Some Kumbungu residents being screened
The United States Army in collaboration with the Ghana Armed Forces and the Kumbungu District Assembly, has organised a medical outreach to provide free medical screening and treatment for over 1,000 residents in Kumbungu and its surrounding areas in the Northern Region.
Residents received general health check-ups, screenings, and treatments for various health conditions with free medication.
Major Randy Nii Ofori Tawiah, Head of Public Health at the 6th Medical Reception Station, told DAILY GUIDE that the health screening is part of the African Lion Medical Civic Action Program (MEDCAP).
Major Tawiah, is optimistic that the health screening will improve the health of residents, particularly farmers in the Kumbungu community.
“The farming season is about to start, which involves a lot of physical activity, and so screening will help them know their medical status before they begin the season,” he stated.
Major Rick Dickson, SETAF-AF PAO, noted that African Lion is the largest annual military exercise in Africa, bringing together over 50 nations, including seven NATO allies, adding that the exercise spans across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia.
The training for African Lion 25 (AL25) in Ghana includes joint planning process academics, practical exercises, and an intelligence curriculum that features intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) exercises, as well as medical readiness exercises (MEDREX).
He stated that the exercise aims to enhance military readiness, capabilities, and the authority of partner nations to successfully execute regional security initiatives.
Captain Peter Darko Afari of the U.S. Army Civil Affairs, commended the residents of Kumbungu and its surrounding areas for their participation in the medical outreach, assuring them of the United States Army and Ghana Armed Forces commitment to providing medical services to Ghanaian citizens.
The District Chief Executive of the Kumbungu District Assembly, Imoro Yakubu Kakpagu, thanked the United States Army and Ghana Armed Forces for initiating the medical outreach, noting that the initiative is timely due to the start of the farming season.
“This initiative has come at the right time as we prepare for the farming season. It is important for residents to check their health status before they begin,” he said.
Madam Awuni Mary, a beneficiary of the medical screening, in an interview with DAILY GUIDE said that access to medical services in her village is often difficult, and expressed her appreciation for the initiative.
“For some of us in the villages, it’s challenging to access such medical services. I am grateful to the United States Army and Ghana Armed Forces for bringing this opportunity to our community. I have been screened and received medication, so I am very happy,” she said.
FROM Eric Kombat, Kumbungu