would,
therefore, help in early detection and prevention of the effects of the
exposures and go a long way to improve the lives of sanitation workers in the
country.
Mrs Kyei said the medical screening was in line with Zoomlion’s healthcare support agenda and was also to provide the health needs of the project staff of the company who were not covered by permanent conditions of service.
Collaborators
Mrs Millicent Akoto, the Executive
Director of the Tobinco Foundation, said drugs, worth GH¢10,000 from the
Tobinco Pharmaceutical Company, had been donated towards the exercise “with the
hope that we can put smiles on the faces of the target community workers” and
that “the health wellbeing of participants will be met so they can effectively
contribute their quota to national development.”
She said since the foundation, which
was established in January, had the expertise in medical screening, it had
offered to partner the Zoomlion Foundation, which had similar objectives, in
the programme.
The leader of the PENSA medical
outreach team, Mr Collins Owusu, a student of the University of Ghana School of
Medicine and Dentistry, told the Daily Graphic that his group, numbering 55,
were motivated as Christians to voluntarily join in the screening “to do as
much as we can to help the health and the wellbeing of our people.”
Beneficiaries
Madam Evelyn Larbi, one of the
Zoomlion workers at Teshie who benefited from the medical screening, said it
was the first time in her nine years as a worker that she was benefitting from
such medical attention and commended the organisers for the programme.
She appealed, however, that “we want
it to be organised at least monthly or every two or three months for us because
the work we do is difficult and we are always exposed to the sun and dust.
Moreover, many of the workers are advanced in age and they should be able to
take care of us so that we can also put in our best to help the country.”
Mr Agyei Vadis, another sanitation
worker with Zoomlion, told the paper that the screening exercise had shown him
that the leadership of the Zoomlion/Jospong Group of Companies had regard for
the workers. He noted that their work was difficult and brought them many
diseases, hence the decision to take them through the exercise which was good
in the sight of God.
“I thank the leadership for thinking
about us in this way and I pray God to give them the strength to continue to do
this for us so that we can also do our work in good health,” Mr Vadis said.
Writer’s email: edmund.asante@graphic.com.gh
This was first published by the Daily Graphic on August 26, 2015
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